An email obtained by The Tennessee Star following its public records request to Metro Nashville, seeking answers about the nearly $1.5 million appropriated to two pro-illegal immigrant nonprofits, reveals that the $718,000 grant for Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors (TNJFON) was included in Metro’s budget following a meeting between a city official and Emily Cupples, a Democratic political consultant who now manages the reelection campaign of Mayor Freddie O’Connell.
Though O’Connell’s office resisted providing an unknown number of documents, citing attorney-client privilege, one of the five sent to The Star is an email exchange between Cupples and a Metro Nashville employee from earlier this year.
Cupples (pictured above) specifically referenced TNJFON, suggesting the meeting would reference the money the nonprofit received from Metro Nashville in 2022, when a contract reveals TNJFON and the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) received millions in Biden-era funding to provide legal services to illegal aliens.
She also sought a meeting with Masami Tyson, O’Connell’s chief of staff, and specified that it concerned the money granted to TNJFON.
“Masami directed me your way to request scheduling a meeting with Tennessee Justice for our Neighbors,” wrote Cupples in her February 26 email. “Metro granted TNJFON funds to provide legal services to immigrants in 2022.”
The meeting was set for March 2, culminating in the Metro employee asking Cupples if she would be joined by anyone.
Cupples replied, “Tessa Lemos Del Pino. She is the executive director of TNJFON.”
Less than two months after the meeting that included the political consultant and the mayor’s chief of staff, O’Connell officially launched his reelection campaign, and Cupples was named as its manager.
“His vision is focused on what actually matters: whether people can afford to live here and build a future here,” Cupples said in May, according to The Nashville Banner. “It’s about continuing the work of a mayor who has proven he can lead, get s*** done, and move Nashville forward in a way that actually improves people’s lives.”
Though this appears to be her first professional connection to O’Connell, Cupples has worked in Democratic politics for more than a decade.
When Cupples launched Delta Public Strategies last year, The Nashville Business Journal noted her past experience at Cooley Public Strategies, where she lobbied on behalf of companies like HCA Healthcare and Greyhound, as well as nonprofits including Mental Health Cooperative and Community Connexor.
The outlet also reported that Cupples managed the political campaign of Jim Gingrich, who ran against O’Connell during the 2023 election, while also representing At-Large Metro Councilwoman Delishia Porterfield. In 2022, Cupples managed the campaign of former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jason Martin.
Cupples told The Business Journal that she was motivated to launch her independent operation to see her gender represented among owners of public affairs firms.
“I decided I wanted to launch my own firm and realized there wasn’t a female-owned public affairs firm,” said Cupples, according to the outlet. “So I really saw an opportunity and space for it.”
While the meeting between Cupples and Masami may reflect part of the genesis of how $718,000 was appropriated for TNJFON in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, the mayor’s office’s response to The Star contains no information about what the Democratic consultant and chief of staff discussed.
Similarly, the response from the mayor’s office contains no comparable information about a meeting that preceded the $735,000 appropriation for TIRRC.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Emily Cupples” by Delta Public Strategies.
