CAPITOL VIEW
By Pat Nolan, Senior Vice-President, DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn Partners Company
June 26, 2015
THE COURT SPEAKS; THE COURT SPEAKS AGAIN; MAYORAL CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENTS; CHARLES ROBERT BONE ON INSIDE POLITICS; REFIGHTING THE CIVIL WAR; AN UNEXPECTED AND INTERESTING TWIST; TURNING 3;
THE COURT SPEAKS
In an historic ruling, with Tennessee involvement and sweeping ramifications that impact the Volunteer State and the entire country, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex or gay marriage is legal and the law of the land. Even before the 5-4 High Court vote, same sex marriage was legal in 37 of the 50 states. That major civil rights change had gathered great momentum in just the past few years after the Justices first struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The Court’s ruling in this area rivals in importance earlier civil rights decisions such as Brown v. Board of Education (schools) and Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights).
Gay marriage, however (even the recognition of such unions performed in other states) remained illegal in Tennessee until today’s (Friday) ruling., The prohibitions came from both state law and by a constitutional amendment approved overwhelmingly by voters.
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals had also ruled in favor of the ban in Tennessee. It was that case, combined with other same sex marriage challenges before the appellate court from Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky that the Supreme Court took up. The Justices reversed the Sixth Circuit decision, creating this historic moment.
It’s the not the first time Tennessee has played a significant role in a ground breaking civil rights related High Court decision, although you might not think the issue was directly related. I think the “one man one vote” ruling made by an earlier Court (Baker v. Carr) certainly was just as important in establishing the fundamental principle of voter equality that we know see for marriage equality. The approval of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in the post-Civil War era, establishing “equal protection” under the law, was also a critical development in what led to the Court’s ruling.
The same sex decision brought both celebration and disappointment in Tennessee, and from what I’ve seen, it’s breaking along party lines. Nashville Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper was short and to the point in his reaction: “Love and equality win. I’m glad the Supreme Court ruled on the side of history.” Nashville Mayor Karl Dean hailed the decision, saying he believes “all people should be treated equally and fairly and everyone’s individual dignity should be respected.” The Mayor adds “welcoming and supporting people of all backgrounds and beliefs makes our city stronger.”
Several of the candidates seeking to succeed Mayor Dean in office issued similar supportive statements. One, Metro Councilmember at Large Megan Barry, says he had already agreed to use the powers of her office “to officiate the ceremony of same-sex couples wishing to exercise their rights.” As an elected countywide official I believe one other mayoral candidate, Criminal Court Howard Gentry, also has similar powers to perform such ceremonies.
On the state level, Republican Governor Bill Haslam seemed to express opposition to the Court’s decision. He points out that the ruling overturns a vote by “the people of Tennessee” who he says “voted clearly on this issue.” But the Governor also added that the state “will comply with the decision and will ensure our departments are able to do so as quickly as possible.”
Back on the local level, it will be officials such as Davidson County Clerk Brenda Wynn (a Democrat) who will be dealing with the change in the marriage law. She says she been assured by the Tennessee Attorney General’s office that it will “provide timely guidance regarding changes to the documents and processes required under state law.” She added: “This office is honored to have an important role in upholding the rights of couples to marry and is fully committed to implementing the necessary changes as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Indeed, things moved quickly with that state process and the first same sex marriage in Nashville occurred in the early afternoon on Friday with Councilmember Barry officiating (THE TENNESSEAN, July 26).
State Republican officials have only scorn to offer for both the decision and the Court itself. Some GOP state lawmakers are also already drafting legislation to protect Tennessee pastors and ministers from being forced to perform gay marriage ceremonies, although nothing in the Court decision mandates that happening. (THE TENNESSEAN June26)
As for the decision itself, Congresswoman Diane Black said “with the drop of a gavel, the Supreme Court justices have silenced the voices of thousands of Tennesseans” adding that she see marriage as a “sacred promise between man, woman and God.” GOP Congressman Marsha Blackburn expressed similar thoughts. Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey says the decision is “unfortunate and fundamentally wrong,” citing again the 80% of Tennessee voters who approved the constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage in 2006.
