Tag: transit plan

Memphis Mayor Fires Entire Transit Board After Third-Party Report Exposed ‘Culture of Poor Accountability’

Tom Pappert
Memphis Mayor Paul Young

Memphis Mayor Paul Young on Friday fired all nine members of the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) Board of Commissioners following the release of a third-party report that claimed the members were responsible for creating a “culture of poor accountability” for the troubled transit service.

Young reportedly called his decision an effort to create “a clean-slate environment,” according to NewsChannel 3, who revealed the mayor directly cited the third-party report completed by TransPro and sent to the city last week.

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Nashville Considers $6.9 Billion Transit Referendum Despite City Bus Network Just Now Reaching Pre-Pandemic Ridership

Tom Pappert
WeGo Bus stop

WeGo Public Transit in Nashville said on Friday it has now reached the high watermark of riders previously set in 2018, more than a year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that saw the number of Nashvillians using public transit cut in half.

News that Nashville’s bus system has reached its pre-pandemic ridership numbers comes as the city’s voters consider a $3.1 billion transit package, which will be on their November ballot at the request of Mayor Freddie O’Connell.

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Ben Cunningham: Nashville Mayor’s Transit Referendum ‘Purely Illegal’ Under 2017 IMPROVE Act Despite Unanimous Metro Council Support

Kaitlin Housler
Freddie O'Connell

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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Incumbent U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles Trounces TN-5 Challenger Courtney Johnston in Straw Poll at Davidson County Republican Party’s Annual Picnic Event

Kaitlin Housler
Rep. Andy Ogles

Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) was the resounding victor among attendees at the Davidson County Republican Party’s annual picnic event on Saturday who participated in a straw poll weighing candidates running in the August 1 Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.

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Ben Cunningham: Nashville Mayor’s Transit Plan Appears to be Illegal

Kaitlin Housler
Freddie O'Connell

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 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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Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s ‘Greendoggle’ Transit Plan Will Lead to Increased Property Taxes, Watchdog Predicts

Kaitlin Housler
Freddie O'Connell

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 Says Light Rail from Downtown Nashville to the Airport May be Included in Mayor O’Connell’s Transit Plan

Kaitlin Housler
Music City Star

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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Presidential Hopeful Amy Klobuchar Says Nashville Rejected Transit Plan Because They Wanted Federal Government to Help Foot the Bill

Jason M. Reynolds

Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on Wednesday inserted herself into the failed $9 billion Nashville transit referendum of 2018. Klobuchar visited Fisk University on Wednesday and said the referendum failed because voters “weren’t sure they wanted to fund the initiative locally, without the federal government pitching in,” according to a story by the Associated Press. Klobuchar says her infrastructure plan would provide $1 trillion to fix roads and bridges, protect against flooding, rebuild schools, and other initiatives. She wants to leverage $650 billion in federal funding through public-private partnerships, bond programs and clean-energy tax incentives. Of that, $400 billion would come from increasing the corporate tax rate to 25 percent, after President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax law lowered it from 35 percent to 21 percent. Klobuchar tweeted, “It was great to spend my morning at Fisk University in Nashville talking about the urgent need to rebuild our infrastructure with students and community leaders. From roads to schools to rail — we need a real plan that invests in America.” It was great to spend my morning at Fisk University in Nashville talking about the urgent need to rebuild our infrastructure with students and community leaders. From roads to schools…

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Beacon Center Releases Alternative Transit Plan For Nashville With No Tax Increases

Jason M. Reynolds
traffic jam

Conservative think tank Beacon Center of Tennessee has created a transit plan for Nashville that it says would serve all drivers in the near future while not raising taxes or requiring a referendum. The plan is available here. “Proponents of the Let’s Move Nashville light-rail plan argued that an alternative plan would likely take years to develop, with some even suggesting as high as another 10 years, making approving the plan imperative,” Beacon Center said. “Luckily, voters disagreed, knowing better alternatives existed.” The plan had its genesis from a forum called Off Track: What’s Wrong with Nashville’s Transit Plan & What We Should Do Instead where experts reviewed the proposed plan and offered alternative solutions, policy coordinator Ron Shultis wrote for Beacon Center. For Metro Nashville, Beacon proposes: Build an adaptive traffic control system (ATCS) that enables traffic signals to immediately respond to traffic demand in real time. Nashville’s last countywide optimization project in 2016 reduced travel times by 14%. The Federal Highway Administration recommends recalibrating lights every 3-5 years unless there are major changes earlier. Beacon Center says ATCS has helped Los Angeles cut travel time by 12% and increase speeds by 16%. Eliminate government bans on private transportation companies’ ability…

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Jeff Obafemi Carr Opens Nashville Mayoral Campaign Headquarters, Announces ‘4th Quarter Plan’

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Mayoral hopeful jeff obafemi carr officially opened his campaign headquarters Wednesday located, ironically, at the former ‘Transit for Nashville’ field office in Northwest Nashville. “The location became available, it was right in the heart of a part of town largely forgotten by the city, and we needed a place to call home. It was a perfect fit. One condition was that we had to clean up  and repair some damage the ‘for’ team did to the place, but we figured it was a metaphor for what we’re having to do with this campaign,” carr said in a statement. “Here, in the heart of a neighborhood that means so much to me, we are working to return Nashville’s government back to the people.” The pro-transit plan group closed their offices after the initiative was resoundingly defeated by voters 64% to 36%. The campaign notes that in his roll as the Senior Advisor and Strategist for NoTax4Tracks, carr served as the consistent voice against the $9 billion boodoggle. “Our campaign office location is so fitting because the transit work is not over,” carr said; adding: The first step was defeating the proposed plan that would have over-taxed everyday Nashvillians and small businesses, while providing maximum…

