CAPITOL VIEW
By Pat Nolan, Senior Vice President DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn Partners Company
March 16, 2018
MAYOR DAVID BRILEY ON INSIDE POLITICS; SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I TAKE TIME OFF; THE HISTORY; TIMING IS EVERYTHING; BREDESEN; TRANSIT; THE FUTURE ON GUNS; NOT MUCH SO FAR ON THE HILL;
MAYOR DAVID BRILEY ON INSIDE POLITICS
Nashville’s new mayor, David Briley is my guest on INSIDE POLITICS this week.
Given the unprecedented way that he took office in the wake of Mayor Megan Barry’s resignation, I have so much for us to discuss.
I can’t think of any mayor in my lifetime who comes into office with such a full plate of issues (and then some) to deal with and do so quickly.
That’s includes putting his own staff together, helping to pass the transit referendum, make a full operating budget recommendation to the Metro Council, and produce his first major policy speech, the annual State of Metro address………and do it all by the 1st of May.
Oh, and in addition to all the other issues and crisis that always find their way to the Mayor’s office (he first began dealing with the Greer Stadium/ Ft. Negley issue this week), Mr. Briley must mount an effort to win a public vote to stay in office until the scheduled end of Mayor Barry’s term which is September 2019.
That special election has been set for the first Thursday in August, although there were lawsuits filed claiming the vote should be sometime in May, maybe even the same day as the transit vote. The lawsuits failed in Chancery court. That ruling has now been appealed to the State Supreme Court for what will likely be the final decision.
It’s obviously never a dull moment at the Courthouse.
So, I am grateful Mayor Briley is willing to share some time with us.
I hope you will tune in for our conversation.
INSIDE POLITICS airs several times each weekend on NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS. Those times include:
7:00 p.m. Friday;
5:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Saturday;
1:30 a.m. & 5:00 a.m. on Sunday.
THE PLUS is on Comcast Cable channel 250, Charter Cable channel 182 and on NEWSCHANNEL5’s over-the-air digital channel 5.2.
One option for those who can’t see the show locally or who are out of town, you can watch it live with streaming video on NEWSCHANNEL5.com. Just use your TiVo or DVR, if those live times don't work for you.
This week’s show and previous INSIDE POLITICS interviews are also posted on the NEWSCHANNEL5 website for your viewing under the NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS section. A link to the show is posted as well on the Facebook page of NEWSCHANNEL5 PLUS. Each new show and link are posted the week after the program airs.
SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I TAKE TIME OFF
I have said before in this column that the most likely times a major story or a new development in an ongoing story are likely to occur are on Friday afternoons, in the hours immediately following the release of my latest Capitol View column.
Regarding Nashville’s mayors, there’s another winkle to keep in mind. If I am on vacation, watch out, something big might happen.
Sure enough, that’s what happened last week with the resignation of Mayor Megan Barry after she pleaded guilty to felony theft charges in the wake of multiple investigations into the extra marital affair she had with her security chief.
While I just had a feeling that something was going to happen while I was out on vacation last week, my fears seemed allayed after I read in THE TENNESSEAN Tuesday morning that Mayor Barry was joining in the Nashville’s Chamber annual inner-city visit to Seattle. I thought that meant a quiet week ahead regarding this Courthouse scandal.
Wrong!
Within minutes, I was receiving text messages, phone calls and Facebook feeds that indicated the Mayor’s resignation was imminent. I had packed a coat and tie to be ready if called while I was out of town. But I didn’t count on things unfolding while I was about to get on a plane!
I still managed to do a phone interview with NewsChannel 5, before I left town. Then I followed what happened next on my phone, my computer and in every newspaper and news outlet I read or watched all over the country the next day or so. It was not the kind of publicity you want to see about your hometown.
When I got off the plane, I was contacted by CBS News and other national media outlets, all wanting interviews with me as a part of coming to Nashville to cover the story. Of course, I couldn’t help them there, although I did suggest some local council members and others they might want to contact for comment.