Former State Senator David Fowler, now President of the Family Action Council of Tennessee issued a statement as well saying marriage is society’s “most fundamental institution” but that a majority of the court “have arrogantly said they are not only smarter than the 50 million Americans who have voted to affirm marriage as the union of a man and woman, but also millions of human beings over thousands of years across the entire globe.”
This weekend marks Nashville’s annual Gay Pride Festival with many of the festivities occurring right outside the Metro Courthouse. Given this judicial decision, it is likely to be a celebration like no other in the Festival’s previous years.
The Court’s ruling is also likely to spark a conservative backlash that could push forward efforts to impose term limits on Supreme Court Justices and perhaps on others serving on the federal bench. It will also likely be a major rallying cry for the bevy of Republican presidential candidates seeking that party’s 2016 presidential nomination. How they handle the issue (without alienating independent and swing voters) could well dictate the GOP’s chances to retake the White House.
Changing voter demographics and the significant positive swing in public opinion polls in favor of same sex marriage also present challenges for the Republicans especially as Democrats rally their base to preserve this new civil right. It seems in every presidential election the political balance of the Supreme Court is at stake. With the same sex marriage decision being by just one vote, it seems here we go again.
THE COURT SPEAKS AGAIN
Speaking of here we go again.
The day before the same sex marriage decision came down (Thursday) the U.S. Supreme Court, for the second time in three years, upheld the legality of the Affordable Health Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. Almost three years to the day (June 28, 2012) after it settled the first challenge to the law by a 5-4 favorable vote, this time (by a 6-3 margin) the Justices have upheld the health insurance tax subsidies provided to recipients whether they were given through the federal on-line health exchanges or through similar on line sites operated by the states. Tennessee does not operate a state exchange. An estimated 189,000 Tennesseans are receiving and (based on the court ruling) will continue to receive tax subsidies through the federal insurance exchange.
The decision is another major victory for President Barack Obama and another setback for Republicans who’ve been trying to repeal the law or get it struck down by the Court ever since it passed several years ago. The King v. Burwell decision was particularly a setback for Tennessee Congressman Scott DesJarlais who had been a part of the lawsuit since it was first filed in the federal district court.
But Chief Justice John Roberts in writing the prevailing opinion in the case, rejected arguments the subsidies were illegal on the state insurance exchanges saying that while the actual language in the Obamacare legislation was perhaps not “artfully” written: “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them.”
Reaction to the decision broke, as expected, along party lines. Nashville Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper praised the ruling and immediately called for action to approve Governor Bill Haslam’s INSURE TENNESSEE program to further broaden health care coverage in Tennessee with federal funding under the Affordable Care Act. “Tennessee legislators said they were waiting for the ruling,” says Cooper. “We have it now. They should finish the job and provide protection for all Tennesseans by passing INSURE TENNESSEE.”
But despite Cooper’s comments and appeals by Democratic leaders in the General Assembly and at least one Nashville mayoral candidate (Bill Freeman, Governor Bill Haslam in his reaction to the media about the Court decision (TENNESSEAN, June 25) it didn’t appear ready to renew his call for a special session to approve INSURE TENNESSEE. “I’m surprised,” said Mr. Haslam. “I actually thought they’d rule the other way. Number two, I’m disappointed in the sense that I really thought this was an opportunity to fix some things in the law that were broken and I thought this was a chance to address those things. Third, I am pleased for those folks who have insurance subsidies now and the insurance companies that have a more predictable environment to work in.”
What may be troubling the Governor in part about Obamacare could be reflected by comments made by his Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie McPeak. According to a TENNESSEAN article (June 24),
she told members of a House Ways & Means sub-committee in Washington that health insurance rate hike requests in Tennessee of up 30% from companies such as Blue Cross Blue Shield may still not be high enough to cover the soaring costs of medical claims.
The Governor has long maintained that the health care populations impacted by the federal subsidies are quite different from those who will be impacted through INSURE TENNESSEE. He adds he “honestly” doesn’t know if the Court decision will change GOP lawmakers about trusting the federal government about Obamacare and INSURE TENNESSEE. Based on comments I’ve seen (and a few I’m quoting later in the column), probably not.
