Tag: Vice Mayor Jim Shulman

Nashville Council Approves New $2.1 Billion Tennessee Titans Stadium, to Open in 2027

The Center Square
LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee

The Tennessee Titans will have a new $2.1 billion stadium in 2027 after the deal to fund the stadium was approved by Metro Nashville’s Council on its third and final vote at a special meeting that stretched into Wednesday morning.

The final vote was 26-12 for the stadium project with Council Member Delishia Porterfield voting for the bill in order to attempt a procedural reconsideration of the vote that would have created another vote on the bill at the council’s May 2 meeting.

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Mayor John Cooper Releases Statement After Community Backlash over Homeless Camp Tours

Morgan Nicole Veysey

Mayor John Cooper released a statement Tuesday defending his decision to organize tours with Metro Council members of homeless encampments in Nashville. Councilman Colby Sledge tipped the public to the goings-on by the mayor’s office, which prompted citizens’ angry responses.

Cooper’s statement explained the tours were “to help in understanding the intended use of the proposed funding and the installation of cameras in particular. Metro agencies will be present to answer questions, and all visits will be conducted in a manner respectful of the individuals who may be present in the encampments.”

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Metro Council Members Reject Candidate for Fairgrounds Commission Seat Because She’s Black, Not Hispanic

Corinne Murdock

Just enough Metro Nashville City Council members voted to prevent an individual from joining the Fair Commissioners Board because she was Black – not Hispanic, as they’d wanted. The motion to appoint Vice Mayor Jim Shulman’s recommended candidate – Sandra Moore – failed by one vote only because of the color of her skin.

The bid to appoint Moore failed during last week’s committee meeting. During their meeting, council members opposed to Moore didn’t discuss the merits of her qualifications. The Rules, Confirmation, and Public Elections Committee had just approved her hours before.

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Verified: Remainder of Community Oversight Board Are Registered Voters in Accordance with Law

Corinne Murdock

The remainder of Nashville’s Community Oversight Board (COB) are registered voters in Davidson County. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s office confirmed this information with The Tennessee Star.

The Star inquired initially after discovering that a recently-resigned member of the COB, Ovid Timothy Hughes, isn’t a registered voter. Hughes was convicted of a felony in 2008 – mail fraud committed against a previous employer. Not only did Hughes not disclose this information, he stated falsely before the Metro Nashville City Council that he was a registered voter.

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The Tennessee Star’s Investigative Reporter Corinne Murdock Talks Follow up Questions to Metro Officials About COB Vetting Process

Julie Carr

Wednesday morning on the Tennessee Star Report, host Michael Patrick Leahy welcomed the Tennessee Star’s investigative reporter Corinne Murdock on her follow-up questions to Metro officials and what responses she has received regarding the vetting of the Community Oversight Board’s potential committee members.

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Vice Mayor Shulman Says Metro Council Will Revisit Verification Process for Community Oversight Board Members

Corinne Murdock

Metro Nashville’s Community Oversight Board (COB) members aren’t vetted prior to appointment – officials say they’re taken at their word. However, the shakiness of this method was exposed/ proved unreliable after The Tennessee Star discovered that recently-resigned member Ovid Timothy Hughes isn’t a registered voter, as he’d claimed and as was required of him by law. Hughes is a convicted felon, tried and charged in 2008 for mail fraud. He racked up over $78,000 of fraudulent charges against a previous employer using stolen credit card and account information. 

Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman spoke with The Star about this revelation. He assured us that they would be taking extra steps in the future to verify all COB applicants’ voting eligibility.

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Metro Nashville City Council to Revisit Lifetime Health Benefits for Council Members

Corinne Murdock

Unlike their government employee peers, Metro Nashville City Council members receive special treatment when it comes to health benefits. If they serve the two-term limit in full, they are eligible to receive lifetime health benefits on the taxpayer’s dime. All other Metro Nashville employees must work 20 years before earning similar lifetime benefits. These lifetime benefits reportedly cost taxpayers over $800,000 annually, which is projected to reach over $1.2 million by 2024.

Council member Tonya Hancock proposed BL2020-387 to change that rule in August. Hancock argued the bill was a step toward balancing the city budget and, in turn, lower property taxes. The bill would cut back on the 75 percent government-subsidized lifetime insurance for Metro council members. Hancock noted that a 2014 study discovered that no other peer cities offer retiree medical coverage for their council members. She bolstered her argument for the bill by noting that last year’s largest-ever property tax increase and over $4 billion debt with depleted reserves were further signs that the lifetime benefits were unwise spending of taxpayer money.

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