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Andy Martin Analysis: Why They Lost the May 1st Nashville Transit Plan Referendum

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by Andy Martin   The May 1st County Primary vote on the $8.9 billion transit tax referendum is one for the record books. 123,963 votes: 44,636 FOR and 79,327 AGAINST. For reference, the last County Primary May 6, 2014 had 38,804 total votes. What happened? In a rush to scoop the story every major Nashville news organization has opined on the results with little reflection. Here are the real reasons why the referendum failed in a landslide. We already have transit This will come as a shock to out of state meddlers like StreetsBlog USA, CityLab, and the National League of Cities, but Nashville has transit. Likewise, based on the convulsions from the mayor (Nashville “will fail” if the referendum does not pass), metro council, and local media, you would think even locals don’t know this. The Nashville Metro Transit Authority budget is $80 million. We have buses, shuttles (AccessRide and airport shuttles), private/public partnerships, ride sharing, car and van pooling, BRT lite (non-dedicated lanes), the Music City Star, and bike paths. According to MTA there are roughly 10 million riders (or rides) per year. One wonders what MTA CEO Steve Bland thinks when Nashville leaders say we “do nothing.”…

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Weak and Wounded, Acting Mayor David Briley Big Loser in Nashville Transit Plan Blowout

Tennessee Star Staff

Acting Mayor of Nashville David Briley’s aura of inevitability came to a sudden and devastating end Tuesday night when voters soundly rejected the $9 billion transit plan he championed to the bitter end by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin. The man who less than two months ago had been praised by the Nashville Business Council as the only possible person who could provide “continuity” to the city after the resignation of disgraced former Mayor Barry on March 6, found himself reduced to blaming the deplorable voters of Nashville for their lack of wisdom in rejecting the boondoggle his predecessor introduced and he embraced whole heartedly. “We all can agree that we have to do something about traffic and transportation, but voters didn’t get behind this plan,” Briley said after it became clear that his cherished plan of “continuity” was going down in flames, adding:    My responsibility as Mayor is to get back to the drawing board and find the common ground to develop consensus on a new way forward. Our transportation problems are not going away; in fact, we know they’re only going to get more challenging as we continue to grow. I’ll get back to work…

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Nashville Transit Plan: On Track or Off Track?

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Gill Transit plan

by Steve Gill   As Nashville voters head to the polls on Tuesday to determine the fate of the $9 billion/$5.4 billion Transit Tax there are few public polls that give insight into what voters are thinking. One of the only public polls was one conducted by The Tennessee Star a few weeks ago that showed Nashville likely voters overwhelmingly opposed to the interim Mayor David Briley-supported plan.  (Briley himself faces voters in a May 24 election that will decide whether or not he keeps his temporary job.) While there have been rumors that other polls have been conducted, none have been released publicly. Presumably, if the pro-transit forces had a poll showing an imminent win they would have primed the pump with that information to energize their voters. They haven’t. Another indication of what may be coming with tomorrow’s election results is the bleed of support among Metro Council Members and mayoral candidates. Few, if any, notable public leaders in Nashville have moved TOWARD the plan in recent weeks. Plenty have moved AWAY. Meanwhile, the increasingly hysterical pro-transit reporting by The Tennessean has moved from encouraging taxpayers to embrace the plan to demonizing any and every individual or group…

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Diane Black: Passing the $9 Billion Nashville Transit Plan Will Hurt The Tennessee Economy

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Diane Black discusses the transit plan

In a weekend interview with WSMV, Rep. Diane Black (R-TN-06), a candidate for the GOP nomination for governor, said that in her opinion, passage of the $9 billion transit plan up for a public vote on Tuesday would hurt the Tennessee economy. “It would cause the cost of living to go up substantially, and you know who this hurts? And do you know who this hurts? The low-income folks,” Black said. Today, the Volunteer State boasts some of the lowest tax burdens in the nation, which many economists point to as the reason  why people from across the country are choosing to relocate here. But Black warns all that could change should the transit proposal pass. “Why would we want to do something that would cause the taxes to be the number one highest tax of any city in the entire country?” she asked rhetorically. A decade ago, voters in California passed a similar measure, with the goal to better connect the northern and southern cities in the state. However, delays, poor planning, and budget overruns have increased costs to taxpayers seven-fold. “California has their transit system – it started out ten years ago at $10 billion,” Black noted. “It’s now over $70,…

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Commentary: The ‘It’ City Failed by Rail