For now it seems the Governor is quietly talking with lawmakers about their remaining questions and reaching to look into other states’ experiences (such as Indiana) in implementing a similar statewide healthcare program. I wouldn’t look for him to make another special session call or even go out of the stump statewide seeking public understanding and support on the INSURE TENNESSEE program, at least not in the way he is about to do spotlighting the state’s transportation challenges and the need to raise or change the gas tax.
The Governor did not mention it, but the Supreme Court decision likely brings additional certainty for many of the major health care companies headquartered in Nashville. Some (such as Hospital Corporation of America) had supported upholding the subsidies and the Court decision boosted their stocks in the hours just after the ruling was announced.
From what I can tell, the Governor also shows no interest in Tennessee now setting up its own state on-line insurance exchange. The Governor had said earlier he was holding off on a decision until the Court’s ruling. But he also said creating such an exchange would be a complicated, time consuming and expensive undertaking, Plus, I’ll note, Tennessee state government does not have a good track in dealing with new computer programs and systems in recent years.
On the national level, some Republican Tennessee lawmakers joined the Governor in expressing disappointment in the ruling. 6th District Congresswoman Diane Black called the decision “irresponsible” adding the Court “shirked its duties as a co-equal branch of government by not acting to hold this President accountable for following his own laws.” But Black says her resolve “remains stronger than ever to erase Obamacare” which she claims is a “fundamentally broken law.”
Tennessee’s junior Senator Bob Corker struck a different note in his reaction. He sees the decision as affirming “that it is up to Congress to come together around a responsible solution that provides relief from the damaging effects of the president’s health care law.” Corker’s statements add he voted against the original Obamacare law and in favor of legislation to repeal it.
It’s been quite a week for the Supreme Court issuing several significant and historic decisions with the end of its term. In that regard, I was struck by part of the statement issued by Tennessee State Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris of Memphis in the wake of the gay marriage decision. Harris says: “ The larger context of the Court’s recent opinions are even more astonishing….the Court has given states the authority to banish divisive symbols, preserve the Affordable Care Act and now support marriage equality “(he didn’t mention the ruling by the Court to uphold key provisions of the Fair Housing Act). Harris continued” “It’s enough to make progressives like me, dizzy with glee. It’s a new era for civil rights.” Indeed.
MAYORAL CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENTS
It has been another busy week on the mayoral campaign trail.
These are kind of the dog days of the race. Early voting is still over three weeks away and the August election about six weeks out. Another financial disclosure deadline looms ahead next week (July 1) with reports due to be filed by July 10.
The campaign activities becoming increasingly important are the canvassing and the getting out the vote efforts (GOTV). Whether it’s been knocking on doors or calling potential supporters, several of the campaigns have been crowing about their outreach efforts.
David Fox says his campaign has touched more than 40,000 folks. The Freeman team claims over 100,000 reached. Now the quality of those touches may vary. If door to doors are done in the daytime when many are at work, just leaving a flyer on the front porch may not create much of a relationship but it’s better than no outreach at all. The same is true about leaving a voice message on the phone. I am beginning to see direct mail pieces hit my snail mail box. I got one several weeks ago from Jeremy Kane. Now I’ve gotten a piece from Bill Freeman. I am sure others will follow soon before Early Voting.
Being able to convert touches into supporters, and then into voters that actually go to the polls, will be critical especially in a race where the undecided numbers remain high and therefore support for each candidate is likely soft.
One candidate trying to break out of the pack is Jeremy Kane. He was the first candidate to air a TV spot back in March. But that effort was not sustained and it was just this past week that he went back on the air with a new ad literally trying to show how he is different from his opponents.
You can watch the new Jeremy Kane ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Du5eZ2x0q1k
The use of the six candidate silhouettes is an eye-catching way for Kane to make his point that he is a different kind of candidate while all the others seem the same. It also gives him a chance to pivot off that visual and use it to re-force his campaign’s strong suit: the 100% graduation rate and success of the LEAD Academy Charter High School he founded. Kane says he’s “a preacher’s kid” who can bring a fresh approach to the city’s problems, providing Nashville with “new leadership for a new day.”
