Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, is warning that the multi-billion dollar transit referendum being presented to Nashville voters on the November 5 general election would “drive people out of Nashville” if passed.
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The Tennessee Star on Monday obtained videos from a newly released ad campaign by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who is currently favored to win reelection against State Senator Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), which feature prominent Tennessee conservatives celebrate Blackburn’s role in the successful 2003 effort to defeat an income tax proposal.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Wednesday said the 2018 transit referendum, which was rejected by 64 percent of the city’s voters and supported by just 36 percent, would have been “pretty useful” for Nashville’s residents.
O’Connell spoke about the failed, 2018 referendum in an appearance on The Nashville Scene Podcast, where he compared the long-term benefits of mass transit to planting trees.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell raised the infrastructure elements of his transit referendum as evidence that even Nashvillians who do not use the city’s bus system will benefit if it passes. He did not acknowledge the possibility the infrastructure elements are illegal under Tennessee law, as alleged by government watchdog Ben Cunningham.
O’Connell was interviewed about his transit referendum on Thursday by Nashville Scene. When asked about individuals who are only familiar with his proposed improvements to Nashville’s bus system, the mayor turned to the “improved infrastructure” promised in the referendum.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, detailed how transit projects across the nation are widely “bottomless pits for money” during Tuesday’s Blue City Blues segment on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
Cunningham, who has frequently spoken out against the multi-billion dollar transit plan proposed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell for both legal and practical reasons, pointed out that Memphis is also experiencing a transit problem. Its Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) is considering cutting hundreds of jobs after the service revealed a $60 million deficit in its budget earlier this year.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell is promoting lawlessness through his transit plan which will be presented to voters on the November 5 general election ballot.
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The Davidson County Election Commission gave final approval to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi-billion dollar transit plan on Thursday, marking the final step before the plan is presented to voters on the November 5 general election ballot.
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Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s ambitious $3.1 billion “Choose How You Move” transportation improvement program, was unanimously approved by the Metro Council this week, is facing scrutiny from anti-tax activist Ben Cunningham. The opposition raises serious legal questions that could significantly impact the plan’s implementation. With the passage this week from the Council, the initiative will be on the November ballot.
Cunningham, known for his staunch opposition to tax increases, is challenging the legality of the plan, which aims to enhance Nashville’s transportation infrastructure. His argument centers on whether the proposed spending aligns with the provisions of the 2017 state law known as the Improve Act. This law permits local governments to establish dedicated funding sources for mass transit but has specific stipulations on allowable expenditures.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, is warning Nashvillians about Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi-billion dollar transit plan, which will be presented to voters this November via ballot referendum.
O’Connell’s transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” would be funded by a half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax to construct miles of new sidewalks, bus stops, transit centers, parking facilities, and upgraded traffic signals throughout Nashville.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, and Michael Patrick Leahy, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Tennessee Star, praised the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 which is a conservative playbook with the goal to “take back our government” by “paving the way for an effective conservative administration” beginning in January 2025.
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The Metro Nashville Council passed Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi billion-dollar transit plan on its first reading during Tuesday’s meeting.
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Eighty-three percent of people who answered a Fox 17 News online survey said they do not feel safe on Metro Nashville’s WeGo public buses.
Fox 17 posted the survey to X after a recent string of violent incidents at WeGo locations in Nashville and criticism of Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s efforts to invest in the city’s public buses.
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A man was shot three times at a WeGo bus stop in Nashville on Friday, marking the third violent crime related to the city’s bus system in under 10 days.
Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) confirmed the shooting and arrest of 19-year-old Dejuan Prime in a post to the social media platform X, explaining the crime happened on the steps of 4th Avenue North.
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A report out of Los Angeles regarding the city’s crime rates on its public transportation services is being flagged by a local watchdog in Nashville as a glimpse of what Music City’s future may look like if Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi-billion-dollar transit plan is implemented.
O’Connell’s transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” would be funded by a half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax to construct miles of new sidewalks, bus stops, transit centers, parking facilities, and upgraded traffic signals around Nashville.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, is speaking out about multiple concerns with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi billion-dollar transit plan unveiled last month.
