Tag: Metro Nashville

Metro Council Member At-Large Steve Glover Weighs in on Mayor Coopers 32 Percent Property Tax Increase and What it Means for You

Julie Carr

  Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – host Leahy was joined in the studio by Carmichael and on the newsmakers line by Metro Council member At-Large Steve Glover. During the third hour, Glover expressed concern over the proposed 32% property tax hike stating that the consequences will be devastating. He added that we can’t keep going to the taxpayers to fix the problems of Metro Nashville government and instead need to work from the inside out. Leahy: On the line with us is our good friend and metro council member-at-large, Steve Glover. Steve, Mayor Cooper wants to increase property taxes by 32%. I’m seeing reports that you don’t like that very much. Glover: Well and I’m seeing the opposite. From what everybody is telling me on the council everybody is good with that. I guess we have conflicting information. Leahy: What do you say about it? Glover: Ha! Leahy: Do you have a plan? Glover: What do you think I say? No. There is no way in the world at 32%. If we do that it will be so devastating…

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Crom Carmichael: Nashville is Heading the Wrong Way by Following the Disastrous Financial Route of Democrat Controlled Illinois

Julie Carr

Monday morning on the Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelist Crom Carmichael.

At the end of the third hour, Carmichael discussed how Illinois is a government fiscally out of control even though it is one of the highest taxed states in America. He warned that if Nashville doesn’t fix its obvious ails that the city will go by the way of Illinois’s financial ruin.

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Carol Swain: ‘We Are Getting a Taste of What It’s Like to Live Under Democratic Party Rules’

Julie Carr

Live from Music Row Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by all-star panelist Dr. Carol Swain.

During the second hour, Swain weighed in on Mayor Cooper’s handling of the shutdown and how he is not making good on his promises that he ran on. She believes that it is a poor time to increase property taxes and that this is a perfect example of what it would be like to live under a Democratic Party rule.

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Dr. Carol Swain: ‘It’s Morally Wrong to Raise Taxes During a Time When the Government is Preventing People From Earning Money’

Julie Carr

Live from Nashville, Tennessee, Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.– Leahy was joined on the newsmakers line by former Vanderbilt and Princeton Professor Dr. Carol Swain.

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Nashville Mayor David Briley Tweets How-to Video in Spanish Telling Illegal Aliens How to Avoid Capture by ICE

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville Mayor David Briley, who is in a run-off election to renew his term, is helping illegal aliens to avoid federal authorities.

Briley tweeted a how-to video in Spanish on avoiding capture by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency: “If you or a family member have an encounter with ICE, it’s important to know your rights and have a plan. Watch this video to learn more:”

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Metro Nashville Council’s Planned 16 Percent Property Tax Hike Would Increase Cost of Living for All Residents and Is ‘Unacceptable,’ Carol Swain Says

Jason M. Reynolds

  Nashville Mayoral candidate Dr. Carol Swain is taking aim at Metro Council’s proposed 15.8 percent property tax increase. Two council members — Budget Committee Chairwoman Tanaka Vercher and At-Large Councilman Bob Mendes — combined efforts after having had differing plans, Nashville Public Radio said. Mendes is dropping his plan to support Vercher’s plan of raising property taxes by 15.8 percent, increasing the rate to $3.653 per $100 of assessed value. Mayor David Briley told Nashville Public Radio he opposes a tax increase and that he’s alarmed by the council’s plan. Swain said in a press release she also takes issue with that and that if she were elected, she would balance the budget. With the council’s planned tax hike, a home valued at $250,000 would see an increase of about $300, Swain said. Briley could veto the proposal and it would take a two-thirds majority vote to override. “City Council is proposing a property tax increase that raises the cost of living for all Nashvillians without any intention of giving Metro employees the 6 percent raise they need and deserve. Mayor Briley has stated that Nashville’s forecasted revenues are up by about $100 million without property taxes. If the Mayor…

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Nashville’s Public Bus Service WeGo Needs $8.7M Cash Infusion or It May Have to Raise Rates or Make Cuts to Routes