The spot is reportedly (TENNESSEAN, June 22) being supported with a $30,000 buy the first week. If that can be sustained, the message should be seen and heard by voters. That will begin to make up for Kane’s absence on the airwaves for several months.
Howard Gentry now is the only mayoral candidate not airing any TV ads. He told me last week his spots would be there soon. Another source told me, Gentry was shooting the ads this past week and may therefore begin around the July 4th holiday and surely before Early Voting begins on July 17.
As we’ve speculated might happen soon, the Linda Eskind Rebrovick campaign has put up new TV ad. They’ve needed since one of their previous spots showing TV sets going into the garbage got some
negative pushback from environmental groups and from others about how it portrayed a minority woman seen in a bathrobe and curlers.
The new Rebrovick ad goes back to her consistent campaign theme about “Building a Smarter Nashville.” It’s entitled “Where It All Starts” and focuses on fiscal responsibility. The candidate says as Mayor she will conduct a “top to bottom audit of city expenditures to identify duplication and waste.” She also says she will make Nashville fiscally smarter by making city buildings more energy efficient and by offering cash prizes for citizens who submit the best ideas on how to save money, all with the purpose of ‘holding down property taxes” and to make “a Smarter Nashville…better for your money.”
You can view the ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCRmQyNiMCM&feature=player_embedded
I think Rebrovick has probably had the best overall TV ads in the mayor’s race, except for the “throw the TV set in the garbage” spot. Her production qualities have been good, although the quick background changes in one of her spots recently put back in the rotation, might give you a bit of vertigo. This latest ad is very clean and simple in its production and Rebrovick is probably the most natural on camera of all the candidates in delivering her lines on camera.
All the mayoral hopefuls this week were due to file with the state their required statements of interest (where they get their incomes). So far from the news stories I’ve read nothing has been reported that wasn’t previously known or strongly suspected. If you would like to see the reports yourself, you can access the state’s data base at this link: https://apps.tn.gov/conflict-app/search.htm
Meanwhile, the Bill Freeman campaign is continuing to play one of his strong suits in the minority community (his support and fundraising help for President Barack Obama). A flyer being circulated in African American community shows a photo of Freeman with Mr. Obama. Interestingly, the flyer’s copy emphasizes the candidate’s support of Tennessee State University and the Nashville State Community Foundation, nothing directly about the President.
According to a TENNESSEAN article (June 22) the White House is making it clear Mr. Obama is not endorsing or supporting any candidate in the Nashville mayor’s contest. But the mere presence of the photo itself likely helps Freeman in building support in the minority community regardless of there being no endorsement.
By the way, another mayoral candidate who likely has a picture like Freeman’s with the President, is Charles Robert Bone. He’s also been a major fund raiser for Mr. Obama. Will we see such a photograph in any Bone campaign materials? I ask him that this week on INSIDE POLITICS where Bone is the latest mayoral candidate to sit down with me for an in depth one-on-one interview.
Outreach to Nashville’s immigrant community is becoming more of an important element in the mayor’s contest. WPLN, Nashville Public Radio has a story about it (June 25) including one of the candidates (Bill Freeman) speaking in Spanish in one of his radio spots. You can read and listen to the story here… http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/candidates-be-nashville-mayor-love-citys-latin-americans
As with all the other candidates, Megan Barry is focusing on fund raising but with a bit of a different outreach in terms of immigrant support. I got a blast e-mail from her campaign about a “Latinos for Megan Barry” event being held Sunday afternoon, June 28 at Salsa, a Puerto Rican and Latin Cuisine restaurant located at 818 Palmer Place. Obviously the size of the Latino population has skyrocketed here in recent years, but so far their political power in terms of both fundraising and votes has been limited. Let’s see how the Barry event goes.
