Capitol View
By Pat Nolan, NEWSCHANNEL5 Political Analyst
April 28, 2023
TITANS $2.1 BILLION ENCLOSED STADIUM IS A DONE DEAL; FINAL VOTE TAKES OVER 6 HOURS COMPLICATED BY PARLIAMENTARY TANGLES; STADIUM ISSUE GROWS IN MAYOR’S RACE; WHAT’S NEXT? NASHVILLE APPEARS TO BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST TO RECEIVE A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL EXPANSION FRANCHISE; GOVERNOR BILL LEE TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO CONTINUE GUN REFORM PUSH AS GOP LAWMAKERS CONTINUE TO FIND MORE EXCUSES WHY NOT TO VOTE ON THE ISSUE; THE TENNESSEE THREE GOES TO THE WHITE HOUSE; NASHVILLE TAKES IT ON THE CHIN AGAIN AS GOP LEGISLATURE DEPARTS; INSIDE POLITICS LOOKS BACK ON THE FIRST SESSION OF 113th TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; TENNSSEE U.S. SENATOR MARSHA BACKBURN’S FUNDRAISING EFFORT IS PANNED ON SOCIAL MEDIA; THE REMATCH OF BIDEN VS. TRUMP LOOKS LIKELY AS PRESIDENT FINALLY ANNOUNCES HE IS RUNNING WHILE TUCKER CARLSON IS OUT AT FOX; THE GOP HOUSE PASSES ITS OWN DEBT LIMIT EXTENSION BILL WITH SPENDING CUTS: WHAT’S NEXT?
TITANS $2.1 BILLION ENCLOSED STADIUM IS A DONE DEAL; FINAL VOTE TAKES OVER 6 HOURS COMPLICATED BY PARLIAMENTARY TANGLES; STADIUM ISSUE GROWS IN MAYOR’S RACE
Once again burning the midnight oil, (as it has done so many times this term), the Metro Council voted 26-12 around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday morning to give the final OK to the new $2.1 billion enclosed Titans stadium . The facility is expected to be the catalyst for a revived East Bank of the Cumberland River. Groundbreaking is set to occur in 2024 with the new facility ready for the NFL season in the fall of 2027.
The project is the largest in the history of Nashville and the state of Tennessee. The $1.2 billion in local and state funds are the most ever for building an NFL facility.
Naturally the Titans stadium has been controversial since the idea first surfaced early last year. The opposition became seemingly relentless in the final hours leading up to approval. First, opponents convinced the Council to hold one more public hearing before taking the final vote. Four hours were allotted, and a total of 127 people spoke with 87 against the plan. In fact, with opponents still waiting their time to speak when their allotted two hours were up, the Council extended the input session until everyone who wanted to talk, got to do so. That added about another hour to the evening, including the debate over several different, conflicting motions about how much more time was needed to hear from the public.
The supporters of the plan only used a little over half of their two hours of time. They said they did that out of respect for the Council’s time, even though that made the volume of opposition look even stronger, while echoing a recent Vanderbilt poll that 52% of local citizens oppose the plan.
Supporters said the Titans plan was a good deal for Nashville especially since it would free local taxpayers from paying for the continued maintenance and remaining debt on the now nearly 24-year-old existing Nissan Stadium. Those supporting the plan also touted how the new facility would allow Nashville to host events (Super Bowl, NCAA Final 4, College Football Championships, etc.) that it presently can’t compete to get.
Opponents repeatedly quoted studies that say sports projects like these don’t really help cities. It should be noted, that is what was also said a few years back by those opposing building the Music City Center Convention Center, claims which has so far, not proven true.
Both sides brought competing cheering sections and repeatedly applauded and hooted for, and sometimes against, those who spoke. The crowd was so large, it went beyond the Council chamber gallery and filled the mezzanine of the Courthouse on the second floor where the Council meeting was shown on a TV monitor.
As it’s been since late last year when the Council approved (with a two-thirds vote), a non-binding term sheet for the project, support for the stadium plan in the 39-member body continued to hold even as the hour drew late Tuesday night, and when there was even more last second drama, with a parliamentary attempt to reconsider the final vote and seek to force yet another Council roll call tally on the matter at its next meeting May 2.
At first, Vice Mayor Jim Schulman ruled the move to reconsider was in order. But his decision was overruled by the full Council 14-24 and the stadium plan is now final.
But there appears to be a growing likelihood that the stadium proposal will be a major issue in the upcoming August city elections, especially in the mayor’s race to succeed current Mayor John Cooper.