Jason M. Reynolds

  Nashville’s bus service WeGo Public Transit is looking at a need to raise rates while cutting hours or frequency of routes thanks to a budget shortfall of $8.7 million, Nashville Public Radio says. WeGo presented its budget to Metro Council on Wednesday. The financial gap is due largely to a reduction in state funding, a dip in fare revenue and higher employee insurance costs, Nashville Public Radio said. WeGo asked Mayor David Briley for $57.3 million to maintain its service, but Briley proposed a budget of $48.6 million. The last fare increase was in 2012. According to WeGo’s fare card, rates start at $1.70. WeGo Public Transit officials told WKRN that this would be the third straight year for a flat funding level from the city. While the budget is not a cut, they are not receiving the amount they requested to cover their expenses. Activist group Music City Riders Unlimited held a rally Wednesday afternoon at 1 Public Square, according to its Facebook page. One post on Tuesday previewing the rally read: Don’t let Mayor Briley pit public services — and the public — against each other. Join us tomorrow, May 15 @ 4:30 at 1 Public Square to put…

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Nashville’s Community Oversight Board to Offer Executive Director Job to Chicago Civil Rights Lawyer William Weeden

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville’s community oversight board has turned to someone outside of the community – Chicago, to be exact – to lead the organization’s oversight of police. The oversight board voted Tuesday to offer the executive director job to Chicago attorney William Weeden, Nashville Public Radio said. The board selected Weeden over four other finalists. Weeden is a civil rights attorney and a former prosecutor and professor of law. He served eight years as a leader of the Independent Police Review Authority in Chicago, Nashville Public Radio said. Metro Nashville’s website says the board has the power to investigate allegations that MNPD officers have committed misconduct against members of the public. That’s not all of its powers: The Board has the option to forward resolution reports that produce factual findings of criminal misconduct and civil rights violations to the District Attorney, Grand Jury, or U.S. Attorney. The Board shall have all powers, including the power to compel, identified in Section 18.10 of the Metropolitan Charter. A biography on Weeden’s law practice website says his previous stints included working for the Cook County (Illinois) State’s Attorney Office and serving as Assistant Attorney General in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where he prosecuted felony…

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Nashville Mayor Briley Plans to Spend $750M to Create Affordable Housing, Including $250M From Private Sector

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville Mayor David Briley announced a $750 million affordable housing program on Tuesday. The “Under One Roof 2029” program will create 10,000 new units of affordable housing in 10 years, Briley said, according to a story by WKRN. The city plans to contribute $500 million of the total $750 million. Briley asked for the private sector to chip in $250 million with such tools as a real estate investment trust, WKRN said. NewsChannel 5 quoted the mayor as saying, “Nashville is thriving in many ways, and that is a good thing as growth creates better-paying jobs and generates revenue for schools, roads, parks and libraries,” Mayor Briley said. “Yet the true measure of a great city is how it treats all of its citizens – making sure growth is balanced by continuing to invest in people. The Under One Roof 2029 initiative will help ensure we all move forward together.” Under the plan, Nashville will give Metro Development and Housing Agency $350 million for overhauling and adding units, the Nashville Post said. Nashville will give $150 million to the Barnes Fund to create a minimum of 5,000 units. Fox News 17 provided a Facebook video of the announcement, which is…

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Nashville Promises, Once Again, to Give Rank and File Workers Cost of Living Adjustment Increase

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville’s rank and file workers may receive a cost-of-living raise that the city has long promised but failed to deliver after a contentious budget process last year. Nashville Mayor David Briley on Monday announced a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of 3 percent for all Metro employees in FY 2020, starting with the new budget on July 1. “After a year when we had to put out a tight budget – which was a disappointment to me – I am proud to say that we can now give Metro employees the cost-of-living adjustment they deserve,” Briley said. “I would like all the men and women who work for our city to know that I deeply appreciate everything they do for residents throughout Nashville and Davidson County.” Briley said he will recommend funding step and open-range increases in the budget he will submit to Metro Council by May 1. If the rank and file employees do receive the COLA, they will be playing catch-up with Briley’s inner circle. The Tennessee Star reported last September that Briley gave merit raises to 20 members of his own staff. Two of the mayor’s staff received 6 percent increases. Briley said in his press release that…