This fund raiser also comes as all the mayoral candidates attended a forum at Glencliff High School last Monday (June 22) focusing on immigrant and refugees issues. A large crowd of almost 700 people attended. They heard all the mayoral hopefuls again endorse a concept becoming quite popular in a number of cities (such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, New Haven and others). It’s a municipal ID card that according to a TENNESSEAN story (June 23) would “connect all residents, regardless of immigration, home or gender to city programs, services and benefits.”
Jeremy Kane says he was the first candidate to propose the idea for Nashville. Now all the others support it too, with Howard Gentry saying it should also be available to the homeless and those just coming out of prison.
Anytime an ID program is suggested it is likely to raise “Big Brother” or big government type issues and Megan Barry has also cautioned for the need to work with the state in this endeavor so that lawmakers don’t over-react and repeal the effort as they’ve done with other Metro progressive laws in recent years (including ones on discrimination, for example).
This week also saw more noteworthy endorsements. OUT AND ABOUT, a local publication tailored to Nashville’s increasingly politically active gay community has endorsed Megan Barry. The endorsement came after Barry won a straw poll (garnering 65% of the vote) among attendees following a LGBT and Ally Community Forum involving all the mayoral candidates held at the Blair School of Music on Tuesday night (June 23). Barry also won a straw poll after the Immigrant and Refugee Forum with 113 votes to 60 votes each for Jeremy Kane and David Fox who tied for second. Speaking of straw polls, Charles Robert Bone won one Thursday night at the Bellevue Chamber Commerce.
Moving back to the David Fox campaign, it has sent out an e-mail to potential supporters picking up on the issue he sees concerning the city’s rising debt. Fox claims all the projects downtown over the past decade have added $1 billion in debt to Metro’s books. Add that in to the $3 billion in costs outstanding to cover the health care and retirement costs for Metro employees, and Fox maintains this is “officially” a problem that leaves the city “worse off” than other municipalities.
In fact, he charges it has already caused Nashville’s bond rating to be lowered which he says is the “equivalent of your credit card company calling to tell you they are raising your monthly interest rate because they’re worried you’re spending more than you can afford.
To me this type of language has all the earmarks of an upcoming TV ad for the Fox campaign. If this issue is going to have any impact with voters, he’ll need to do that and more. Blast e-mails won’t do it. But there could be some major blowback from the Dean administration which will strongly defend its fiscal responsibility as well as what it maintains is a strong credit rating for the city.
Despite reporting well over a million dollars in the bank a few months ago, Fox has run just one TV ad so far, and at a fairly low reach and frequency compared to his competition. Is that going to start to change with some new TV spots, including one on this debt topic?
CHARLES ROBERT BONE ON INSIDE POLITICS
As I mentioned earlier in the column, Charles Robert Bone is the latest mayoral candidate to be our guest on INSIDE POLITICS this weekend. His appearance will mark the fourth of Nashville’s seven mayoral hopefuls to join us to discuss why they are seeking the office and their thoughts and vision for the city.
It’s been quite interesting and actually fun to conduct these interviews and I hope our viewers are finding them helpful as they watch this race unfold.
INSIDE POLITICS can be seen several times each weekend on NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS. Those times include 7:00 p.m. Friday; 5:00 a.m. & 5:30 p.m., Saturday; and 5:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. THE PLUS is on Comcast Cable channel 250, Charter Cable channel 182 (note new channel) and on NEWSCHANNEL5’s over-the-air digital channel 5.2.
For those who can’t see the show locally, you can watch it with live streaming video on NEWSCHANNEL5.com. All the mayoral candidate interviews will also be posted in full on line the following week after they air (under the INSIDE POLITICS tab of the NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS section of NEWSCHANNEL5.com).
Next week our mayoral candidate guest is scheduled to be Jeremy Kane.
REFIGHTING THE CIVIL WAR
Even though it’s been over now for more than 150 years, the nation, the South, the State of Tennessee and even Nashville and its surrounding communities are re-fighting the Civil War in several ways, following in the aftermath of the racist, terrorist attack that killed nine members of an historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Much of the controversy has revolved around the enduring symbols of the South from that War, some of which also were used to oppose the more recent Civil Rights movement. Those symbols includes the Confederate Battle Flag, and in Tennessee and Nashville, the honoring of controversial Southern general Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Several southern states are considering removing the use of the Confederate Battle Flag from their Capitol grounds (South Carolina) or in their state flags or on car license plates. Tennessee has the Battle Flag issue regarding some of the specialty license plates it offers for sale (they cost more with portions of the proceeds going to a sponsoring agency, in this case, the Sons of Confederate Veterans).
