Nashville Mayor John Cooper this month delivered a speech that invoked race and even Donald Trump as a means to frighten voters out of supporting the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.
The referendum, if voters approve it, would roll back Cooper’s 34 to 37 percent property tax increase.
Attorney Jim Roberts helped craft the referendum. Roberts said Monday he did not hear Cooper’s speech, but what he heard about it embarrassed him.
Cooper spoke last week to an audience at Nashville’s Cathedral of Praise Church of God in Christ. Church officials uploaded the speech to the church’s Facebook page.
“You are creating a path for anarchy in Nashville, Tennessee that will not end well, all because there is this path of [a] super-small weaponized kind of Trump-oriented divisiveness that enters into Nashville,” Cooper told audience members.
Cooper cited California’s current woes as a reason why voters in Nashville should reject the Taxpayer Protection Act.
“This is how California got into its current trouble. Everything [there] is done by referendum. Everybody is counting on people using their worst judgement, their smallest moments, to go to the ballot box and vote that way. What has been the result?” Cooper asked.
“For first time in their history of a state they lost population. Can you imagine? A state like California is losing people because everybody is leaving because they knew the government there is not addressing the problems and not solving any of their needs. That is what happens when everything ends up being by referendum.”
On their website, 4GoodGovernment.com, Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act backers list other priorities they want the referendum to accomplish through various amendments. That includes forbidding the county’s elected officials from receiving any benefits at taxpayer expense, at least not without a referendum.
“This Amendment DOES NOT affect any pension or other earned benefit resulting from employment with the Metropolitan Government. It applies only to elected officials and those benefits arising from holding public office,” according to the website.
Cooper seemed to suggest that that amendment has a concealed meaning.
“OK, but who are they talking about? Nashville has made such progress. Thirty of our 72 countywide office holders are minorities. Twenty-eight are African-American,” Cooper said.
“We are finally hitting a good mark for representative government in Nashville and now for them to run for office [and] any of their pay or benefits has to be approved by referendum, which means the referendum could go the other way and say you are cancelled.”
Cooper said the referendum will thus punish public servants and discourage qualified people, especially minorities, from seeking office.
Roberts told The Tennessee Star Monday that he thought Cooper “had more integrity than this.”
“The campaign against this is going to be based on ignorance and hysteria, but probably not in that order. All they have are scare tactics. It’s all they will ever have,” Roberts said.
“They have no interest in any sort of intelligent and substantive discussion about any of these ballot initiatives. It’s not what this election will be about. It will be about whether Metro can scare people with lies and deceptions.”
Various unions, religious organizations, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Visitor Convention Bureau, and the Greater Nashville Realtors Association oppose the Nashville Taxpayer Protection Act.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
I miss the Mayor lady who was doing the THP man.
She was more fun and less haughty.
Nashville, there’s a problem! Cooper is out of his mind…
Nashville, please flush this leader and his “friends” on the council. We can do better.
Yes, Cooper is a crazy and he’s corrupt like his brother the senator. The family are low level Elites. That’s not being mean, that’s just the truth.
Its important everyone see the bigger picture. Nashville Metro Council is the core root of all evil in Davidson County. It has been extreme liberal for generations, they are now as far left as you can go and have moved into socialism/communism. (You think not?) Attend the counsel meetings and you’ll see the truth for yourself).
Some may ask, how did this happen in a Red state? The reality is Nashville is a college city with multiple colleges and academia breeds liberalism which is entrenched in socialism and communism. Over the years we have even seen our “so called Christian colleges like Belmont and Lipscomb” taken over by the left. Plus there is so much more in this city and state.
The question is how do you take back the Metro Counsel? The plan is the same for every city. Find strong God fearing conservative hard working people to run. And you build your volunteer army in every city of the county. You raise PAC money and you go for the gold. And most important you make sure your voting machines aren’t rigged. (Of course that’s just the beginning) The question is, who is willing to lead and join the army of workers? Are You?
Hey Nashville, you elected this clown now you reap the spoils.
Mayor Napoleon Cooper has bigger problems than the NTPA, crime is out of control. Our new feckless Go Along to Get Along police chief is evidently ok with getting his marching orders from the COB, all while crime spikes. The Communist City Council is making sure we are taxed into oblivion, overrun with vagrants, and eroding freedoms daily. Time to #VotetheBumsOut!
Democrats scream “racism” anytime you oppose anything that they propose. It’s just getting old.
But it is true. Racism, especially here in the south is terrible. What is now the Republican party morphed over the century into a full blown racial party. Democrats have washed themselves of virtually all racial bias. This Mayor comes from a prestigious line of Tennessee statesmen and should be treated with much more respect.
Lady, please cite some good examples that are not driven by liberal hatred and flat out lying.