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Metro Nashville Councilman Glover, Critic of Mayor Briley, Will Run for At-Large Seat

Jason M. Reynolds
Steve Glover

Outspoken Metro Nashville Councilman Steve Glover of District 12, no friend of Mayor David Briley, will run for an at-large seat on the council, NewsChannel 5 said. He made the announcement at the firefighter’s union hall Monday, NewsChannel 5 said. Glover’s council webpage says he lives in Hermitage and is agent/owner of Glover Benefit Group and president of The Retirement Solution Show Inc. Glover told The Tennessee Star last September that Briley threatens many of his colleagues on the Metro Nashville Council. The Briley administration tells council members that he will not support projects in their districts unless they support him, Glover said. Glover has spoken out against Briley, including the way he planned for the Major League Soccer stadium. “They should never be threatened by anyone in the executive branch because they were elected to represent their constituents,” he said. Glover, a Republican, said he would not run for mayor because too many Nashville voters are Democrats. Last month, Glover asked for an audit of the city’s personnel practices, the WSMV News4 I-team said. The station determined that the list of candidates who were qualified for Nashville’s fire chief was abruptly thrown out five days before the new chief, William…

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Tennessee, Nashville Officials Say All Is Well For Amazon to Open Operations Center With Up to $102 Million in Incentives

Jason M. Reynolds

Tennessee and Nashville officials say they do not expect Amazon’s brush-off of New York to affect the retail behemoth’s decision to open an operations center in Music City. Amazon last Thursday said it would not build its second headquarters in New York City, called HQ2, because of pushback there, The Tennessee Star reported last week. The retailer faced a battle from some politicians and others over nearly $3 billion in tax incentives, Breitbart said. Amazon was poised to bring 25,000 jobs to New York with a $2.5 billion investment in offices. Amazon said last week in a statement it would not reopen the HQ2 search. The company said it does plan to proceed with another headquarters site in Virginia. The company’s Music City plans have drawn criticism from some, including the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police, who said the city’s $15 million in incentives were “corporate welfare.” With the State of Tennessee offerings, the package is up to $102 million for 5,000 jobs for a $230 million operations center. Jennifer McEachern, communications director for the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development, spoke to The Star via email about Amazon. The Star asked her if the state would re-examine the tax…

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Metro Nashville Basketball: Eagles, Panthers Split Doubleheader

McKinley Young, Jr.

Girls Lady Panthers Upset Lady Eagles in a Classic (January 15, 2019) The battle of the top two teams in Metro Nashville girls’ basketball did not disappoint anyone, as it came down to the closing seconds. The number two ranked Maplewood Lady Panthers gained a huge road win against the number one ranked East Nashville Magnet Lady Eagles 60-58. The game had many ups and downs as both teams fought until the very last second. The pace of the game was up and down with each possession the defense got tighter as both teams made runs throughout the game. The Lady Panthers was led by senior forward Ye Taviea Carter who had a game-high 19 points and 11 rebounds. She was a major factor the last three minutes of the game making big shots and grabbing rebounds in clutch moments. Sophomore guard Tameia Shaw for East Nashville tried to keep her team in it throughout the game with the Eagles leading scorer London Fairs having an off night. With 22 seconds left in the game and up one point, Carter missed a free throw and teammate Zariah Cameron grabbed the rebound and scored to give Maplewood a three-point lead 59-56.…

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Legislature May Oversee Nashville Police Oversight Board, Citing Constitutional Concerns

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville’s police oversight board may receive its own oversight – before it even launches. Ever since Nashville-Davidson County voters approved the $10 million-plus oversight board in a Nov. 6 referendum titled Amendment 1, prompting concerns from police officers, leading Tennessee Republican legislators have set their sights on the initiative. The board has broad powers to investigate officers and call for punishments by the District Attorney, grand jury, or U.S. Attorney, and can even compel witnesses, according to its Metro Nashville webpage. Nominations to the board are due today. Speaker-elect Rep. Glen Casada (R-TN-63), plans to study the oversight board when the Legislature convenes in January, NewsChannel 5 said. “This is an issue we will investigate further when session begins in January with all interested parties and stakeholders that have concerns about Amendment 1 and its impact on law enforcement,” Casada said. “The safety of our citizens is paramount and we must ensure our counties and municipalities do not violate the state’s constitutional duty to protect all Tennesseans.” State Rep. William Lamberth (R-TN-44), the incoming House majority leader, told Nashville Public Radio the board is redundant since there are other methods to oversee police. “To spend an enormous amount of money…