Even though he signed the legislation to allow the specialty tag with the Confederate Flag to be created, Governor Bill Haslam says he would now support the state dropping that particular license plate. He’s been joined on that by Senator Bob Corker, Congressman Jim Cooper and Democratic state legislative
leaders. Even the two state party chairs (Republican and Democratic) have been found in rare public agreement on this matter (although they then quarreled over the e-mail sent out by the State Democratic Party having a fund raising link in it).
As mentioned earlier in this column, a move to repeal the Confederate license plate got legal protection earlier this year when the U.S. Supreme Court in a related case held that state governments have the right to refuse to issue plates with messages or symbols it doesn’t approve. Indeed a bill to repeal the Confederate flag car tag has now been introduced by Nashville Democratic Representative Jason Powell.
But passing the measure will take approval of the full General Assembly. So that’s 50 votes in the House and 17 in the Senate. Therefore support must also include many Republicans when and if the matter is taken up next year when lawmakers return to Nashville.
Legislators may also be asked to remove from the Capitol the bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the controversial Southern general who was also the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. The Governor, and the others Tennessee political leaders I mentioned before, say they support removing the Forrest bust as well. That could also be accomplished through a waiver being requested by the State Capitol Commission and then granted by the Tennessee Historical Commission. The Governor reportedly serves on both commissions but he apparently did not tell reporters whether he would seek to follow that process or wait for the General Assembly to take action.
The state’s longtime relationship with General Forrest goes even deeper. There is a Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park located in West Tennessee on the west bank of the Tennessee River, east of Camden in Bedford County. Built originally as a local park by the WPA during the New Deal it reportedly has been a state park since 1963.
I have not seen any news reports yet about how and/or who can change the name of a state park. Not surprisingly, Democratic lawmakers are speaking out that the change should happen now. State Representative Johnny Shaw of Bolivar told THE TENNESSEAN (June 24): “It is a celebration of evil. The name of the park, the statue and the whole nine yards.”
Meanwhile the state senator who has the Forrest state park in his district, John Stevens, says he’s not in favor or against a name change, adding this to the newspaper story: “I am certainly not going to defend General Forrest. I just think it’s a slippery slope when you start changing names and taking down statues….What separates us from ISIS? Because that’s what they do. They go around and tear down history in those nations that they’ve conquered. If that’s what America is about now, then it concerns me.”
OK, that ought to stir the pot.
The pot got stirred even more politically when Senate Democratic leaders issued a news release (Wednesday afternoon) calling on the two Speakers in the General Assembly (Lt. Governor Ron Ramsey and House Speaker Beth Harwell) to use their authority and petition the State Historical Commission now to move ahead on removal of the Forrest bust. Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris of Memphis praised Governor Haslam for “his strong leadership” on the issue, then, added: “We should seize this moment of national reflection and unity to remove divisive symbols from our state Capitol.”
Harris has been down this road before. As a Memphis city councilman back in 2013, he sponsored a resolution to rename the Nathan Bedford Forrest Park there. It was and is now called Health Sciences Park. In turn, the Legislature back in 2013 approved the Tennessee Heritage Protection Act which sets the current legal protections and requirements regarding moving such items as the Forrest bust from the Hill.
Adding his voice to Harris, Democratic Minority Caucus Chair and Nashville Senator Jeff Yarbro says: “We can’t and shouldn’t sanitize our history, but we do have a choice about which individuals we honor and elevate as models to school groups touring the Capitol.”
Media reports (THE TENNESSEAN, June 24) indicate Lt. Governor Ramsey and Speaker Harwell have signed a letter to the Historical Commission. But it apparently doesn’t specifically mention the Forrest bust only that the group ought to begin its work to review all the monuments and other historical items at the Capitol.