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by Andy Martin   Nashville is the IT city. This could change quickly. Nashville faces a referendum for staggeringly high tax increases on May 1. We will vote to increase or leave as is, the local option sales and use tax, hotel occupancy tax, business tax, and local rental car tax. This in a state that The Atlantic already calls the Most Regressive Tax System in America. Add to the tax increases hefty federal grants the city is chumming for, and it comes to $8.95 billion in total future costs. For what? To build and operate light rail, a massive tunnel (much like Boston’s “Big Dig”), bus rapid transit, and related projects. For scale, our entire city budget is only $2.2 billion. 81% of the $5.4 billion (current costs) go to light-rail and the tunnel. The story within a story goes like this: Tax hungry municipal legislators run out of ideas to raise money. Taxpayers have already been promised better schools, safer streets, convention centers, arenas, affordable housing, etc. Eventually legislators run out of excuses (the sugar to make the medicine go down) to raise taxes. But, raise taxes they must, because they’ve resisted the urge to control spending. Moody’s…

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Rev. Enoch Fuzz Commentary: Vote Against the Transit Tax Plan May 1

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by Rev. Enoch Fuzz As we try to inform voters about how wrong this transit tax plan is for Nashville, we encounter again and again how almost impossible it is to oppose Metro and whatever Metro does. Many people I know, including those who volunteer with our group Better Transit for Nashville, cannot exercise their freedom of speech and have to remain private and behind the scenes because of fear that speaking out may hurt them in their job and career. They might work for Metro, the state, Vandy, in health care, some corporate business, or a job related to those same places, and they cannot speak what they believe: that this transit plan is very bad for our city. It’s a shame. The opposition message stays more quiet than it really is. Politicians don’t know if this plan will even work to help traffic or transit. The worst thing is that the plan will take funding from the vital programs that need it, such as health care, housing, schools, fire, police and many others. Join a local group like Better Transit to get involved and learn more. Vote against the transit tax plan May 1.        …

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Nashville’s High Traffic Neighborhoods Have Low Chance of Relief From Light Rail

Jason M. Reynolds

Dear Nashville resident: Does your neighborhood have bad traffic? If you answered yes, the city’s $9 billion light rail transit plan probably will not help you, one organization says. NoTax4Tracks says only 3 percent of Nashville’s population will be served by the proposed light rail transit plan. The group has posted a map that shows the haves and have-nots when it comes to service. The have-nots that have high traffic counts include Bordeaux, Whites Creek, W. Trinity, Haynes Area, Parkwood, Dickerson Pike, Metrocenter, Donelson, McGavock, Hermitage, Old Hickory, Mt. Juliet, Green Hills, Bellevue, Belmont, 12 South, West End, Antioch, Haywood Lane, Antioch Pike, Mt. View Road, Blue Hole Road, Cane Ridge and Priest Lake. NoTax4Tracks urges residents to share copies of the map with others. “We need everyone to see what they’d be getting and paying for if this passes May 1: Only 3% of the population will be served and families in Davidson County would have to pay $43,608 more in taxes. That is a huge amount for a light rail system that leaves out so many neighborhoods.” Better Transit For Nashville posted a top 100 list of why residents should vote against the plan on May 1. Reason…

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Diane Black and Art Laffer Op-Ed: ‘Transit Plan Will Mire Nashville in Debt and Taxes’

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Gubernatorial candidate Diane Black, along with Reagan-era economic policy advisor and author Dr. Arthur B. Laffer, wrote an op-ed  appearing in The Tennessean Friday critical of the $9 billion Transit plan set for a vote by public referendum on May 1. “New jobs in manufacturing are soaring and businesses are moving to Tennessee on a daily basis,” the quick-reading, six hundred word piece begins. It continues: This stands in stark contrast to states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio and West Virginia. Those states have suffered from job losses in steel, coal and automobiles, resulting in politicians pointing their fingers at the “predatory” trade practices of China, Vietnam and Japan. But the reason we’re doing so well and those other states are languishing is not because of foreigners dumping products in the U.S. Our incredible success is, in part, due to the fact that Tennessee doesn’t have an income tax or a death tax. Our property taxes are low and our overall tax burden is third lowest in the nation. We have excellent public services, such as highways, and improvements in our school system are close to the highest in the United States. Tennessee also has budget…

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Volunteers Presenting Alternatives To Nashville’s Proposed $9 Billion Transit Plan Build Strong Case

Jason M. Reynolds

A group that is opposed to the $9 billion light rail transit plan is making waves on social media. Better Transit for Nashville’s Facebook page like count reached nearly 2,900 last week compared to Transit for Nashville’s page total of just under 2,700, the former reports in an email newsletter. BTN calls itself an all-volunteer local group. BTN’s popularity may be due in part to its running the numbers on the light rail plan’s alleged drawbacks. Nor is Facebook the only social media platform BTN is using effectively. Its YouTube page has posted a number of videos laying out details such as this: “In 2.5 years, (ex-Mayor Megan) Barry spent $2.4 million on frills, bodyguards & her love affair. The video has all the data. Now she wants to spend $8.9 BILLION for a transit plan that directly serves the rich & only 2% or less of commuters. The plan will spend $568,000 per current transit rider.” The per rider number is garnered from an $8.9 billion cost divided current transit riders totaling 15,650. BTN cites these sources: MTA audits; apta.com BTN says light rail will serve parts of five roadways and 6 percent of downtown workers. The group contends…

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Enter Another Opposing Voice On $9 Billion Transit Plan: Nashville Plan ‘B’

