Tag: Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell

Leader of Opposition Group Against Nashville Transit Referendum Explains Why Proposal Is ‘Unfair, Unsafe, and Unnecessary’

Kaitlin Housler
Emily Evans

Emily Evans, head of the Committee to Stop an UnFair Tax, is warning that the multi-billion dollar transit referendum presented to Nashville voters on the November 5 general election ballot is “unfair, unsafe, and unnecessary.”

Nashville Mayor Freddie 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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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Transportation Improvement Plan Approved by Metro Council May Face Legal Challenges

Christy Kelly
Freddie O'Connell

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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Federal Grand Jury Indicts Nashville Man Accused of Shooting 18-Year-Old at WeGo Bus Station

Kaitlin Housler
Kenneth Johnson

A federal grand jury indicted a Nashville man accused of shooting an 18-year-old six times on the steps of a WeGo bus station in May, according to the Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Kenneth Johnson, 31, was arrested by Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers on May 16 after he allegedly shot the 18-year-old six times at the WeGo bus station located at the intersection of Rep John Lewis Way & MLK Jr Blvd.

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Gun Thefts from Cars in Nashville Decrease After MNPD Launches Initiative to Combat Gun Theft

Matthew Giffin

Gun thefts from vehicles in Nashville have decreased compared to this time last year, according to numbers released by Metro Nashville Police Department on Wednesday. The fall in thefts came after MNPD started an initiative to combat car theft and related crimes.

MNPD said 305 guns have been stolen from Nashville vehicles so far in 2024, according to a Wednesday press release. Numbers from around this time last year recorded 477 gun thefts from vehicles, making for a 36 percent decrease.

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Price Tag for Transportation Referendum Pushed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Swells to $6.93 Billion

Tom Pappert
Freddy O'Connell

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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Beacon Center Details the ‘Downright Inexcusably Awful’ Parts of the Nashville Mayor’s Transportation Plan

Matthew Giffin
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

Nashville’s Beacon Center, a politically conservative think tank, explained the “downright inexcusably awful” portions of Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s mass transportation plan Choose How You Move in an analysis published Friday.

Choose How You Move is a $3.1 billion mass transportation plan proposed by O’Connell that would upgrade nearly 600 traffic signals, build or upgrade 86 miles of sidewalks, provide 24/7 public transportation, and more features planned to be funded by a half-cent sales tax increase. The plan fell under criticism by political conservatives who have argued Choose How You Move is a misuse of tax dollars.

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Nashville Transit Plan Approved by Audit, Mayor O’Connell Says in State of Metro Address

Matthew Giffin
Freddie O'Connell Metro

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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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell Announces Date to Reveal Full Transit Referendum

Tom Pappert
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell

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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Man Wanted for Nashville Restaurant Shooting Had Extensive Criminal Record, Out on $50,000 Combined Bond

Matthew Giffin
Anton Rucker

The man wanted by police for a shooting in a Nashville restaurant on Easter Sunday was out of jail on a combined $50,000 bond and has an extensive criminal past, according to court records.

Anton Rucker, 46, is suspected of injuring five and killing one person—Allen Beachem, 33—in a shooting at Roasted, a restaurant in the Salemtown neighborhood of Nashville. Rucker is now one of Tennessee’s most wanted, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in a post to X.

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Mayor Freddie O’Connell Courts Nashville Business Leaders to Fund Mass Transit Campaign

Tom Pappert
Nashville Mayor

Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell attended a Monday evening meeting with the city’s leading business leaders and lobbyists in a bid to secure their support for his mass transit referendum scheduled for November.

The meeting between O’Connell and Nashville community leaders took place at the offices of Ingraham Industries Inc., according to the Nashville Business Journal, which reported the mayor met with many of the groups and individuals who backed the failed transit plan pitched by disgraced Mayor Megan Barry in 2018.

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