You might remember I mentioned bringing a coat and tie on my vacation. I did that for reasons involving what happened to me many years ago (almost 28 years to be exact). It occurred when an earlier Nashville mayor announced his future.
It was the summer of 1990. I was with my family on vacation in the Washington, D.C. area. After being at Mt. Vernon all day, we drove to the home of a friend in Burke, VA in anticipation of playing tourist on the National Mall the next day.
“Channel 5 has been calling looking for you all day,” said my friend when we arrived. “There is some big story breaking in Nashville they want to discuss with you.”
Now this long before the days of smart phones, e-mail, even faxes. I can’t remember how Channel 5 knew where to track me down. But, of course, I called the station.
The big breaking story was Mayor Bill Boner, who had had a first term filled with controversies. He announced he was not seeking a second term as mayor next year (the summer of 1991).
No Metro Mayor had ever announced such a thing. Channel 5 wanted to interview me live on the 6 pm News in front of the U.S. Capitol (the spot where all the reporters do their stand ups).
OK I said but I was on vacation. I had only summer vacation clothes with me: t-shirts, blue jeans…and certainly no dress shirt, tie or sport coat. Well, find some I was told, even if I had pay for it and charge it back to the station. They said do the same thing to pay for the cab to take me from Burke, VA into the District.
There wasn’t time to go shopping. I asked the husband of my friend what he had that I could use. A tie? No problem. A dress shirt? Well the neck size was OK. But the sleeve length was way too long as was his navy sport coat. I did find a way to make it work (and not look too weird). That was to keep my arms raised and bend my elbows. If I didn’t, the sleeves on the sport coat ballooned down and went well below my hands.
This is how I looked when I got into a taxi and went to the U.S. Capitol. Everything went well. But when I think back on it today, I am positive it couldn’t happen now. First taking a taxi to the Capitol and then have the driver to wait for me to take me back (which he did) would violate so many security protocols, we’d all be taken into custody and interrogated for being possible terrorists.
A different day and time for sure. But that’s why I took a coat, tie and dress shirt on vacation last week, and why I am always wondering what the mayor might do when I am out of town.
THE HISTORY
In that regard, if you are wondering if a mayor resigning or being ousted from office has happened before in Nashville history, it has. Local historian David Ewing has an excellent column about that. It is on THE TENNESSEAN’s website.
A couple of points to add:
The TENNESSEE ENCYLOPEDIA gives a little different background for why Hillary Howse left office. Read it for yourself here.
I would also mention that when he died in office in 1938, Mayor Howse was apparently so well thought of, he was the first person to lie in state at the then new Davidson County Courthouse. Only two others
have been so honored since: Mayor Beverly Briley (Mayor David Briley’s grandfather) and Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice A.A Birch.
I am also reminded that of some of the more recent mayors who left office still have family in the area and they still pay close attention to how their loved ones are mentioned. I know that was true for Mayor Howse’s family. One of them donated an oil painting of the Mayor and they insisted it be put on prominent display. At first that turned out to be in my office when I worked for Mayor Richard Fulton. Now I think it is with the Metro Archives.
One other thing to note about some of the more recent mayors removed from office in the 1920s right after Hillary Howes. They weren’t elected by the voters. At that time, the voters elected a board of councilmembers who in turn selected the mayor.
Given the amount of mayoral turnover in those years, the system did not seem to work well and was soon scrapped and Mayor Howse was returned to office by the voters.
The morning paper recently said one of those ousted during that difficult period in the 1920s, Felix Zollicoffer Wilson, was “kicked out of office.” That’s when I heard unhappiness about the use of the phrase “kicked out” from some of Mr. Wilson’s living relatives.
They sent me an apparent TENNESSEAN editorial from the time of Wilson’s removal in 1922 where the paper described what happened as a political “coup d’ etat” removing a “honorable man and able official’” at a hastily called meeting. The removal passed by just one vote. The paper called it “political chicanery,” seeking to remove a reform minded mayor.
