David Briley was sworn in as the eighth mayor of Metro Nashville/Davidson County at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, 54 and a half years after his grandfather, Beverly Briley, was sworn in as the first mayor of consolidated Metro Nashville/Davidson County in 1963.
As Vice Mayor of Nashville, the position to which he was elected in 2015, David Briley was in line to become mayor in the event of the resignation or death of the elected mayor under terms of the Metro Nashville/Davidson County Charter, which, ironically, his grandfather had a hand in crafting.
Former Mayor Megan Barry resigned in disgrace earlier on Tuesday after pleading guilty to felony theft of property charges in the morning.
A special election will be held in August to select a mayor who will serve the remaining year of former Mayor Barry’s term.
“The ceremony took place in the Metro Council Chambers where Briley had presided as Vice Mayor and President of the Metro Council since his election in August 2015,” WSMV reported.
“The acting mayor said he does not plan to travel with a police security detail and he plans to drive himself to and from work,” WKRN reported, a marked contrast to his predecessor, who, since 2016, traveled everywhere in and out of Nashville accompanied by a security team of one to four Metro Nashville Police Department officers.
Her mismanagement of that security detail, and her extramarital affair with its head, former Sgt. Rob Forrest, led to her ignominious downfall on Tuesday morning.
Many saw Mayor Barry’s insistence she be accompanied by a security detail at all times as an attempt to inflate her own importance, despite her claims that Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson said that the mayor required protection everywhere.
The new mayor tweeted out this picture of his swearing in:
Remarks from @MayorBriley. “In 2015 when I began my service as Vice Mayor, I charged the Council with 40 words…” pic.twitter.com/TGHPF15aZi
— Mayor David Briley (@MayorBriley) March 6, 2018
State Sen. Steve Dickerson (R-Nashville) tweeted out another view of the swearing in ceremony:
Nashville’s new mayor @MayorBriley pic.twitter.com/sgk221qjqF
— Steve Dickerson (@DickersonforS20) March 6, 2018
Although the new mayor is stylistically different than disgraced former Mayor Barry, ideologically, he is largely aligned with her far left agenda.
Like the former mayor, Mayor Briley supports the proposed $9.2 billion transit tax proposal that is on the ballot in the May 1 referendum.
“Briley said he plans to head to work immediately, and plans to focus on transit solutions, crime prevention, public health and bringing jobs to all of our communities,” WKRN reported.
“Today is obviously a very disappointing day for Nashville and it’s really tough. The public trust has been damaged, and we’ve all been distracted from very important work our city needs to undertake. ”
Briley said he also plans to meet regularly with the Metro Council and will begin holding town hall meetings across the city so he can hear from citizens and what their concerns are.
“Today’s events and what we’ve learned today is disappointing and it’s sad, but I pledge to you – to the citizens of Davidson County and Nashville – that together we are going to move this city forward and on to better days where prosperity is shared amongst all, where we continue to move forward together,” Briley said.
He added that former Nashville mayors Bill Purcell, Phil Bredesen and Karl Dean have all offered their assistance and he has accepted their offers.
“I think people are going to get behind me – not because they care about David Briley but because they care about Nashville,” he said.
The 54-year-old Briley is an attorney, a graduate of Georgetown University and Golden Gate University Law School, and has practiced law in Nashville since 1997. He was a partner in the Bone Law Firm until he became mayor.
After the new mayor was sworn in, Council Member Sheri Weiner was appointed President of the Metro Council, and will assume the duties of the Vice Mayor. Mayor Briley tweeted out this description of her new responsibilities:
.@sheriweiner will retain her full right to vote as a Member of Council at all Council meetings. The Council will elect a deputy pro tem to serve as pro tem while she is fulfilling the role of Vice Mayor. The term of the president pro tem expires on August 31, 2018.
— Judge David Briley (@DavidBriley) March 6, 2018
Former Mayor Barry was elected in a September 2015 runoff in which she defeated David Fox by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin, and was sworn in later that month.
Another election will be held in August 2019 to select a mayor to serve a full four year term until 2023.
Mayor Briley did not indicate if he would run for election in either the August 2018 special election for the remainder of former Mayor Barry’s term or the August 2019 general election for a full four year term.
President pro tem of the Council, @sheriweiner will become President of the Metro Council, serving the duties of Vice Mayor. pic.twitter.com/5OisD5Q5FB
— Judge David Briley (@DavidBriley) March 6, 2018
Well, comments about the character of the new Mayor are not so good. I guess there is the answer about how he will handle the MNPS enrollment crisis and how the lowered funds to schools he favors, like Glendale Elementary, due to a shift in MNPS budget, as it might (later) relate to passing a higher sales tax in Davidson, is answered. He will favor schools like Glendale with political influence to preserve their budget but NOT balance Davidson Co budget with focus on education needs across the whole district…throw caution to the wind and support Barry’s legacy mission to lay useless, permanent, costly, soon to be obsolete tracks up to the county line….where it will likely be shut down by conservative counties. Love how the new ads in favor of tax for tracks say, “In our area, we only have to pay for HALF!” I just heard squeaking breaks, then crickets from surrounding counties. I hope I’m wrong and he drops the liberal elitist favoritism and acts responsibly looking out for the best interests of children across all of Davidson Co. and walks away from insane tax increase for over prices trans plan. Bring back families and increase public school enrollment! Hope he proves comments wrong and backs a better mass trans plan, not Megan’s.
