Dear Tennessee: Nashville is Not a ‘Sovereign State Within a Sovereign State’

 

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Leahy welcomed in-studio guest and Nashville Metro Council at-large candidate, Steve Glover to the show to discuss David Briley’s recent desperate decision to enforce an executive order against ICE and it’s federal orders to detain illegal immigrants in Tennessee.

Nearing the end of the show, the men discussed how and if a Mayor had the power to enforce an executive order and clarified the legalities stating that “Nashville is not a sovereign state within a state.”

Leahy: So we are joined in studio by Steve Glover who is a current council member of the Metro Council. Which district do you currently represent?

Glover: Well, I was the current council member until September first at midnight.

Leahy: Oh.

Glover: It’s all changed now.

Leahy: Oh, that’s right. So you are not now a council member?

Glover: Correct.

Leahy: OK. Which district did you formerly represent?

Glover: District 12. Hermitage.

Leahy: Hermitage. Great. It literally is Andrew Jackson’s?

Glover: No, it’s Larry Hagar’s district. I’m on the other side and I go to the water of Percy Priest and then to Wilson County.

Leahy: OK. Good. But you are one of eight candidates. Total of eight candidates running for Metro Council at large.

Glover: Correct.

Leahy: In the run-off election. Already we have won Metro Council at large elected Bob Mendes. And there are four more seats open. Now I have characterized this race of the at large level as Steve Glover and the seven left-wing lunatics. And now you haven’t characterized it that way?

Glover: No.

Leahy: I have characterized it that way. We’ve asked the candidates to appear. We’ll extend the same courtesy to them. But surprisingly, I don’t know why they haven’t accepted that offer. I suppose the idea that if my first question to them, “Now I’ve characterized you as a left-wing lunatic. Tell me why that’s not the case?”

Glover: That doesn’t categorize me.

Leahy: But if I were to say that to another candidate.

Glover: Well, OK. Let them speak. I don’t speak on others behalf.

Leahy: That might not be the most inviting first question.

Glover: May not be.

Leahy: See, but I can’t ask you that question because you’re not a left-wing lunatic.

Glover: Not even close. The left will say I’m a right-wing lunatic so…

Leahy: But you’re not.

Glover: I don’t think I am. I’ve tried to come after it with common sense.

Leahy: Well, there you go. This is where we are. This is why we are characterized, those of us that are conservative, in a negative by all the other mainstream media. But really it’s just common sense.

Glover: I think so.

Leahy: So, there’s a very important thing I want to talk to you about right now. Because if you are elected as an at-large member of the council, you’ll be the last man standing at the county level right?

Glover: I’m glad you asked that question because there are people out there say, “Well that’s pretty arrogant to say you are the last guy standing.” Understand what I mean by that. I am the last true conservative standing for a city-wide office. There are few other candidates running that are conservative OK?

But they’re for the districts. We don’t have a citywide voice. And that’s one thing that was important to me and so, therefore, that’s exactly what I mean. Will there be other candidates that will be conservatives? Lord, I hope so.

Leahy: We are hoping. Let me just say that the description that you are the last man standing. Not arrogant. It is merely descriptive of the truth in my view.

Glover: I got to tell you. I’ve spent the last four years and I know who fights and who doesn’t down there. And nobody fights quite like I do to represent my beliefs.

Leahy: And we need fighters because Nashville, and we’ll talk about this when we get back. Desperate David Briley is about to issue an executive order. And we are not sure on the legality of that. I’m sure he’s got all sorts of lawyers that are going to tell us it’s legal.

(Commercial break)

Leahy: I’m guessing that you’re interview experience with like the Tennessean. NPR. A little different than your interview experience here at 98.3 and 1510 WLAC?

Glover: I would simply say their approach is different. (Leahy laughs) And kind of leave it at that. One of the things that’s kind of challenging is there are a bunch of these forums and all kinds of things that are happening out there. I can’t make them all simply because I’ve got various forums that I get invited to that a lot of them won’t come to because I have a conservative group that I represent strongly.

First of all, when I’m elected I’ll represent everybody in Nashville. But you know, the conservative voice has to have a voice because we’re the ones that really watch the pocketbook. We’re the ones that really come at it from a common-sense basis. Now, they’ll say, “That’s wrong.” I will say, “Prove me wrong.” Because everything I’ve predicted is happening right now to us.

Leahy: So, I see this leftward lurch of desperate David Briley and he came out yesterday, the other day. “Got to have more gun control.” Not apparently aware of or interested in the fact that the second amendment says the right to bear arms. Or the people’s right to bear arms shall not be infringed. But there’s another interesting development here.

He’s decided apparently, and we’ll find out the details today. I’m very interested in this. He obviously does not want Nashville’s local law enforcement to cooperate at all with the lawful orders of the federal government to detain illegal aliens. So now he’s holding a press conference this afternoon at some point to issue an executive order.

What is the limit and the scope of the authority of the Mayor of Nashville, Davidson county to issue executive orders? I thought all ordinance and laws had to be passed by the Metro Council?

Glover: Executive orders. He can issue whatever he wants. As far as the legal standings of what the footing may be on that not necessarily based. And actually not rooted in legal foundations.

Leahy: OK. So what is the authority? What is the scope of a Mayor’s executive order? We’re going to get one this afternoon. It’s a week and a half before the election is exactly the perfect time to issue an executive order even though you’ve been Mayor for a year and a half now.

Glover: Right.

Leahy: What does the Metro Charter say about the authority of the Mayor in executive orders? What legal standing does any executive order of the Mayor have?

Glover: Well, first of all, I have to clarify I’m not an attorney.

Leahy: Nor do you play one on the radio.

Glover: Nor do I.  In fact I go out off my to make sure I don’t play one anywhere.

Leahy: The point is though but you have been an elected representative of the people serving on the Metro Council which my understanding is the entity that has the authority to pass laws and ordinances that go in effect when they’re signed by the Mayor. Is that basically it?

Glover: Well yeah. Let’s take the marijuana bill for example. Which was in clear violation of state law and federal law. And what we did. I’m just using it as an example.

Leahy: When you say the marijuana bill. What are you talking about?

Glover: Where they had a half-ounce or less.

Leahy: Who’s they?

Glover: Anybody that’s carrying marijuana.

Leahy: Was this a Metro ordinance?

Glover: Yes. That actually got voted on by the council.

Leahy: So when did this happen?

Glover: Two, three years ago.

Leahy: OK. So there was a metro ordinance. What were the elements of it?

Glover: The element was if you had a half-ounce or less of marijuana then it would be like getting a speeding ticket. The state warned us, “Don’t do that.”

Leahy: Hold on just a second here. So here is the state, this is the problem that you have with cities. Cities, Democratically controlled cities misread the constitution and think that in our federal system of government, city governments have the same authority as state governments. They don’t.

Glover: No.

Leahy: You can look at Tennessee, at our Guide to the Constitution for Secondary Students. It’s clear as a bell. They’re not separate entities. The Metro Council, I’m going to say it. All these left-wing lunatics on the Metro Council thought, “We’re going to make up our own law.”

Glover: We’re not a sovereign state inside of a sovereign state. (Laughs)

Leahy: OK. Steve, we are right at the core issue here. City governments, Metro Nashville in particular. It’s not a sovereign state within a sovereign state. You nailed it.

Listen to the full hour:

– – –

Tune in weekdays from 5:00 – 8:00 am to the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy. Listen online at iHeart Radio.
Photo “Steve Glover” by Steve Glover. Photo “David Briley” by David Briley. Background Photo “Nashville City Hall” by Nicolas Henderson. CC BY 2.0.