It is very easy to scream fire where there is little to no smoke.
it takes a racist to call another racist. when a majority white country elects a black to two terms as president those who continue to yell this country is racist should return to the home of thier ancestors and shut up
This mayor has pushed Nashville to the brink of bankruptcy and then made taxpayers pay for his ineptitude with the most ridiculous tax hike in history! Nashville has had huge influxes of money and population yet it is bleeding. There is an issue alright and it is NOT race. Race is the catch all weapon used when you have no factual argument to a fiscally responsible action. Perhaps you might own your own racism if that is all you can find to throw out there.
Beatrice,
I fear you remain… misunderstood.
That thar is an out there eye roller of a statement. Somone send him a red rubber nose and some clown shes!
wow. too bad chicken coop’s nose doesn’t grow when he lies.
people are leaving cali bc people like cooper have run it, and ruined it, for generations.
mistreating minorities and cause anarchy? that sounds like the result of dem rule.
Please add to the referendum that any future pay increases and lifetime benefits for-the councilman and mayor must be approved by the voters! Let’s do away with this vote my self a pay raise and lifetime health benefits!! Employees do not get the option to vote their self’s a pay raise like the politicians!!
Time to take back Nashville from chicken coop and the liberal lefties.
The problem with Mayor Cooper and Metro Council’s mismanagement with Comparing Nashville to California, is Both areas have been totally controlled by democrats elected to office! Is John Cooper criticizing democratic policies? I am a lifelong democrat that voted for Jim and John Cooper! I am embarrassed at John Cooper’s comparison of California! The problem Mayor you have done nothing but engaged in fiscally mismanagement of our city! As a democrat I will be voting to repeal this outrages 34% tax increase and will be voting for another democrat to replace you and your brother Jim Cooper! You are and embarrassment and not a true democrat! Please resign before you and councilman Mendez and Allen are recalled! Haven’t us democrats been through enough starting With former Mayor Berry and now you?
Shouldn’t you be rethinking your choices? Democrats are what puts all of us in this trouble! That’s not going to change! Keep voting for them IS the problem!
please if you cant vote for a republican just vote for the communist. that is the only way i can understand your thinking.
I think the Mayor, Councilman Bob Mendez and Burkley Allen have raised taxes on everyone Black and White, Latino, Asian and has hurt the young and the old, increased costs regarding property taxes. I think the Mayor and council is hurting job recruitment by making Nashville a higher priced area to set up jobs and to live! Let’s have a vote on the high property taxes and fiscal mismanagement of Metro Government by the Mayor and Council! Has anyone had enough of the Cooper Dynasty? Is your life better off or worse off with Jim and John Cooper in elected office? I think the Coopers are making us look like Nancy Pelosi’s California! Let’s have the vote on capping high property taxes, recall elected leaders that behave badly and lifetime benefits to the council members for a part time job!
Where to start with this moronic line of thinking?
For starters Mayor Cooper,
1. People are leaving Cali because of the massive tax burden and sky rocketing crime. (sound familiar?) all caused by stupid leftist politicians. I have met several families from California that have moved into our neck of the woods in the last year and they ALL say this very thing. One of the first things they do after introducing themselves is to assure everyone that they are not “one of THOSE Californians”.
2.You apparently think Cali’s problems are caused by ignorant Plebs voting for what they want. I guess you haven’t paid attention to the leftist courts overturning a lot of these referendums and deferring to the crazy politicians and their Socialist Paradise scams which are the REAL source of their problems. Just like Nashville’s financial woes are from decades of idiotic Democrat Mayors (and Council members) spending habits
3. The taxpayers are your EMPLOYERS. They should be able to set salaries for elected officials. The problem is that all you politicians like the current system where you vote for own pay raises and bennies. Then there is the whole “I don’t want to PO the unions by freezing spending and deferring raises. Those teachers and SEIU minions are mean” cowardice. Which is why not a single Metro employee was furloughed or asked to sacrifice anything during the panic-demic.
Y’alls real fear is that the taxpayers are seeing through your Emperors clothing and are starting to rise against it.. The Democrat dictum of “shut up tax payers…just hand over your money and let us, your betters, rule everything” has pretty much run its course. That goes for your union brown shirts also.
Cooper is a liar and a commie democrat leftist. What a stretch this old queen is so full of it, anarchy and hurt monrities what BS. He will probably want to shut Nashvillle down again like he did with the Fauci Flu, to save the minorities from the mean honkies. A typical democrat always use the poor minorities. As soon as we can get this POS out of here the better. I do not think I can despise any politician more than this old freak. This Barney Frank look alike needs to go back to his all white neighborhood in west Nashville, send his kids to MBA and keep that arrogant attitude that the common people need his Quuen Barney
Dictator leadership. Heil Commie Cooper!