Dubious David Briley is everything you are reading in these comments if not worse. He needs to be watched closely as the previous stooge and fabrication, Megan Barry, is now relegated to working as a progressive thought changer over in Vandyland. She may be David’s designated handler. It’s clear from her smirk, smile and arrogance in court the other day that she and her cohorts are not done in their mission to destroy Nashville and other cities as quickly as possible.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I’m still wondering why using 1950’s bus system-solutions to a 2019 traffic gridlock problem is the best answer. Dedicated bus lanes keep cars from traveling through. Empty buses today won’t magically fill up. (Truth hurts: mainstream America drives their own car to their own destination because it is their desire to do so)
I only know David Briley to be an entitled, smug, liberal snot. He truly is distasteful as a person and as a politician.
Some of my friends who live in Nashville say Mayor Briley is so liberal he would make Barry look like a Conservative.
I don’t live there so I don’t know.
Same uberlib direction for Nashville. The “million a year” moving to Nashville is such a BS lie–people are moving here but a LOT of people like us-actual Nashville city limits property owning taxpayers are LEAVING. We looked in other counties, refused to even consider Davidson, for a couple of years before we found a house to buy so we can relocate. Let someone else take our place but there is no place for Conservatives in Nashville govt anymore–lost cause which is going to turn out just like Atlanta. A liberal inner city bastion continually scandal wracked, short of money, failing schools, crime our of control place surrounded by Conservative Counties.
Yep.
I wonder if Mayor Briley will back off campaigning for the new transit proposal- (May 1st vote on proposed sales tax increase to 10.25 percent) since his background in some Nashville public schools suggests he might advocate for those schools who are now faced with less funding as some Hillsboro Cluster schools will lose funding due to the unexpected decrease in public school enrollment. If expected enrollment this school yr was 1500 but turned out to be a loss of 500- how many more families will leave Davidson Co if a higher tax is approved? And how many new families will opt to not relocate to Davidson Co with a tax among highest in the nation? The MNPS budget will surely be adversely affected for yrs to come as the city could face serious budget deficit issues with this long term billion $ project. Dr. Joseph seems to be doing the right thing, looking out for the district as a whole and giving more to the lower income schools. He’s ahead of the crisis, I guess. Understandably, PTO board members are circulating complaints about the proposed MNPS budget for the upcoming school year, citing concerns about allocations. The topic is focused on the new percentage requirement of low income families in a school to qualify as a Title I and receive more funds (from 50 percent of the school pop to 75%) which now lowers cost per child in some schools. The message from families opposing this proposed MNPS budget is to fight for the schools’ who are losing funds- their concerns are valid but seem to conflict with those parents, school staff and PTO board members who support the tax for tracks. The paper today quoted Joseph telling parents to look at the district as a whole and not just one school. The upcoming referendum on the mass transit plan ( increased tax) undermines the best interests for the city and its schools. This extreme school funding loss for 2019 school year is only the beginning and a wake up call. How will Mayor Briley balance the interests of our children’s education with former Mayor Barry’s grand mass transit plan? A plan she hoped would solidifying her legacy as a powerful influence in government planning rather then one that was actually good for our city…It seems logical our new Mayor would re-evaluate it in light of MNPS’ enrollment crisis.
If Joseph is doing such a good job of administration how did he miss such a drastic drop in enrollment? Did he just ignore the facts and plan to deal with the crisis when it hit the district up side the head? Not the kind of leadership I expect for the big salary he pulls down. But not unusual for recycled heads of schools. Frankly, I do not care about the district as a whole – that is his problem. My concern is for the schools where my family members attend.
No argument with the carnage that passage of the ridiculous transit scheme would bring.
David Briley is a Georgetown graduate. That tells me all I need to know. He’s a globalist, a multiculturalist bigot and a socialist democrat who knows what’s best for us, the little people. And he wants more of our money in the form of taxes to pay off his fat cat Babbit chamber of commerce cronies. Georgetown and D.C. democrats define him even though he’s a Nashville native.
So, how long will it be before Xbeam Barry is “working” for one of the groups pushing the transit albatross? Guaranteed she will be out there, like her community “organizing” namesake, Barry Obama, making big bucks. And while she’ll be trying to hang something around the necks of the citizens of Nashville, she gets off without an ankle bracelet. It must be nice to be royalty!
No improvement policy-wise.
I sure hope a better option is on the special election ballot.