Meanwhile within a few short hours of the Democrats calling for action, Lt. Governor Ramsey also responded with his own media statement. It contains talking points remarkable similar to his Republican colleague, John Stevens (who I quoted above concerning the Forrest State Park): Said Ramsey: “ ….the effort to remove the Nathan Bedford Forrest bust in our State Capitol strikes me as a knee jerk reaction.” Ramsey’s statement, like the one from Senator Stevens, does not specifically give his position about whether he supports or opposes removing the bust, but Ramsey continues: “The Tennessee Capitol Commission (on which the Lt. Governor serves) will meet soon to take up the issue. Whether the bust stays or goes, I am concerned that we are rapidly descending down the slippery slope of political correctness. Now more than ever it is important to keep in mind that those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat.”
For people in the Nashville, when they think of General Forrest, it’s not his bust at the Capitol that comes to mind. It’s the large equestrian statue of him right next to I-65 North in bound from Brentwood. It is surrounded by several large Confederate flags. The statue is on private property so any removal of it (and the flags) would have to be done (approved) by the owner.
Blocking the ability for folks to see the statue and the flags from the roadway does seems possible, especially since the state owns the right of way between the statue and the flags and the interstate.
That’s where this matter got involved in Nashville mayor’s race. Two Metro Council members at Large, mayoral candidate Megan Barry and Jerry Maynard, a supporter and paid campaign staffer for candidate Bill Freeman, both say they want the state to put up enough trees and other foliage on their right of way to block the Forrest statue.
Maynard says he is supporting a resolution in the Council urging state action. Barry says she has already spoken to Governor Haslam and gotten a positive response. She says she is also ready to raise private funds to cover the cost of the effort.
I might add that whatever is placed on the site to block the view is going to have to be already grown and/or quite tall and full because the statue and the flags loom pretty large being so close to the interstate. By the way, news report from THE TENNESSEAN say that when the Forrest structure was erected along with the flags, it was now retired Nashville State Senator Doug Henry who urged the state
to decrease the trees and other foliage on its right of way at the time. THE TENNESSEAN also reports Henry played a role some years back in getting the Forrest bust placed in the State Capitol.
Meantime the property owner where the Forrest equestrian statue and flags are located has reacted quite negatively to the effort to screen the site from easy public view. Bill Dorris claims it will hurt Nashville’s tourism business and is just a “knee-jerk reaction.” He says the statue and flags have nothing to do with the South Carolina shootings.”
Dorris adds to THE TENNESSEAN (June 23), that despite his objections concerning blocking the statue and flags, the area could use a “noise calming” wall that would also hold down storm water runoff from the interstate. That’s curious since such a noise wall might also be tall enough to block seeing the property and the Forrest stature and flags, all by itself. Just saying.
The Confederate symbols issue continues to grow in the counties surrounding Nashville as well. Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson tells THE TENNESSEAN (June 24) he and the County Commission need to review the county’s official seal (adopted in July, 1968). It portrays in part a folded Confederate flag. Over in Rutherford County, Middle Tennessee University President Dr. Sidney McPhee has announced the school will once again reconsider the name of Forrest Hall which houses its Military Sciences Department. There was a previous review of the name after student protests in 2006 but the decision was made then to retain the Forrest name which has been attached to the campus building since 1958.
AN UNEXPECTED AND INTERESTING TWIST
The Metro School Board’s search for a new Schools Director took an unexpected and interesting twist this week. With current Director Dr. Jessie Register leaving on Tuesday (June 30), the Board was set to hire an interim director.
That was expected to be Chris Henson, the system’s financial chief who has served in the role before. But without discussion (says POST POLITICS June 24), the Board rejected Henson. Then by a similar 5-4 vote margin, and again with no discussion, it named Chief Academic Officer Jay Steele to the interim director’s post for an unspecific term.
The choice of Steele was curious since he had been informed by the Board’s outside consultants that he did not have enough experience to be on the short list of candidates to become the new permanent Schools Director. That short list is due to be presented to the Board July 6 with the selection process to be completed by the end of that month.