Laura Baigert

Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry loudly proclaimed “There is no Plan B” to her $9 billion Let’s Move Nashville transit plan. It turns out she was wrong. A new voice has entered the transit debate that focuses entirely on mass transit alternatives. The group is calling itself Nashville Plan “B.” The tagline for the website declares, “We aren’t against mass transit. Just this plan.” Nashville residents John Maddox and Johann Porisch are two of the voices behind the Nashville Plan “B” Alternatives. Porisch, a public relations professional, burst on to the scene during the Resign Now! Megan Barry Rally where he introduced his effort to organize a recall election to replace Mayor Barry, now moot with Barry’s resignation March 6. Nashville Plan “B” joins the first group against the $9 billion Let’s Move Nashville plan, No Tax 4 Tracks, which launched two months ago with the headline that paying for the $9 billion transit plan would raise Nashville’s sales tax to the highest in any major U.S. city.  The effort to defeat the plan on May 1 was then joined, as reported in the The Tennessee Star, by the grassroots movement Better Transit 4 Nashville. Proponents of the $9 billion Let’s Move…

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Gone in Sixty Seconds: New One-Minute Video by BT4N Shreds the Transit Plan Rationale

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Better Transit for Nashville, a new group opposing the massive $9 Billion transit plan proposal, has a new video that in exactly one minute explains exactly why the current plan won’t help anyone – except for Nashville-area elites. The sixty-second explainer consists of simple white text on a black background with a light soundtrack of piano and violin. Clearly tuned for sharing on social media platforms like Facebook, the video begins, “In One Minute: Nashville Transit Plan 2018 & Why It Won’t Work:” The plan is not regional, To truly deal with traffic & transit, a plan has to include the 10-county region. Light rail at best serves only 1% or less of commuters, an amount that with have no impact on traffic. Light rail is 15mph max – school zone speed Best case projections: in 50 years, transit ridership will no increase at all & likely will decrease All data is at the end of this video. Public transit is declining at 3.5% annually. Generous projections for Nash in 2070: 1.3%of commuters will use public transit. Today, approx 2% In 50 years, light rail with be completely, 100% obsolete and extinct Light rail is 70% of the costs: $6B…

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Briley Promises More of the Same Support for ‘Progressive’ Politics, Including $9 Billion Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

Megan Barry, the public face of the proposed $9 billion light rail transit plan may be gone from office, but don’t expect the issue to die. The Metro Nashville Democratic mayor resigned in disgrace March 6 after pleading guilty to felony charges following the revelation of her extra-marital affair with her chief bodyguard, former police Sgt. Rob Forrest. The Tennessean reports that new Mayor David Briley has also been a staunch supporter of the light rail transit plan, which is set for a May 1 referendum. The newspaper calls him a progressive liberal Democrat who has long wanted to be mayor. The newspaper says, “In the weeks ahead, he will take the torch on Barry’s May 1 transit referendum on raising four taxes to pay for a $5.4 billion transit plan with light rail.” The Tennessean uses the $5.4 billion estimate, the figure transit supporters like to throw around. NewsChannel 5 reported that after Briley was sworn in, he said he plans to hold a series of town hall meetings to talk about a variety of issues — including transit, which he called his first priority. “It’s the most important thing that is confronting our city right now and I’m committed to working…

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Newcomer ‘Better Transit 4 Nashville’ Joins the Fight Against the Metro City Council’s $9 Billion Transit Plan

Admin

A new grassroots citizens group called ‘Better Transit for Nashville’ has burst onto the political scene to oppose the Metro City Council’s $9 billion transit plan. Formed less than a month ago in mid-February, the plucky group has earned over two thousand Facebook page ‘likes’ and reached an impressive 108 thousand people, according to a statement: Better Transit FB Page Reaches 108,000 & 2,200 Followers in Just Three Weeks NASHVILLE, 3/8/18 – The grassroots group Better Transit for Nashville’s momentum continues. BTN’s message is simple: we need a regional plan without light rail, a strong bus system, with BRT where needed, and tech. BTN’s FB page has 2,200 followers in just three weeks. BTN’s ongoing request to the pro side to commit to riding the light rail (LRT) has yielded only two (2) people who say they will ride it. They would not submit their first names. BTN has published the open request on social media, the BTN website, in emails, comments on the pro transit FB page, and to the 60 businesses who have funded the $2.5 million pro PAC. LRT/tunnel is 70% of the $9B cost. BTN has published the most detailed analysis available of projected ridership of the…

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Lights, Camera, Action: Transit Plan Opponents Air First Commercial

Jason M. Reynolds

NoTax4Tracks, a political action committee, announced it is starting a television campaign today, Feb. 20, to encourage Nashville-Davidson County voters to say no to Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan on the May 1 ballot. “We know people are concerned about paying one of the highest sales taxes in the country for a light rail system that does little to help congestion,” said Jeff Eller, spokesman for the campaign.  “We’re starting television advertising now, so voters fully understand how much it will cost and how little it will do. That’s why the commercial makes it clear, if this plan passes, Nashville will become Taxville.” The commercial can be viewed here. The commercial will air on Channels 2, 4, 5 and 17, with a heavy focus on news and “high information seekers,” the PAC said. This will be the first of several commercials NoTax4Tracks will air prior to the May 1 election.      