Felix Z. Wilson went on to a long and distinguished elected career at the Davidson County Courthouse. He and his son, Felix Jr. after him, served for several decades as the Davidson County Register of Deeds.
The morale of the story? What we’ve lived through in Nashville the last month or so will reverberate for years to come and might even remain controversial in some respects. But the city has always rebounded from difficult times to move ahead to grow and prosper.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Congressman Diane Black’s latest gubernatorial TV spot focuses on an issue or growing importance, both here in Tennessee and across the nation and the world, human trafficking.
You can see the ad here.
But while Black says we ought to go after human traffickers “with every law on the books” and seek to add new tools as needed, she missed a recent vote in the U.S. House to help do that. It was one of several votes she’s missed this year (29 out of 101 votes so far in 2018) while back in Tennessee running for Governor. In fact, Black and Congressman Marsha Blackburn, who is running for the U.S. Senate lead the Tennessee delegation by a wide margin in missed votes.
All this is according to an article written by the USA TODAY NETWORK—TENNESSEE and published statewide this week. In fact, the article came out about the same time Black’s human trafficking spot
went up on the air. If timing in politics is everything, this timing for Black was probably not the best. You can read the full article here.
As the story points out, candidates running for office, but already holding an elected position have to balance their time between what they have been elected to do by voters (evaluate and vote on legislation) versus convincing voters to elect them to another post. Sometimes it can create awkward situations.
Black did get some better news this week. The State’s Registry of Campaign Finance dismissed some ethics complaints filed against her. The allegations involved contributions that reportedly exceeded state limits. Some of those seemed linked to Fitzgerald Peterbilt, a Byrdstown-based company that benefited from a loophole that exempts rebuilt diesel engines from modern emissions standards.
Black’s representatives said the charges were “baseless” and the Registry concurred. Other ethics charges involved State House Speaker and GOP gubernatorial candidate Beth Harwell were deferred by the State Board until next month. Those charges involve Harwell’s campaign’s relationship with her former PAC and about a campaign loan.
BREDESEN
Former Governor Phil Bredesen has begun his campaign for the U.S. Senate in earnest. The Democrat held a statewide meeting of hundreds of supporters to build a statewide grassroots network. He has also launched his first two TV ads. They pretty much outline how he is positioning himself to win a statewide race in a heavily Republican state where President Donald Trump remains popular. Click here or here to view the ads.
Bredesen is making sure his ads are seen widely, including on FOX News. That’s a clear effort to appeal to Republican voters who might be open to consider voting for a Democrat. Bredesen’s opponent this fall will be Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who has said she’s a “hardcore, card-carrying Tennessee conservative,” who is closely aligning with Trump in her Senate bid. She has announced she has reserved time for a major statewide TV broadcast and cable ad buy beginning in July.
In a somewhat related election matter, Tennessee Democrats did not get their wish for another close race to fill the State Senate term left by the resignation of Shelbyville’s Jim Tracy. Republican businessman Shane Reeves trounced his Democratic challenger Gayle Jordan by 43 points.
While they didn’t predict they’d take back the seat, Democrats were hoping they would make it close as they did earlier this year in another special Tennessee Senate election in a heavily Republican district. Nope, didn’t happen, and not even close. Tennessee is not Pennsylvania where the GOP this past week lost a U.S. House seat in a district that Donald Trump won by 20 points in 2016. So far if there is a blue wave coming in this fall’s election it is hard to discern in the Volunteer State.
TRANSIT
Since my last column, the Transit for Nashville group supporting the $5.4 billion plan on the ballot May 1st has begun its TV campaign.
Transit for Nashville officials have TV buys laid down through the first of April and will likely stay on the air through all of that month with early voting then on the horizon. Interestingly, the main opposition group to the transit plan, NoTax4Tracks brought just one week of TV ads back in late February but has been dark since at least on local network TV.
The group is still doing digital on-line ads as is Transit for Nashville. Can we assume the transit plan opposition will be back on the air soon or at least before early voting starts? Other than claiming they got on TV first, it is hard to understand what will be gained long term after being on for just a week. Issues take longer than that to register with voters, and to get, keep and build their attention and support.