It has been reported (THE TENNESSEAN) that some of Steele’s supporters including representatives of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce were unhappy Steele was not to be on the short list. Acting as interim director will not preclude Steele from being the new director if the School Board wants to add him to the short list on its own. That’s a possibility was reportedly mentioned by School Board members who voted to make Steele the interim director.
Has a morning line favorite to be the next Metro Schools Director emerged even before anyone knows the finalists? An unexpected and curious development indeed.
The Metro School Board also seems to be moving towards another confrontation with the state about the creation of new charter schools in Nashville. The Board this week rejected all but two new Charter applications (out of 14). That includes two new charters that had been recommended by the Board’s staff.
An appeal to the State Board of Education is a possibility by some of those rejected applicants. You might remember three years ago Metro and the State Board got in a protracted battle over the city’s rejection of the Great Harvest group’s charter school proposals. The end result was Metro Schools being fined several million dollars for its action by the state officials, while Great Harvest declined to move ahead with its proposed schools in Nashville. A state law to make it clear that the State Board of Education can override local school officials in approving charter schools was passed by the Legislature. And so the groundwork seems set for another potential confrontation.
Here we go again?
TURNING 3
I turn 3 on Sunday.
No, it’s not my birthday. That’s in December.
I turn 3 years old in terms of the lifestyles changes I began to make three years ago after I almost died from a stroke on June 28, 2012.
I am much better than I was back then in terms of blood pressure, watching my sodium intake, exercising twice a week at the Y, using my sleep apnea machine every night, and keeping my weight down. These are things I never paid much attention to back in the bad old days.
In fact if it wasn’t for some dear friends in the Mayor’s Office that day three years ago (Tam Gordon and Janie Conyers) I would have left this world. Heck, I was so clueless I didn’t even realize I was having a stroke.
Then it was the doctors, nurses and the rehab experts at St. Thomas and Vanderbilt Stallworth Hospitals who pulled me through and got me on the path towards recovery. The outpatient folks at the Bill Wilkerson Center made a big difference too as I prepared to slowly get back to work which I did by mid-September that year (after they helped me get my driving privileges back).
Of course, my wonderful family and friends helped bring me through as well. That includes my sainted wife, my two daughters, my grandkids (of course), and so many others, all of whom did so much (even in little things) to encourage me to get my life back together in a way I’d never done before.
Exercise was not a part of my life. Now it is, and it has also given me more determination and resolve to work harder and have some will power, something which was often lacking in my pre-stroke period. I want to thank my bosses and co-workers at DVL Seigenthaler and NEWSCHANNEL5 for being patient with me and to allow me to continue to pursue the jobs I love.
There were times during my recovery period, I wasn’t sure I’d make it back. But I’ve come further than I thought possible and I plan to keep on progressing, especially with the help of my YMCA trainer,
Matthew Sias. He works me out and challenges me every Wednesday and gives me a second workout routine to do on my own each weekend.
Sure, lot of mornings I don’t want to get out of bed. But I’ve learned I have a little more willpower than I once had, so I do go and it has made me stronger both physically and mentally. Maybe more so than I likely thought possible before I was ill.
But most of all, I am blessed by God to have this second chance at life. Now I hope I don’t blow it for whatever time the Good Lord has left to spare me. I urge all of you to pay attention to your lifestyle and watch for the signs you having a stroke (slurred speech, headache, a crooked smile, parts of your face drooping). If you experience any of that, or others think you are having an issue, take action. Call 9-1-1 right away.
It could mean a second chance at life for you too.
By the way, there is one little fib I’ve told. I take my blood pressure twice a day, in the morning when I get up and again before I retire each night. Usually the numbers are very good. But Vanderbilt being the NCAA baseball championship games for the second year in a row did find them elevated a good bit this week (especially the nights they lost).
However a good night rest and using my sleep apnea machine had the numbers well down again by morning. So I also suggest if you have any indication you have a sleep problem (especially snoring) get it checked out, and if it is suggested you use a C-Pap machine, do it. I didn’t for several years and it probably hastened the onset of my stroke.
End of sermon.