Among those speaking in opposition to the stadium during the public hearing was mayoral candidate and retired businessman, Jim Gingrich. He is running TV ads opposing the stadium and now wants the issue placed on the August ballot although he gave no process for how that can legally occur.
Another mayoral candidate, Freddie O’Connell, said during the Council’s final debate on the stadium that approval of the stadium would be “a generational mistake” for Nashville.
Mayor John Cooper issued a congratulatory statement on the stadium after the Council vote. That congratulatory tone continued Thursday morning in the mayor’s 4th and final State of Metro address. But this victory lap was more over his overall accomplishments as the city’s chief executive.
The new stadium garnered just a brief comment near the end. He celebrated the city being out of the current Titans lease, opening an opportunity to also redevelop the East Bank. I have never known an elected public official who wouldn’t have taken a more elongated victory turn. But John Cooper does say he likes governing and public more than campaigning and elections.
What will he say going forward when the stadium is perhaps the top issue in the August election to replace him as Mayor?
It seems while the Titans stadium is a done deal, its continued political after-life will remain quite present in our city political conversations, at least in the months to come.
WHAT’S NEXT? NASHVILLE APPEARS TO BE AT THE TOP OF THE LIST TO RECEIVE A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL EXPANSION FRANCHISE
With Major League Baseball (MLB) now moving quickly to resolve stadium and relocation issues concerning its current teams in Tampa and Oakland, Nashville now appears to be at the top of a list of cities MLB will look to add two expansion teams.
The local Nashville Stars group has compiled an impressive array of supporters and advisors to help land a team, except for one key component, that is now critical. The group has yet to identify a multi-millionaire or billionaire owner, or an ownership group, that can pay the huge fees needed to join MLB, and in Nashville’s case, build the new stadium needed to host the team. There are also the costs to relocate Nashville’s very successful Triple AAA franchise, the Nashville Sounds.
Public dollars for a stadium seem out of the question in the wake of the new Titans stadium. There is also the relatively new MLS stadium, as well as Mayor Cooper’s plan to revitalize the Fairgrounds Raceway next door to the MLS facility and bring NASCAR back to town.
As for where an MLB stadium might be located in Nashville? Land around Tennessee State University seems the current potential target. TSU officials seem open to the idea. With the state legislature seemingly trying to take over the powers and responsibilities of Metro government, will they seek to use their new appointment powers on the city’s Sports Authority to help with the MLB stadium being at TSU? Remember MLB just added a lobbyist team in Nashville. Yes, their duties may be more about the growing on-line sports gambling business that is thriving in this state. But with a MLB franchise on the horizon for Nashville, might these lobbyists seek to get the state and even Metro to help with road and other infrastructure improvements needed for a stadium? Stay tuned.
GOVERNOR BILL LEE TO CALL SPECIAL SESSION TO CONTINUE GUN REFORM PUSH AS GOP LAWMAKERS CONTINUE TO FIND MORE EXCUSES WHY NOT TO VOTE ON THE ISSUE
Having been left in the lurch on gun reform as the Republican Super Majority last week quickly adjourned their legislative session for the year, Governor Bill Lee says he will call them back to Nashville in the coming weeks to deal exclusively with the issue.
GOP leaders had said they preferred a special session but now they are coming up with even more excuses not to act on gun reform, including, believe or not, the ongoing investigation into the March mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville that left 6 people dead, including three 9-year -olds.
The continued secrecy surrounding the Covenant investigation is puzzling and a growing number of officials want more information released in a case where the shooter is dead and there are no public signs of an ongoing active criminal investigation.
One important reason to release more details is that information might debunk the ongoing baseless conspiracy theories that always seem to emerge about major stories in the news.
Some of this wild speculation is even going national.
Meanwhile, the first priority of this Republican-dominated Legislature, to pass a law banning gender-affirming care for teens, has now had a second lawsuit filed to stop it from taking effect July 1. This time it is the U.S, Department of Justice which says the new law is unconstitutional joining, the ACLU and LGBTQ groups in taking legal action.
THE TENNESSEE THREE GOES TO THE WHITE HOUSE
The Tennessee Three continued to build their national political profile this week after two of them were expelled by the GOP Legislature and another survived by just one vote. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris greeted them warmly at the White House as they told the President “you can’t expel a movement” and that they hope to make conservative Tennessee “a model for the nation” on gun reform.
Those are quite lofty goals. But first, both Representative Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis must be re-elected to their seats after being quickly and unanimously reinstated to their posts on a temporary basis by local officials in their districts.
Election dates for the two have been set. The primaries will be June 15 with the general election on August 3, which in Nashville coincides with Metro’s city election. That will hold down the cost for taxpayers for these special elections.