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Metro Nashville Police Officers Begin Test Run of Expensive Body Cameras

Jason M. Reynolds

Metro Nashville plans to roll out body cameras on all officers in 2019, adding another costly layer of regulation to law enforcement. A few officers began testing body cams last week, Nashville Public Radio said. The city and community advocates have pushed for this oversight since at least 2016. The need to follow detailed city procurement procedures with specific timelines in the request for proposal is one reason the process is taking time. The program involves multiple rounds of solicitations, according to the city’s RFP. The plan is to provide cameras to place on 1,500 officers as well as on 870 car dashboards. Video would be stored either on-site or on the cloud. [pdf-embedder url=”https://tennesseestar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/NashvilleRFP.pdf”] Mayor David Briley earmarked $15 million for the program, but the final cost is not clear, NewsChannel 5 said. The District Attorney’s office has asked for 49 more workers just to handle film footage for court. A total of 21 officers are using the body and dash cams on a 90-day test run, WSMV said. This comes more than a year after the Metro Nashville Police Department first tried testing body cams. A Nashville Fraternal Order of Police representative said that officers will welcome the…

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Leiper’s Fork to Welcome Kid Rock in Dec. 15 Christmas Parade

Jason M. Reynolds

Colorful entertainer Kid Rock will be welcomed in the Christmas parade in Leiper’s Fork. Parade goers at the Leiper’s Fork Christmas Parade on Saturday, Dec. 15, will be joined by special guest Kid Rock, who will walk in the parade. The parade, previously scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 8, was postponed until Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. due to inclement weather, the Williamson Herald said. Kid Rock was disinvited as the grand marshal of the Dec. 1 Nashville Christmas Parade after he called Joy Behar of ultra-liberal show “The View” a word that starts with “b,” The Tennessee Star reported. The colorful singer appeared on “Fox & Friends” Dec. 30, live from Nashville, and made the remark about Behar. Parade organizers instead invited James Shaw Jr., the hero who wrestled a gun away from the Waffle House shooter in April. Nashville Mayor David Briley and Councilman Freddie O’Connell had threatened to boycott the parade over Kid Rock, according to Fox 17 News. In the “Fox & Friends” interview, Kid Rock also bemoaned political correctness, Townhall said. Rock said everyone deserves love, minus one person in particular – Behar. He then used the derogative term. “No, no, no, no,” host Steve Doocy…

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Inspector General Report Says Metro Nashville Should Repay FEMA $413K From 2010 Flood Grant Funds

Jason M. Reynolds

A report from the Office of Inspector General says Nashville-Davidson County owes the Federal Emergency Management Agency $413,074 in grant money from the May 1, 2010 flood, NewsChannel 5 said. The Inspector General report is available here. The city estimated that it cost the city and its residents $1.5 billion. Nashville was declared a federal state of emergency three days after the rivers began rising, WVLT said. According to the Inspector General’s report, “We determined the County was not fully aware of Federal grant administration requirements and FEMA Public Assistance Program guidelines. Specifically, for the projects we reviewed in the second phase of our two-phase audit, the County mostly accounted for FEMA funds project by project, as required.” The report continued, “However, the County did not always follow regulations and guidelines when spending the funds. As a result, we identified $413,074 in project costs that FEMA should disallow. These costs consist of $402,552 in contract charges not supported by adequate documentation and $10,522 in duplicate costs. Additionally, FEMA has not finished reviewing insurance proceeds and allocating them to the County’s projects although doing so could reduce FEMA’s project costs under this grant.” “We reviewed $365,684 of contract costs the County…

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Metro Nashville Promises to Pay For Non-Tuition Expenses For Select Technical, Community College Students