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Letter to the Editor: To See Why Nashville’s Transit Plan is Doomed, Just Look at California and Texas

Admin

Dear Tennessee Star, Nobody asked me, but . . . So, let’s see. Mayor Megan Barry’s Transit System will cost about 5.2 billion dollars, plus another $5 billion for “operating expenses,” as per government estimates. For you non-math whizzes, that’s over $10 billion dollars, not the $5.2 billion they are advertising. And that’s if everything goes according to plan. Well, as anybody who has ever been involved in planning a new business venture will tell you, original estimates are always “pie-in-the-sky” wishes. There are too many variables that will be encountered that cannot be foreseen on the initial drawing board. These things always cost more. The California High Speed Rail (HPS) is already over budget and it isn’t even completed yet. Original estimates given to the population in 2008 was $40 billion. Latest estimates in 2015 put the project at $64 billion, a 62.5% increase in less than 10 years, and it isn’t finished yet. Not to mention the bonds that were sold to partially finance the project. Those bonds will come due in the future and are payable by raising taxes in a state where “raise their taxes” is already the rallying cry of politicians. Do you wonder why…

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Will Nashville Embrace 19th Or 21st Century Transit Technology?

Jason M. Reynolds

As debate on Nashville’s proposed $9 billion transit plan grows, some are asking if the system would have the flexibility to change as needed or even if light rail is relevant in the 21st century. “If voters approve Mayor Megan Barry‘s transit plan in a few months, how tied would Nashville be to the specific details of the multibillion-dollar plan? The answer is up for debate,” the Nashville Business Journal says. “Transit advocates argue there’s room to adapt and modify the plan after the vote, while opponents argue the referendum binds Nashville to Barry’s proposed changes,” the publication says. “During a transit-focused Metro Council meeting in January, Rich Riebeling, Metro’s chief operating officer, said there “would have to be some common-sense provisions going into the future if some technology we don’t know about today comes into play that says you shouldn’t do this, then we’d have to come back to the council, future legislators, and make the adjustments at that time.” One group says rail systems do nothing to relieve traffic congestion. Go Nashville! bills itself as “average people who support efficient, affordable, sustainable private/public transit.” The group posted on Twitter Feb. 9 that each of the Top 10 cities in…

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Two Metro Nashville Council Members Appointed to Special Committee Investigating Mayor Barry Voted Against Telling Voters Actual Cost of Transit Plan

Chris Alto

Burkley Allen and Russ Pulley, appointed along with five other Metro Council members by Vice-Mayor David Briley, will form a Special Committee to investigate the use of public money by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry during her two year extramarital affair with Metro police officer and head of her security detail, Sgt. Robert Forrest. The Metro Nashville Council resolution establishing the Special Committee restricts the investigation to the expenditure of public funds: A Special Committee to investigate the circumstances involving travel and other expenses, including overtime expenses, potentially related to the Mayor’s admitted improprieties involving an employee of the Metropolitan Government to determine if there was any improper use of public money. While the Special Committee is not charged with looking into the Mayor’s potential ethics violations, Briley did suggest that the Committee coordinate their inquiry with the Board of Ethical Conduct and the Metro Audit Committee which is also investigating the Mayor’s affair. With regard to selecting members for the Special Committee, Vice-Mayor David Briley stated that he was looking at “people who have demonstrated neutrality in terms of the politics and people who are open-minded in terms of looking at the facts fairly.” Last week, Special Committee members Burkley…

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OFF THE RECORD: Mayor Megan Barry – Incapable of Shame Until She Got Caught…

Chris Alto

According to a Tennessee Star commenter earlier this week, while Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and her bodyguard, Sgt. Rob Forrest, were still taking luxury trips abroad and quickie overnights stateside, not only did the thoughtful Mayor make a surprise visit to Sgt. Forrest’s father-in-law in the hospital, but she also attended his funeral nine days later, and get this, hugged Sgt. Forrest’s grieving wife. And being one of the family in a twisted sort of way, the Mayor attended Sgt. Forrest’s daughter’s wedding: Not only did she visit him in the hospital, but she also attended the man’s funeral and was seen hugging her lover’s grieving wife, and family. It’s also no secret that she was a guest at her lover’s daughter’s wedding as well. During her public confession, the Mayor let slip that the two-year long affair with Sgt. Forrest that she had worked so hard to conceal, became known somehow to their respective spouses – “Barry said the relationship was discovered during conversations between their spouses and private discussions.” Between getting caught by the jilted spouses and getting counseled by reporter Phil Williams who disclosed that he had an “incredible” source, the Mayor was left with no option…

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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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Mayor Megan Barry Says Her $9 Billion Transit Plan ‘Is About Connecting People’

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, who ten days ago admitted to carrying on a two year long extramarital affair with her Metro Nashville police officer bodyguard, Sgt. Rob Forrest, showed on Thursday that she wants every voter in Nashville/Davidson County to know that she continues to support her much maligned $9 billion transit plan. With no apparent sense of irony, Mayor Barry promoted her appearance at a Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce event Thursday in a tweet later in the day in which she said, in part, that her transit plan “is about connecting people.” “Today I spoke at the Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce about your transit plan, which will be on the ballot May 1 (early voting starts April 11), and all the benefits it will create,” she wrote, adding, “Transit is about connecting people to what they need jobs, schools, health care and much more.” Today I spoke to the Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce about our transit plan, which will be on the ballot May 1 (early voting starts April 11), and all the benefits it will create. Transit is about connecting people to what they need jobs, schools, health care and much more pic.twitter.com/Wcn93KYxmx — Megan Barry for Congress (TN-7) (@MeganCBarry)…

