Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, said a public records request has revealed that Nashville Electric Service (NES) entered into a three-year, multimillion-dollar communications contract with FINN Partners, which he said has not paid off considering the utility continues to face criticism from both sides of the political aisle for its poor communication during Winter Storm Fern.
FINN Partners describes itself as a full-service public relations firm focused on “telling brand stories in memorable, masterful ways,” using “the smartest, most strategic public relations solutions found anywhere” and a “data-driven approach that captures the hearts and minds of consumers and a creative storytelling angle guaranteed to break through the clutter of a busy news cycle,” according to its website.
The firm touts its work with NES on multiple initiatives to “coincide with the Mayor of Nashville’s initiative to make Nashville the greenest city in the Southeast,” including developing a solar park, promoting energy efficiency, and launching the Music City Solar program.
FINN also promoted the utility’s storm response in December 2023, which it said helped viral footage of a substation explosion become part of a Discovery Channel episode showcasing the company’s efforts in restoring power and aiding Nashville’s recovery.
On Monday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Pappert, noting how NES’ contract with FINN Partners is valued at $10 million, questioned the effectiveness of the communications service, especially amid the utility’s underwhelming effort responding to questions surrounding its response and preparedness to Winter Storm Fern.
He said publicly available records reveal very little output from the firm relative to the size of the contract, questioning, “What exactly was justifying this $3 million purchase?”
Pappert also noted that FINN Partners “seems to be a go-to firm for Democrats,” pointing out how the firm “also received similar contracts from Metro Nashville.”
Despite the multimillion-dollar investment, NES’ communications continue to remain widely criticized amid its response to Winter Storm Fern.
“NES was criticized by the Democrat mayor of Nashville for their poor communication during Winter Storm Fern. That’s bad when you have…the current mayor of Nashville saying he’s lost faith in their communication ability,” he said.
Pappert highlighted that the utility has consistently failed to provide direct answers about its spending or tree-trimming budgets, instead issuing generic responses.
He said the utility has given him the response along the lines of, “Now that Winter Storm Fern is over, we are working on an after action report, which will contain all of the answers to questions being asked about the NES storm response.”
“In other words, they gave me their canned response that they’ve used for their past several emails,” Pappert said.
Pappert also reacted to reports that NES may be hiring a lobbyist amid potential legislative intervention.
Pointing to the ineffectiveness of NES’ $3 million per year public relations contract, Pappert said, “I would certainly expect whoever this lobbyist is to be paid quite well. “I’m thinking early retirement well.”
Live February 09 https://t.co/HtuS99ImNZ
— Michael Patrick Leahy (@michaelpleahy) February 9, 2026
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Nashville Electric Service Workers” by Nashville Electric Service.