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville is launching a new scholarship to make higher education completely free for some students, Nashville Public Radio says. Nashville GRAD — or Getting Results by Advancing Degrees is one of the first local government efforts in the nation to target non-tuition expenses, and it will help students at two colleges in Nashville beginning fall 2019. Those colleges are Nashville State Community College (NSCC) and TCAT-Nashville, NewsChannel 5 said. The program will work with Tennessee Promise for graduating high school seniors and Tennessee Reconnect for adults, both of which waive tuition for community and technical schools, NPR said. A recent study by the Tennessee nonprofit Complete Tennessee found even though tuition is covered through these programs, many low-income students still struggle to complete their degrees because they can’t afford textbooks, transportation and certifications, says Indira Dammu, education policy advisor for Nashville Mayor David Briley. Reports conflict on when the program will begin. NewsChannel 5 said Fall 2019. The mayor’s office says Spring 2019. The program will be handled through a fund that will include an annual commitment from Metro Government and, at full implementation, will serve more than 3,000 students annually, NewsChannel 5 said. Briley committed to including up to $1…

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Nominations to Serve on Nashville’s Controversial Police Oversight Board Expected to Increase As Deadline Approaches

Jason M. Reynolds

Nominations to serve on Nashville’s new police oversight board are due in two weeks. While a handful of people have come forward, numerous community groups plan to submit more names, and across a wide spectrum, Nashville Public Radio says. Several organizations that fought to create the board say they’re preparing nominees, and if there are dozens of names, the Metro Council could hold special meetings to vet them before voting in an 11-person panel before the end of January. “If there are a lot of names, then we will figure out how to winnow that down,” said Theeda Murphy with Community Oversight Now, which advocated for the board’s creation. But even opponents, like the Fraternal Order of Police, are considering who could represent their views. President James Smallwood acknowledged that the board doesn’t allow current law enforcement to serve. “Former law enforcement, people that understand the law — so those would be attorneys — people that are or have been exposed to the way that officers are trained,” Smallwood said. One day after the vote, Smallwood said in an emailed statement it’s important this coming board not exclude the perspectives of law enforcement officers, The Tennessee Star reported. As reported,…

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Metro Nashville to Force Sexual Harassment Training on Contractors

Chris Butler

The Metro Nashville Government will now reportedly require private companies who contract with the city to have sexual harassment training for its employees. This, according to a new story on Nashville Public Radio. “While city employees and elected officials already go through harassment training, some on the Metro Council were bothered to learn that contractors — some whom represent the city or work closely alongside Metro employees — weren’t being held to the same standard,” according to the station. “The final straw for Councilwoman Angie Henderson was a case in which the city investigated behavior by a man employed by a prominent contractor.” Henderson was unavailable to talk Monday to The Tennessee Star. She told Nashville Public Radio, however, she was frustrated that the incident in question happened in the first place. “What was recommended for this person, who was alleged to have harassed a Metro employee, was that he go through sexual harassment training,” Henderson told the news agency. “That frustrated me. … It seemed like at a minimum, that was something we could require so hopefully something like this would not happen again in the future.” Henderson, the station went on to say, helped pass the new requirement…

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Amazon’s $100 Million-Plus Tennessee Tax Incentives Deal ‘Unfair and Immoral,’ Beacon Center Says

Jason M. Reynolds

The State of Tennessee’s and Metro Nashville’s $102 million taxpayer gift to Amazon is not a Prime deal, a public watchdog organization says. Amazon turned down Nashville for its coveted two new headquarters sites, called HQ2, but Nashville landed a $230 million operations center near downtown in the future Nashville Yards. For more on Amazon’s Nashville announcement, see this story in The Tennessee Star. Mark Cunningham, vice president of communications and outreach at the Beacon Center of Tennessee, criticized the deal. The center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to providing empirical research and free market solutions for Tennesseans. Cunningham said, “Nashville was passed over for Amazon’s second (and third) headquarters, yet city and state officials still got scammed into giving the company more than $100 million in taxpayer giveaways for a consolation prize, which includes $80 million in cash handouts. Amazon, one of the world’s most valuable companies, and the government played taxpayers with this incentive deal, and it is time for us to speak up against this type of corporate welfare. While we welcome new businesses and the jobs they create to our state, forcing middle-class Tennesseans and small businesses to give their hard-earned dollars to a multi-billion dollar business is both unfair and immoral.” Rick Manning,…