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Nashville Metro Council Prepares Transparent Transit Plan Referendum For May 1

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Metro Council voted Tuesday to place both the $5.35 billion and $9 billion transit plan price tags on the May 1 referendum. An amendment showing the price range was approved on a 34-2-2 vote. The vote was part of the third and final reading of the referendum language. Debate during the council meeting likened the transportation plan to buying a car. When buying a car, one looks at the dealer’s price as the purchase price; expenses like tires and fuel are operating costs, council member Jeremy Elrod said. Council member Bob Mendes said “We’re not buying a car.” To buy an operating system, one pays not only the upfront costs but also debt and has to consider the debt terms and payback period. One must consider the bond debt payment. He said the $8.95 billion figure was good enough for the state comptroller. Jeff Eller, campaign spokesman for NoTax4Tracks, which has expressed concerns about the transit plan, said, “We believe the Council did the right thing by letting voters decide on the full cost of the $9-billion light rail plan. They will now have the opportunity to understand this plan will result in the highest sales tax in the country…

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Truth, Trust Are ‘Kryptonite’ To Barry, Metro Council In Promoting $9 Billion Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

In popular media, Superman fights for “truth, justice and the American way.” The superhero who is “faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive” is vulnerable to a substance known as Kryptonite. Those who back Nashville’s $9 billion transit system are facing their own version of Kryptonite: Trust. Even one prominent supporter now says he has some doubts. The uncertainty comes nearly a week following news that Metro Nashville Mayor Megan Barry, the face of the Let’s Move Nashville Transit Improvement Plan, had an adulterous, years-long affair with veteran police Sgt. Rob Forrest who was in charge of her security. Barry dodged her responsibilities as an elected official having an affair with an employee who resigned, while she kept her job, and it was revealed her affair violated her office’s mission statement of transparency and her own executive order that employees should be ethical and avoid conflicts of interest. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been asked to investigate any potential breaking of the law, including “misappropriation of public funds and official misconduct,” District Attorney Glenn Funk spokesman Steve Hayslip told The Tennessean. The Metro Council voted Jan. 23 on a second reading of the plan to hide the…

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$9 Billion Transit Backers Try New Poll To Fish For Support

Jason M. Reynolds

One citizens’ group says the city and its backers are conducting yet another poll to try to show support for the Let’s Move Nashville Transit Improvement Plan. NoTax4Tracks said in a press release that at least one of its people received a polling call regarding the $9 billion transit plan that includes light rail service. Questions include: Would this make you more or less likely to vote for the plan? 17 cents a day cost Comprehensive light rail, bus and other Neighborhood parking zones to get on and off Will run longer hours at night If seniors get a discount If out-of-towners pay for most of it through the hotel tax It would eliminate the need to go downtown to go to neighborhood to neighborhood Which are important to you when you consider your vote: would cost $5.4 billion that we would have the highest sales tax that sales tax is regressive and would hurt lower income communities Which people are meaningful to you in making this decision: David Fox Megan Barry Someone else News of the new poll broke hours before word came of Mayor Megan Barry’s extra-marital affair with the head of her security detail, so it is…

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Vanderbilt Launches and Funds Nonprofit Advocacy Group to Support Mayor Barry’s Transit Plan

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Monday, Vanderbilt University issued a strong statement of support – along with a 501(c) (4) PAC called ‘Creating a More Mobile Community’ funded to the tune of $200,000 – for Mayor Megan Barry’s $5.2 $5.4 $9 billion transit plan proposal. “We must match our collective ambitions for the future of Nashville with investments in our future prosperity,” said Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos said is a statement. “A more connected Nashville through expanded transit benefits us all. Now is the time to ensure all members of the Nashville community have full access to the opportunities our vibrant city has to offer.” The statement points out that the University has recently begun its transformation of West End Avenue to what it calls FutureVU, described as a “innovative academic and experiential center.” Vanderbilt University Medical Center president Jeff Balser also voiced the institution’s strong support for “Mayor Megan Barry’s efforts to expand Nashville’s transit options.” “The development of sustainable, flexible transportation options that promote a healthy, accessible environment for all is a centerpiece of our land use planning efforts,” Zeppos said. “When taken together, Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are the region’s largest private employer. As such, we have an obligation, but also a…

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WSMV: ‘Questions Raised About Nashville Mayor’s Relationship With Officer in Charge of Security Detail’

Tennessee Star Staff

UPDATE 4:49 pm:  The Scene has confirmed that Barry administration staffers are confirming to council members that the mayor had a relationship with a member of her security detail and that she is not resigning. https://t.co/dpsHnZX2C6 — Nashville Scene (@NashvilleScene) January 31, 2018   WSMV is reporting that “The News 4 I-Team has uncovered questions of the relationship between Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and her head of security.” In a story that broke at 2:48 pm but added a significant update at 4:02 pm, WSMV reported: News 4 reported on Tuesday night that Sgt. Rob Forrest had abruptly resigned his position. The News 4 I-Team has heard from multiple sources – Metro Council members, former Council members and lawyers – that Forrest’s resignation from the police force after 31 years was tied to his relationship with Barry. News 4 contacted Penny Forrest, Rob Forrest’s wife, on Wednesday afternoon. She referred questions to her attorney. When asked whether her husband had a relationship with Barry, she responded, ‘You need to ask that question to Mayor Barry.” The News 4 I-Team has reached out to the Mayor’s office for several hours on Wednesday. The only response has been that she is set…

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Does State Of The Union Address Indicate Bad News For Nashville Transit Funding?

