A group with a new website asks Davidson County voters to recall Nashville Mayor John Cooper, and the group also wants volunteers to step forward to help.
Members of this group, Nashville Citizens for Fair & Transparent Government, said on the website RestoreNashville.org, that they advised Cooper “to cut below costs before taxing Nashville citizens, and he did not.”
As The Tennessee Star reported, Nashville Citizens for Fair & Transparent Government fought Cooper’s 32 percent property tax increase in May.
Cooper, the website said, demonstrated poor fiscal stewardship, showed indifference to children and young families, and destroyed businesses and jobs.
Among only some of the things Nashville Citizens for Fair & Transparent Government said of Cooper:
• “He promised to address Nashville’s long financial problems. Yet as mayor, when it was time to create a budget, he made no cuts to the budget and plans to spend the unexpected sales tax revenue.”
• “He then passed an exorbitant 34 percent (37 percent) property tax increase. Renters now pay an additional $150/month ($1,800/yr) and homeowners pay an additional $750/yr on a $300k home.”
• “He is now threatening to sue the Election Commission if they put the Tax Payer Protection Act on the ballot as 30,000 voters demanded. Having no choice, the EC has now sued Nashville citizens.”
As for school closures, the website, quoting unidentified pediatricians, say schools should open.
“We know COVID-19 is not a significant threat to our children. If schools remain closed, however, data tells us students are at an alarmingly increased risk for suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence, and long-term educational setbacks that destroy the foundation of a child’s future,” the website says.
The website also says that “thousands of people remain unemployed because Cooper placed restrictions on small businesses. Many small businesses have closed their doors leaving people jobless with nowhere to turn.”
To help taxpayers, the website also recommends, among other things, furloughing city employees, pulling money out of arts and nonprofits, and cutting the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority as “ridership is down” and “cost is up.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
The Mayor has chose poorly to increase taxes, close Nashville and Davidson County and then rebuke the voters for wanting a say in this 34% tax increase. Poor choices, arrogant attitude, poor leadership.
We deserve better than this!
Can I vote more than once? ( like Democrats)
Signed up and emailed it to about 25 people already. Let’s get the recall ball rolling! Forward the website to conservative news outlets because Google will never allow it in their search results.
Don’t expect the local media to cover this (and increase traffic to this site). They are too busy running stories about Cooper’s 1st year in office report and his hand wringing setbacks. How about interviewing some people who can refute some of his conclusions? But no that would be real journalism.