O’Connell unveiled his billion transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last month.
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An independent accounting of the costs associated with the transportation referendum put forward by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell on Thursday claims the true cost of the mayor’s goals will swell to $6.93 billion over the 15-year life of the project.
O’Connell originally announced the cost of building the transportation improvements in his referendum would amount to about $3.1 billion, with additional annual operating costs of about $111 million.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced in his first State of Metro address on Tuesday that his Choose How You Move mass transit plan passed a required independent audit.
O’Connell’s mass transportation plan Choose How You Move includes public transportation available 24/7, almost 600 upgraded traffic signals, 86 miles of sidewalks, and other features, all proposed to be funded by a half-cent sales tax. The plan must meet certain requirements under Tennessee’s IMPROVE Act, like the independent audit, before being considered by Nashville voters on a November ballot.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said the Nashville Mayor’s $3.1 billion transit referendum is a “ripoff” of the taxpayers who are not given a proper voice in the media to express opposition to the transportation plan.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell unveiled his $3.1 billion transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last month.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell described his “Choose How You Move” transportation referendum as “very progressive” in a Wednesday interview, highlighting the endeavor as one of the most progressive acts of his administration.
O’Connell was asked by The Guardian, which describes itself as “the world’s leading liberal voice,” to what level he views himself “as a progressive leader in a state that is not politically progressive” following the 2022 redistricting process that split Nashville between multiple congressional districts.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said not only does Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s $3.1 billion transit referendum, which is expected to be presented to Davidson County voters on the November ballot, appear illegal under the 2017 IMPROVE Act, but its implementation would inevitably raise property taxes for residents.
O’Connell unveiled his transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last month.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, continues to scrutinize the legality of the Nashville mayor’s $3.1 billion transit referendum expected to be presented in front of Davidson County voters on the November ballot.
Mayor Freddie O’Connell unveiled his $3.1 billion transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last month. The plan would be funded through a half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax to construct miles of new sidewalks, bus stops, transit centers, parking facilities, and upgraded traffic signals.
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Metro Government has responded to a criticism that Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed transportation plan is not legal under state law.
Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham recently called O’Connell’s referendum illegal because it would increase taxes to fund projects he argues are not covered by the IMPROVE Act, like sidewalks and traffic signals.
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Americans for Prosperity – Tennessee (AFP-TN) released a statement Thursday in response to Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s proposed $3.1 billion transit referendum that will be presented to Davidson County voters on the November ballot.
AFP-TN State Director Tori Venable, noting how Nashville voters rejected then-Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan six years ago, acknowledged the dramatic cost difference in O’Connell’s plan while also pointing out the half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax that will be used to fund the plan.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said not only does Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit referendum appear to be illegal under the IMPROVE Act, but the transit plan’s overall vision of commuters suddenly switching over to public transport is “absurd.”
O’Connell unveiled his $3.1 billion transit plan, called “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last week, which would be funded through a half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell released the details of his transit referendum that is expected to go before voters in November, revealing his plans will cost $3.1 billion and be partially financed through a half-cent sales tax increase.
In a statement, O’Connell called his transit referendum “the best opportunity we’ve ever had to build out our priority sidewalks, to synchronize signals so you’re spending less time at red lights, and to connect neighborhoods via a better transit system that doesn’t have to come downtown just to go somewhere else.”
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Roger Simon, the co-founder of PJMedia and current columnist for The Epoch Times, and Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, discussed the ongoing legal battle over the release of the Covenant School shooter’s manifesto, agreeing that the “lives of others” are at stake as long as the manifesto’s contents are kept under wraps.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit plan, which is expected to be on the November ballot, is likely illegal under the IMPROVE Act, which passed the Tennessee General Assembly in 2017.
The 2017 IMPROVE Act, signed by former Governor Bill Haslam, permits local governments to seek a dedicated funding source via surcharge to support mass transportation projects through local referendum.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell will reportedly announce the full contents of his transit referendum, called “Choose How You Move,” on April 19.