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Police Civilian Oversight Board Redundant, Expensive, Denies Due Process of Officers: FOP President

Jason M. Reynolds

A civilian oversight board for the Nashville Metro Police Department “sounds like a warm and fuzzy,” but one expert says that is not the case. James Smallwood is president of the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police. “People immediately think, ‘Well, that’s a great idea,’” Smallwood told The Tennessee Star this week. A circuit court judge in September ruled against the Fraternal Order of Police in a lawsuit the group filed trying to throw out a referendum to establish a community board overseeing Metro Police, News Channel 5 said. Once you get into the minutiae, it becomes apparent the Amendment 1 initiative that is on the Nov. 6 ballot will have a “massive cost” of $10 million over five years, Smallwood said. That is more expensive than any comparable civilian oversight board in the nation. That is not a viable option when the city is in dire financial straits. The board also would be redundant, he said. There are at least eight layers of oversight of Metro Police already, including civilian and government agencies. The new board would not give police equal representation – there are no regulations on who can sit on the board, other than they cannot be officers or married…

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No Raise Is Too Little For Nashville Mayor Briley’s Staff While Remainder of City Employees Left Out of Pay Increases

Jason M. Reynolds

In a year where Metro Nashville’s rank and file workers learned they would not get promised cost of living increases, Nashville Mayor David Briley gave merit raises to 20 members of his own staff, WSMV reported. Two of the mayor’s staff received 6 percent increases. One Briley staffer, Chief Strategy Officer Brian Kelsey, got a $7,178 raise, increasing his salary to $126,824. Briley also gave merit-based raises to department heads. Briley’s decision to reverse the cost of living adjustments – COLAs – for Metro employees created a lot of controversy. Nashville Fire Chief Will Swann refused his 2.5 percent pay increase, choosing to pass the Open Range money to 19 administrators under him. Briley said that although city workers would not get cost of living adjustments this year, 71 percent of the city’s work force could expect their paychecks to increase during the coming year. Workers can get what are called step increases. Metro Nashville’s being strapped for cash did not stop Briley from compiling a wish list of expensive projects like a $125 million floodwall for downtown, The Tennessee Star reported. Police officers and firefighters wanted the raises they were promised to help with the cost of living, WSMV…

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Nashville Organizations and Metro Government Lawyers Defend Illegal Aliens

Chris Alto

Nashville Community Defense/Defensa Comunitaria Nashville uses the tagline “here to stay.” The group is led by Cathy Carrillo who organizes and leads protests against deporting criminal illegal aliens while Metro’s lawyers in the Public Defender’s office provide legal services for “non-citizen defendants.” According to Elizabeth Lopez, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and a spokesman for Nashville-based Workers Dignity which is funded by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Workers Dignity helped spin-off Carillo’s group. Last year Lopez and Carrillo spoke as representatives of Workers Dignity at the TN Alliance for Progress conference on a panel titled “Resisting Deportation: Immigration Policy and Organizing.” Workers Dignity organized in 2010, to advocate for the workplace rights of legal immigrants and illegal aliens. Protesting “wage theft” from low wage immigrant hotel cleaners, the group has expanded the campaign to include construction workers and are bootstrapping their menu of demands to the explosive growth currently being experienced in Nashville. Listed among the TN Immigrant & Refugee Right’s (TIRRC) coalition members, Workers Dignity hired a full-time organizer to head up a Neighborhood Defense Committee, the project launched by the TIRRC to shield criminal and non-criminal illegal aliens and obstruct enforcement of immigration law by U.S. authorities. A 2017 meeting notice for Carrillo’s Nashville Community Defense group explained…

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Culture of Corruption: Metro Nashville Paid $175,000 for ‘Cost-Efficient’ Paint Job to Spruce Up Fairgrounds and It’s ‘Already Peeling’