Jason M. Reynolds

President Donald Trump is expected to announce in tonight’s State of the Union address $200 billion in federal funding for infrastructure and other projects. But one PAC that opposes Nashville’s transit plan says that is not necessarily good news for Mayor Megan Barry. Politico reports the president had promised a $1 trillion, 10-year blueprint to rebuild American roads, railroads, bridges and airports. State, local and private investors would have to cough up more money than normally would be the case under the president’s proposal. “Instead of the grand, New Deal-style public works program that Trump’s eye-popping price tag implies, Democratic lawmakers and mayors fear the plan would set up a vicious, zero-sum scramble for a relatively meager amount of federal cash — while forcing cities and states to scrounge up more of their own money, bringing a surge of privately financed toll roads, and shredding regulations in the name of building projects faster,” Politico says. The administration says $200 billion is not a large amount for such a plan but adds it would draw state, local and private funds. In addition to land transportation infrastructure, identified possible projects include rural broadband service, veterans hospitals and commercial spaceflight. The White House is…

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Rail Line Could Make Nashville Budget Sick, Unable To Fund Retiree Insurance

Jason M. Reynolds

Retired Metro Nashville employees’ benefits are in jeopardy, one PAC says, even as Mayor Megan Barry’s supporters have no trouble raising funds from the business community to try to persuade voters to pay $9 billion for a transit system. NoTax4Tracks says in a press release that Metro Nashville has a health insurance funding shortfall for retirees to the tune of nearly $3 billion. “The good news is you are probably going to get whatever is in your pension. That part of the retirement plan is fairly well funded. The bad news is that health insurance coverage you were promised …. maybe not so much.” Health insurance, a part of “other post employment benefits (OPEB), are funded at 0 percent, the press release says, citing an October 2017 letter from Metro’s director of finance, Talia Lomax-O’dneal. The shortfall is nothing new. A Jan. 26, 2015 story from the Tennessean says the issue dates to 2002. Many of the retirement benefits are paid from the city’s budget and costs grew from 13 percent of the total property tax revenue to 25 percent in 2015. The story cites a report from The Pew Charitable Trusts that says the health care plan faces a long-term shortfall…

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Experts at Beacon Center’s ‘Off Track: What’s Wrong With Nashville’s Transit Plan & What We Should Do Instead’ Summit Slam Mayor Barry’s Scheme

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The Beacon Center of Tennessee hosted a free conference open to the public on Saturday featuring the nation’s foremost experts discussing “Off Track: What’s Wrong with Nashville’s Transit Plan & What We Should Do Instead.” The title reflects the sentiment of attendees, primarily interested citizens versus special interest groups, that there is a congestion problem in the greater Nashville area that needs a solution, but one that is more efficient and cost effective than the $9 billion Let’s Move Nashville plan being put to referendum on May 1. The event included two power-house panels, the first on “What’s Wrong with the Nashville Plan,” featuring Randal O’Toole, Senior Fellow of the Cato Institute; Michael Sargent, Policy Analyst, Transportation and Infrastructures from the Heritage Foundation; and, Ron Shultis, Policy Coordinator of the Beacon Center of Tennessee, moderated by Ralph Bristol, former WTN 99.7 Nashville Morning News Host. The second panel included Transportation Policy Analyst Baruch Feigenbaum from the Reason Foundation; Marc Scribner, Senior Fellow of Competitive Enterprise Institute; and Emily Hamilton, Policy Research Manager, Mercatus Center, moderated by Beacon Center of Tennessee President and CEO Justin Owen and focused on “A Better Plan for Nashville.” John Cerasulo, Chairman of…

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Nashville Metro Council Buries True Cost of $9 Billion Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

A PAC opposed to a $9 billion transit plan calls Nashville Metro Council’s vote Tuesday a “shameful” effort to pull the wool over the voter’s (sic) eyes.” NoTax4Tracks made the statement in a press release in response to Metro Council voting 21-14 not to accept an amendment to the light rail transit plan that would have shown the $9 billion cost on the May 1 ballot. The Tennessee Star broke the latest story on Mayor Megan Barry’s plan Wednesday morning. Once the amendment failed, the council voted on the Barry administration’s favored language for the referendum, citing a price tag of just over $5.3 billion. The council voted 30-6, with three not voting, to create the ballot language. The third and final reading will be Feb. 6. NoTax4Tracks said, “We know the city and the pro-light rail groups leaned hard on council members today. They did so because their own polling and political advisors told them that if Cooper’s amendment passed, their entire plan was in big trouble. So, they laid the wood to the council. It’s clear, they’ll do just about anything to win.” Council member John Cooper proposed the ballot language for the city’s Transit Improvement Plan be open and transparent…

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Nashville Metro Council Plays Shell Game With Transit Costs