O’Connell will outline his full plans for the future of transit in Nashville next week, with both the Nashville Post and the Nashville Business Journal confirming the April 19 unveiling will be held one week from Friday at the Southeast Community Center in Antioch.
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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell claimed on Thursday that his transit referendum will include plans for approximately 600 new traffic signals, and that new technology will be used to streamline the flow of vehicle traffic in the Music City.
O’Connell addressed Nashville drivers in a series of posts to the social media platform X, writing, “one of the most important elements” to his “transportation improvement program” involves “how it improves how everyone moves, including people driving.”
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Nashville Tea Party founder Ben Cunningham warned that the half-cent sales tax increase being considered to fund Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit reform plan will be “just a small down payment” from Nashvillians.
Cunningham posted to X, formerly Twitter, in response to a piece by Tennessean reporter Cassandra Stephenson.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit plan, which will be on the November ballot, will inevitably lead to property tax increases.
Last month, O’Connell officially announced that his long-awaited transit plan will be on the November 5 ballot, however, he did not release any information regarding what the plan entails.
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Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said it’s “pathetic” that advocates of Governor Bill Lee’s universal school choice voucher program are not being given a voice through local news outlets across the Volunteer State.
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All-star panelist Ben Cunningham joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy where he discussed what may be included in Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s anticipated transit plan.
O’Connell, who was elected mayor in last year’s runoff election, vowed during his campaign to address Nashville’s “infrastructure and transit concerns.”
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All-star panelist Ben Cunningham joined Friday’s edition of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy to discuss Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s anticipated transit plan and how it may clash with the overall preference among Nashvillians when it comes to transportation.
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Members of the Tennessee General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill Thursday that acknowledges that the growth in state government this year exceeds the growth of Tennessean’s income by $3 billion, or 16 percent.
The action by the legislature is mandated by the Tennessee Constitution in Article II, Section 24 when state spending grows faster than its economy.
The measure, commonly known as the Copeland Cap, was named for its House sponsor of the constitutional amendment, the late Republican State Representative David Copeland of Ooltewah, who passed away in 2019.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Ben Cunningham to discuss the tyranny of social media companies and their censorship of conservative voices.
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Monday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed all-star panelist Ben Cunningham in studio to discuss the four candidates that have been removed from the GOP primary ballot due to Tennessee Republican party bylaws.
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Friday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed guest host Ben Cunningham in studio to recap last night’s Trump Day Dinner in Wilson County, Tennessee.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Henry welcomed Pamela Provost of Truthbetoldtennessee.com to the newsmakers line to talk about their upcoming conference on October 2nd.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest hosts Grant Henry and Ben Cunningham talk in studio about the need for Tennessee’s General Assembly to have a special session and Lt. McNally’s hesitancy.
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Friday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest hosts Ben Cunningham and Grant Henry joined in studio to discuss big government and questioned the role it plays in individual lives.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham and all-star panelist Crom Carmichael express putting educational dollars back in the hands of parents.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed all-star panelist Crom Carmichael in studio to discuss morally corrupt school boards and teachers’ unions.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Women for Trump’s Amy Kremer to the newsmakers line to discuss her activism and the positive enthusiasm on January sixth during Trump’s speech at the Ellipse.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cuningham welcomed Senior Reporter for The Star News Network, Laura Baigert in studio to discuss her reporting on Dekalb County, Georiga’s election discrepancies.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed 400-meter runner and Team USA member Cynthia Monteleone to the newsmakers line to talk about running against transgender males and what she’s doing to fight it.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Grant Henry in studio to discuss the excellence of the Tennessee legislature and the importance for citizens to become involved.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed The Star News Network’s Washington Correspondent Neil McCabe to the newsmakers line to illustrate the dynamics of anti-Trump Republican Senators and infrastructure spending.
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Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Mom’s for Liberty-Williamson County Robin Steeman to the newsmakers line to give examples of Wit and Wisdom’s propagandizing curriculum and how they are fighting back.
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Tuesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, guest host Ben Cunningham welcomed Davidson County GOP Chair Jim Garrett to the newsmakers line to discuss the 2022 election and his decision to push back on MNPS mask mandates.
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