Jason M. Reynolds
Rich Riebeling

The Nashville Metro government paid over $175,000 to paint the fairgrounds but Larry Atema, the fairgrounds project manager, asked the painting contractor who did the job to use “cost-efficient paint” that turned out to be under warranty for only three months. “But some of that paint is already peeling, after less than a year,” the News 4 I-Team reported in the investigation that broke the story. Metro Council had voted two years ago to invest $12 million to spruce The Fairgrounds Nashville up, the station said. The News4 I-Team said it found emails in July 2017 between Larry Atema, CEO of Commonwealth Development and the fairground project manager, and Metro Nashville Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling discussing the details of the $175,000 paint job. The two are friends, the news station said. Riebeling, the long time city finance director under former Mayor Karl Dean, has served as the Chief Operating Officer of Metro Nashville since the election of former Mayor Megan Barry in 2015. “The culture of corruption that has permeated Metro Nashville Government for years revolves around Chief Operating Officer Rich Riebeling, the man who appears to be in control of all the reins of power,” The Tennessee Star reported in May,…

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Metro Nashville Finance Director: It Is Challenging To Spend More Money Than City Takes In

Jason M. Reynolds

“Cash is king.” That economic saying is something Metro Nashville may be learning as the finance director warns the city cannot keep spending money as if it is minting it. Metro Finance Director Talia Lomax-O’dneal has warned department heads that they cannot request new spending measures in the 2018-2019 budget, The Tennessean reports. The city’s current $2.2 billion operating budget was a $122 million, a 5.9 percent increase over the previous year. The 2016-17 operating budget was a $121 million, a 6.1 percent increase over the previous year. Mayor Megan Barry’s current budget took Metro Nashville over the $2 billion mark for the first time. “Prudent financial management requires a periodic look for efficiencies and savings opportunities, and there are several fiscal challenges for the 2018 fiscal year,” Lomax-O’dneal said in her letter to department heads. Those “challenges” include tax collections that have returned to normal levels, dwindling reserve balances and increased debt payment obligations. Lomax-O’dneal’s letter failed to mention two issues, one a current budget “challenge,” and the other a potential “challenge.” The former is the $17.1 million lifeline the Metro Council voted last month to give Nashville General Hospital. The latter is the proposed $9 billion light rail…

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Metro Nashville Begins Taxpayer Funded Propaganda Campaign in Favor of Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Metro wants to tell you all about the light rail transit plan ahead of the May 1 referendum — and wants the taxpayers to pick up the tab. The “Transit Talk” offers groups a speaker to answer any questions about “Let’s Move Nashville.” All you have to do is go to the city’s Let’s Move Nashville website, fill out a questionnaire with the time and date, and tell them how many attendees you expect, and the city will send a speaker. “If you are a part of a Neighborhood Association or other group that meets regularly and would like to learn more about the proposal, please fill out the form below. We will be in touch to schedule your transit talk,” the Let’s Move Nashville says. Erin Hafkenschiel, director of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Sustainability, said the talks will help voters make an informed vote at the polls, WKRN reports. Even though Metro Council voted last week to publish a more accurate cost estimate of $9 billion on the May 1 ballot, the Let’s Move Nashville website, which aims to “educate” voters, continues to claim the transit system will cost $5.2 billion. It is not known if…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Dodges Responsibility As Elected Official on Affair, Denies ‘Giving Women’s Rights a Bad Smell’

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry dodged repeated questions at a televised press conference Wednesday night on whether her extra-marital affair with her chief bodyguard, a city employee, was hypocritical as a champion of women’s rights. She also seemed to acknowledge she only came out because the news was breaking. “I am embarrassed and I am sad and I am sorry for all the pain I caused my family and his family, and I know that God will forgive me, but I know Nashville doesn’t have to,” Barry said. She added she hopes she can earn back people’s trust. Earlier in the day, in an exclusive interview with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, Barry insisted that she has not misused taxpayer funds as part of the relationship with Metro Police Sergeant Rob Forrest, NewsChannel 5’s Phill Williams reported on Wednesday. Forrest resigned — the term being used is retirement after 31 years with the police department. Barry said he gave notice on Jan. 17. During the press conference, Barry was asked more than once about the professional aspect of having an affair with a subordinate, especially in terms of women’s rights. The point was raised that if a man were in her position, he…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Head of Security Resigns Abruptly

