A group of people involved with various civic and faith organizations oppose Nashville’s Taxpayer Protection Act and have formed their own group to fight the people who introduced the referendum — people whom they call “radical extremists.”
Members of this group, Save Nashville Now, have a website where they urge Davidson County residents to vote no on July 27.
The referendum, if voters approve it, would roll back Nashville Mayor John Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent tax increase.
“Our firefighters and first responders, nurses, public health and other essential workers could lose their jobs. Teachers could lose pay, and the services our neighborhoods, businesses, seniors and our most vulnerable residents rely on could face deep cuts,” according to Save Nashville Now’s website.
“And without new investments, it will be harder for Nashville to fully recover from the economic impact of COVID-19.”
Save Nashville Now members also warn the referendum, if successful, would gut after-school programs, emotional support services, public libraries, recreation centers, and affordable housing.
The Tennessee Star emailed the group and asked the following question:
“What would you say to people in Davidson County’s PRIVATE SECTOR who meet one or more or all of the following criteria (a) may have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, (b) have had to make deep cuts in their personal budgets due to not only COVID-19 but also this property tax increase (c) may want Davidson County to tighten its own financial belt (as, again, residents have had to do in their personal lives) and (d) don’t at all feel sympathetic to appeals that budget cuts will make life difficult for people who work within the PUBLIC SECTOR and within the Davidson County Government?”
Two people within the Save Nashville Now organization responded to our query.
The first, Tricia Enright, blamed The Tennessean for continuing “to feed its readers a steady diet of mistruths, hyperbole and extremist blather than report the truth about the actual harm this reckless, radical referendum will do to their small businesses, schools, neighborhoods and the health and safety of their families.”
“Perhaps you could instead speak to the hundreds of real businesses owners, police officers, firefighters, teachers, nurses, and everyday Nashvillians who care about the future of this city and understand the unthinkable consequences of this dangerous referendum,” Enright said.
Enright later said her email was a glitch, and she did not intend it for either The Star or The Tennessean.
Save Nashville Now spokesman Jeff Eller, in a follow-up, said he and others within the organization know people have suffered greatly from COVID-19.
“And we also know these people and everyone in Davidson County have come to rely on critical essential services like police, fire, and EMS. These front-line workers could face cutbacks, particularly at a time when our recovery is underway. And we know people care deeply about our school system,” Eller wrote.
“Which is why we believe it is important they know the full picture of what this referendum would do. This campaign is not about the public sector people, it’s about making sure the services they provide, and people depend on can be there when they are needed…for everyone. We all want government to be accountable. This referendum is not the right way to do that.”
The Star on Tuesday also reached out to organizations that belong to Save Nashville Now, including various unions, religious organizations, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Visitor Convention Bureau, and the Greater Nashville Realtors Association. No one returned our request for comment before Tuesday’s stated deadline.
Fewer than 24 hours after the Davidson County Election Commission voted to place the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act’s referendum to roll back property taxes on the ballot, both Metro Nashville Legal and the Nashville Business Coalition filed lawsuits to thwart the effort.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Exactly ragtop, not a single Metro employee was asked to sacrifice ANYTHING while the taxpayers were losing their jobs. Metro didn’t cut a single dime from its budget nor did any city employee lose a single freaking penny during the last year. To make things worse, the pols now seem to be in a hurry to hand out millions more in BigBiz tax breaks while small businesses struggle to survive. The hefty tax breaks for BigBiz Inc., always comes with lots of pretty promises of hundreds/thousands of jobs but fails in reality…except for the pols bottom lines. Property owners always get stuck with the bill.
Heck. Everyone knows that Nashville/Davidson County politicians need a big tax hike to pay for a soccer stadium and $175 million in infrastructure for a private company’s new complex. A company who is set to get bazillions in tax breaks. Oh, and how about all of the “affordable ” housing. Also known as slums. How dare this bunch throw up police, firemen and EMS personnel as their strawmen. As for teachers – they sure as heck have made out like bandits in the middle of the COVID crisis. How much in bonuses and raises have they received? I really do not know but it is a heck of a lot too much.