The “man on the street” ad strategy being used by the pro-transit folks is interesting, particularly the endorsement of two local countywide elected officials. County Clerk Brenda Wynn and Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry are clearly two of the most popular office holders in Nashville.
How can you tell? Well, both are up for re-nomination on same May 1st ballot the transit issue. They face no opposition to re-election, so speaking out for transit is something they don’t have to do. But it is critical for transit proponents to have this kind of support especially in the African American community. These May elections for local constitutional offices and judicial posts have been critical to galvanize the increasing political muscle of the black community as their candidates have been winning in recent election cycles.
There are other races that are up for grabs in that regard on May 1st and so if African American and other voters are already at the polls, why not try to get them on your side in the transit vote?
NoTax4Tracks has tried to downplay the black support for transit and say they have surprising support in the black community. This ad by Transit for Nashville to seems to indicate they think otherwise. We’ll see who is right.
Meanwhile, both sides are getting out their yard signs, as are the candidates running on May 1. It will mean more roadside clutter to deal with as you drive around. Hopefully when the vote is over, the signs will disappear too, but with the August and November races and candidates still to come (including an unexpected mayor’s race), don’t bet on it.
THE FUTURE ON GUNS
Yesterday (Thursday, March 14) tens of thousands of high school students all across the country (and here in Tennessee) left their classes to show solidarity to change the state’s and nation’s gun laws to keep them safe in their schools.
This is a student-led effort sparked by the survivors and families of those impacted by the recent Parkland high school mass shooting in South Florida that claimed 17 lives. Already there have changes made in Florida law that would have been highly unlikely a few weeks ago.
But some of the changes the students want, such as a ban on automatic weapons, look unlikely to happen anytime soon, while others are looking to arming teachers as the way to go. Change is coming slowly as expected with Congress in Washington. That’s why this Facebook posting I read this week written by a former conservative Republican Tennessee State Senator drew my strong attention.
He thinks the March 14 student walk out will be looked back on as a watershed event in American history. Here is what he posted:
“Yesterday’s student walkout protest was the beginning of a significant shift in our society toward more restrictions on gun ownership. Millions of students nearing voting age expressed unity on this issue. Such unity establishes difficult-to-change opinions that will express themselves in the voting booth. Yesterday will be remembered as a significant day in the future of our interpretation of the second amendment.”
Only time will tell, of course. But I was somewhat surprised at the source from which this prediction came. Stay tuned.
NOT MUCH SO FAR ON THE HILL
Everybody said it would likely be a quiet legislative session this year on Tennessee’s Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are still getting used to their new offices and committee rooms in the renovated Cordell Hull building. It’s an election year with a near record number of lawmakers saying they are retiring or seeking other posts.
Governor Bill Haslam is not offering any legislation as complex and controversial as last year’s gas tax hike and transportation plan, so there’s hasn’t been a story dominating the headlines.
Add it all up, and one of the biggest news report so far (as lawmakers begin to close down their committees and prepare for a mid-April adjournment) are two almost inexplicable actions by two committees controlled by the Republican Super Majority.
One saw a committee kill a bill that would outlaw child marriage in the state. The other was action by a different committee to kill a resolution that condemned Neo-Nazis as racists. Now GOP leaders are trying to clean up the mess by reviving both pieces of legislation.
But they are dragging their feet about banning bump- stocks on rifles in the state. Republicans say it would just be “showing off” to take that step because the Trump administration and Congress are going to do it themselves on a national basis. Really?
Boy, I bet the National Rifle Association likes that position. The NRA opposes banning bump- stocks, or almost any new restrictions on firearms in the state.
So the rush towards adjournment is quickly underway, and while lawmakers still have a pass a budget, and they may well pass a tougher opioid law than what the Governor recommended, the rush towards going home soon is approaching light speed. This article from Cari Wade Gervin of THE NASHVILLE POST gives you a flavor of what’s happening, or not, these days.