Admin

The Metro Nashville Police Department confirmed with The Nashville Scene the head of Mayor Megan Barry’s security team, Sergeant Rob Forrest, has resigned as of late today. Metro Council Budget and Finance Committee Chair Tanaka Vercher further confirmed with The Scene that the mayor’s office “plans to issue a statement this afternoon.” Forrest is a 30-year veteran of the MNPD, and served on the security details of past mayors Bill Purcell and Karl Dean before being tapped to head Barry’s security team. He also supervises Hate Crime Investigations, the Crime Stoppers program, and security for visiting dignitaries. He is married with a grown daughter, Macy, who is an attorney in the Metro Legal Department.   Developing…  

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Partnership for a New American Economy Promotes Legal and Illegal Immigration in Nashville

Chris Alto

  The Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) whose named members include gubernatorial candidates Randy Boyd and Karl Dean, awarded twenty cities “Gateways for Growth” (G4G) grants designed to “integrate immigrants as part of an economic growth strategy.” Openthebooks.com’s report Federal Funding of America’s Sanctuary Cities identifies half of the G4G grant recipients as sanctuary cities, including Nashville. The Tennessee Star asked the Randy Boyd campaign specifically for a comment on the Metro Nashville ordinance that would make Nashville a sanctuary city but has received no response. PNAE’s “15 key economic issues of immigration reform in America” include: Supporting legal status for the 11.4 million undocumented immigrants. In a 2014 Wall Street Journal oped, PNAE co-founder Rupert Murdoch said that illegal immigrants who are already here should be provided a path to citizenship. Supporting resettlement of refugees who PNAE says that after living in the U.S. between 16-25 years are earning well above the income of refugees who have been here for five years or less. Moreover, PNAE believes refugees are the answer to reviving aging and declining communities. Pushing state and local policymakers to support in-state college tuition for illegal immigrant students. The PNAE, now shortened to “New American Economy,” is a powerful and well-funded…

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Metro Council Pushing Illegal Aliens Who Commit Crimes Back into Nashville Communities

Chris Alto

  This week, two proposed ordinances intended to effectuate sanctuary city practices that will protect illegal aliens who commit crimes in Davidson County, were introduced and processed through a first reading. The TN Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), a formal affiliate of the National Council of La Raza and recipient of funding from George Soros, assisted the bills’s primary co-sponsors, Bob Mendes and Colby Sledge, in drafting the language. Sledge is married to TIRRC’s co-director Lindsey Harris. Two days after President Trump issued his Executive Order calling for enforcement of U.S. immigration laws and the removal of criminal aliens, TIRRC called for local governments to stop cooperating with federal immigration authorities, a key feature of sanctuary city policies and practices. Councilman Mendes denies that the bills create sanctuary policies. However, Mayor Megan Barry, Mendes, Sledge and TIRRC, have consistently used coded language reflective of their bias and objectives with references such as “undocumented immigrant,” “non-citizens,” “welcoming” and “family reunification” to signal their support for open borders and shielding both criminal and non-criminal illegal aliens from deportation. Openthebooks.com’s report which includes Nashville as a sanctuary city, says that “operationally, the DOJ enforces a legal definition of sanctuary city,” relying on…

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Nashville Metro Councilmen Collude with TIRRC to Shield Criminal Aliens

Chris Alto
Tennessee Star

  Claiming that their bills do not conflict with federal or state immigration statutes, Metro Council members Colby Sledge and Bob Mendes have introduced two sanctuary city bills that will help shield criminal and non-criminal illegal aliens in Nashville. The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), whose co-director Lindsey Harris is married to Sledge, helped draft the bills. Shortly after President Trump issued his Executive Order calling for appropriate enforcement of U.S. immigration laws, TIRRC issued a state-wide call to organize against efforts by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement to follow the President’s orders: Last week the president shared his blueprints for mass deportation and made clear he needs state and local agencies to act as his deportation force. Join with TIRRC members in your local area to stop your city/county from collaborating with ICE and to create communities of trust where all residents feel safe. Sign up here: www.tnimmigrant.org/trust . The Mendes/Sledge bills are scheduled for a first reading on June 6. Mendes’ website claims that his bills “would not create ‘sanctuary city’ status” even though the bills are designed to obstruct and possibly prohibit cooperating with ICE detainer requests, which the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) says are…

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