Meanwhile, across the country, Republican legislatures are again seeking to muffle free speech rights because of comments they don’t like from Democratic lawmakers. In Montana, they did not expel a member, but they did censure her. She can no longer speak on the floor and can only cast votes.
NASHVILLE TAKES IT ON THE CHIN AGAIN AS GOP LEGISLATURE DEPARTS
As lawmakers hurried to get out of town last week, they still took time to again pass bills to limit the powers and duties of Nashville’s Metro government.
Again, they say it’s all for good government, but that’s not true.
It is for still more vengeance because the city is not hosting the 2024 Republican National Convention, and just for being a blue city in a deep red state.
The law to cut the size of the Metro Council from 40 to 20 members has been stayed in the courts until Metro’s next election in 2027, at the earliest. So more legal action by Metro seems possible if potentially uncertain of success.
It was not a legislative issue this year, but the controversial Hillsdale College continues to try and bring the schools’ controversial charter schools and curriculum to Middle Tennessee. Several votes were held this week by local school boards with only one gaining approval and the other efforts failing, with one district still to decide.
INSIDE POLITICS LOOKS BACK ON THE FIRST SESSION OF 113th TENNESSEE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Things have been so chaotic on the Hill in Nashville the last few weeks, and the Legislature left town so quickly, even abruptly, it may be hard to reflect on what lawmakers did and didn’t do in this first session of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly, which began back in January.
To bring that perspective, this week on INSIDE POLITICS we welcome Holly McCall, editor of THE TENNESSEE LOOKOUT as our guest.
We will also look ahead to the biggest piece of unfinished business, Governor Bill Lee’s gun reform legislation which will be the focus of a special session he calling in the few weeks to make lawmakers deal with an issue they seemed to flee from Nashville to avoid.
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Meanwhile, even with lawmakers at home this week, House Speaker Cameron Sexton is dealing with two controversies. One concerns where he lives along with the state funds he receives for housing and living expenses.
The other controversy is over what he knew when he knew it, and he could or couldn’t do about the sexual harassment scandal that led a top House Republican resigning his seat late in the session.
TENNESSEE U.S. SENATOR MARSHA BACKBURN’S FUNDRAISING EFFORT IS PANNED ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn is up for re-election next year.
Like any candidate, raising campaign funds is a priority.
But her efforts to offer free pizza cutters to anymore who contributes over $20 is creating pushback and ridicule in social media land.
THE REMATCH OF BIDEN VS. TRUMP LOOKS LIKELY AS PRESIDENT FINALLY ANNOUNCES HE IS RUNNING WHILE TUCKER CARLSON IS OUT AT FOX
President Biden finally made it official this week releasing a three-minute video- announcing he is seeking another four years in the Oval Office. But at age 80, making him the oldest president ever, polling continues to show voters don’t want him to run. And they don’t want former President Donald Trump, to run either even though he is already leading the field of Republican 2024 presidential candidates to run either.
Another political bombshell to throw into the mix this week is FOX NEWS’ ousting of Tucker Carlson, the leading conservative talk show host in the nation.
While speculation has been all over the lot as to why this has occurred, the latest from THE NEW YORK TIMES indicates the parting is about still more text messages by Carlson, not earlier made known as a part of the now settled (for $787.5 million) defamation lawsuit against FOX by Dominion Voting Systems over its reporting on the 2020 presidential campaign.
But who replaces Tucker Carlson as the premier rightwing spokesperson?
And what will Tucker Carlson do now in his media career?
THE GOP HOUSE PASSES ITS OWN DEBT LIMIT EXTENSION BILL WITH SPENDING CUTS: WHAT’S NEXT?
For most of the week, many in Washington, especially Democrats, waited to see if Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy could hold his narrow GOP majority together to pass his debt limit extension bill that also cuts many Democrats spending priorities.
Many thought he would fail. But, by two votes the bill passed, after some intense negotiating with his caucus members.
Now the bill is already “dead on arrival” in the Senate where Democrats are in control. But might the Speaker’s success make Democrats, including President Biden, begin to rethink their strategy that a divided House GOP will ultimately pass a debt limit bill without spending cuts?
Nobody has much time left. The nation is another week closer to hitting the current debt ceiling, creating a first-of-its-kind default on the nation’s debt, likely downgrading the country’s credit rating and damaging the economy.
Even as this debacle looms, the latest government report on the American economy shows our economic growth (gross domestic product) declined significantly in the first quarter of 2023, again raising still more fears of a recession.
