NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It seems fitting; on a day when city and state leaders celebrated the ribbon cutting of the Broadway bridge, there seemed to be small hints of some bridge building between the leaders themselves.
"Mayor, thank you for your leadership," said Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, from the podium. "As you can look around and see, this city is the envy of many cities across America."
"Bridges connect, and we are all here today in the spirit of connecting across those levels of government," said Mayor Freddie O'Connell, D-Nashville. "May that continue."
Of course, it hasn't always been this cordial. In many respects, the rivalry between the city and the state began when Metro Council shut down plans of hosting the 2024 Republican National Convention in Nashville. Then, the state retaliated with a slate of legislation that took local control away and granted it to state leaders. The relationship has been frosty at best.
But newly elected Mayor O'Connell and Gov. Lee indicated at the event perhaps they're building something new.
"Nashville needs Tennessee, Tennessee needs Nashville. We are not separate from one another, we are working together. And the Mayor and I spoke about that even just now," Lee told NewsChannel 5.
According to O'Connell, in their brief conversation, they discussed how to improve infrastructure and economic development in Music City.
"It’s very meaningful to start governing with a strong partnership and a willingness to collaborate there," said O'Connell in an interview with NewsChannel 5.
Perhaps a firm foundation, but the work certainly isn't complete. Mayor O'Connell says the lawsuits over some of the legislature's new laws against Nashville will continue forward. The Governor also wouldn't promise to veto future bills targeting Nashville.
"Talking about further pieces of legislation without ever understanding the legislation — I won’t comment on that," Lee told NewsChannel 5.
But just like the bridge project dedication, they have to start somewhere.
"I think it’s already improved pretty visibly, at least in the sense of the appetite for partnership," said O'Connell.
Lee and O'Connell plan to formally meet sometime next week, according to the governor.
During the mayoral election, we asked candidates about the relationship with the Republican legislature. Here is what O'Connell said then:
"Cities like ours are economic engines of the state. It is our people — and our policies — that have brought in the money that these state legislators use to improve their far-away counties and to fund state-based programs. I will revisit the relationship between Metro Nashville and the state government, but it needs to come from a place where Nashville understands our value, knows our points of leverage, and asserts our power.
I have been able to be deeply effective in local government while knowing that the state might create obstacles and constraints, and I think that’s the experience we need a mayor to have. I also think that there is a fundamental difference between the public policy perspective that I offer, and the performative politics of others. We need a mayor who is willing to put in the work on projects that matter, outside of the spotlight of the press and social media, and build real offline relationships with the governor, leadership, and committee chairs.
As a former board member of Cumberland Region Tomorrow, I also expect to reinvest in regional relationships with city and county mayors, as well as other big city mayors. And I will work with organizations like We Decide Tennessee to help our county delegation to the General Assembly and state legislators know that Nashville doesn’t stand alone."