Jason M. Reynolds

The Metro Council voted Tuesday to not disclose the true cost of Mayor Megan Barry’s light rail transit plan to voters on the May 1 referendum. Metro Councilmembers John Cooper and Tanaka Vercher had asked that the May ballot language include the full $9-billion-dollar costs. They proposed the amendment that Metro Council voted on Tuesday night during the plan’s second reading. The amendment is available here. The council voted 21-14 not to accept the amendment, according to a spokesman for NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that opposes the transit plan. There will be one final reading, but it is not immediately clear if amendments will be allowed, the spokesman says. That vote could come in as early as two weeks. Once the amendment failed, the council voted on the Barry administration’s favored language for the referendum, citing a price tag of just over $5.3 billion. The council voted 30-6, with three not voting, to create the ballot language, according to Barry’s Twitter feed. NoTax4Tracks PAC on Tuesday had announced their support for the proposed amendment’s effort to let voters know the full cost of the city’s light rail transit plan. “The city does not want voters to know the full costs of the light rail…

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Nashville Would Tie For Highest Sales Tax In Nation Under Mayor Barry’s Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

From apparel to zip-up kitchen bags, merchandise sold in Nashville would bear some of the highest sales tax in the nation if the backers of the city’s proposed light rail system have their way, a PAC says. NoTax4Tracks is the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes.  The organization issued a press release over the weekend criticizing Mayor Megan Barry’s plan to raise the state-city sales tax to 10.25 percent to help finance the transit plan. The PAC says 10.25 percent would give Nashville the highest sales tax in the nation. According to the Tax Foundation, two cities currently are tied for the dubious honor of highest sales tax, and both have rates of 10.25 percent: Long Beach, California, and Chicago. Nashville would tie for the top spot in the nation’s most expensive cities in which to shop. Nashville is currently tied in ninth place on the Tax Foundation’s sales tax list. The city’s sales tax would increase by 0.5 percent from 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent, NoTax4Tracks says on its website. By 2023 the tax will have increased to 10.25 percent. “Whether it’s a senior living off of…

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NoTax4Tracks: There Is No Such Thing As $1.5 Billion In Free Transit Money for Nashville

Jason M. Reynolds

“There is no such thing as a free lunch” is an adage many students learn in an introductory economics course. Perhaps that adage could apply to Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan as well. NoTax4Tracks, the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes is making that point. “We’re talking about the $1.5-billion hole in the city’s $9-billion light rail plan,” the PAC said in a press release. “Why is it a big hole? Because the city has said their plan has $1.5-billion in funding they plan getting from the federal government. “Except they’re not.” The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) said its budget: “…includes no funding for new CIG (capital investment grant) projects, and thus project sponsors that do not yet have construction grant agreements acknowledge they are undertaking additional work at their own risk which may not receive CIG funding.” The FTA added it will accept new grant applications with the understanding no funding is guaranteed. So how will Barry fill a $1.5-billion dollar shortfall, NoTax4Tracks asks. WSMV reports the plan’s $9 billion estimate is buried deep within the “Let’s Move Nashville: Metro’s Transportation Solution” report of Dec. 13,…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s Light Rail Plan ‘Absurdly Expensive,’ David Fox Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s $9 billion transit plan is “absurdly expensive,” says David Fox, one of the most recent Nashvillians to speak out on the topic. Fox’s concerns were briefly outlined by The Tennessee Star on Wednesday. Expanding on them, the former mayoral candidate said his concerns include the return on investment, the tax burden and the impact on the middle class and lower-income citizens. Fox was defeated by Barry in a September 2015 runoff election to become Mayor of Nashville by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin. He has stayed silent since then and not returned any reporters’ phone calls until now, but said he responded to a request for help from NoTax4Tracks, a PAC that has organized against the transit plan. “I felt the last couple of months there was not a two-sided public conversation on the transit plan,” he said, adding the plan’s backers conducted an organized campaign to sell it to residents. “As someone who has spent many months studying it, I concluded it was a terrible idea.” Fox said he also wanted to see if Metro Council would vet the plan, but it sailed through to a referendum, which will be on May 1. “I…

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‘NoTax4Tracks’ Says Mayor Barry’s $9 Billion Transit Plan Will Make Nashville Sales Tax Highest in Country and Won’t Fix Congestion

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NoTax4Tracks, a new PAC founded to oppose Mayor Megan “Moonbeam” Barry’s $9 billion transit plan, came out blazing Tuesday, issuing a statement that the proposal will raise Music City’s sales tax to the highest levels in the nation. Furthermore, the group cites urban planning and traffic study experts that say the costly proposal will not solve Nashville’s traffic challenges. Last week, the Metro Council voted to place Mayor Barry’s tax increase plan before the voters of Nashville/Davidson County in a referendum to be held on May 1, just three and a half months from now. Voters in Nashville/Davidson County can expect to see a vigorous battle play out in the news media, on social media sites, on the phone, and in person, as supporters and opponents of the $9 billion transit plan spend what could well be millions of dollars to compete for their votes in May. The battle was clearly joined within minutes of the release of the NoTax4Tracks statement. “Transit for Nashville, which is campaigning for Barry’s proposal, slammed the new PAC’s motives,” The Tennessean reported: “The anti-transit group that has come out in opposition wants to do nothing to help Nashville’s growing traffic problems,” Transit for Nashville spokeswoman Kelly…

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