Phony calls, fake group seek to confuse Right to Life voters with false attack on Pro-Life Diane Black

From Tennessee Right to Life PAC:

 Members of Tennessee Right to life are reporting having received recorded calls from an unincorporated entity claiming to be affiliated with Right to Life.

In the unethical and illegal calls, a false claim is made that Diane Black is not pro-life. The calls began just hours after the public announcement of Diane Black's endorsement by Tennessee Right to Life PAC in the race for Governor.

"For many pro-life Tennesseans the call to actively protect innocent human life is a sacred matter and a response to the demands of one's conscience," said Brian Harris, president of Tennessee Right to Life.

"For operatives to exploit members of the pro-life community and misrepresent the record of a proven pro-life champion is cynical politics at it's worst," Harris said. "The lives of unborn children cannot be used as political pawns and those candidates who do so disqualify themselves from the pro-life mantle and public office." 

The truth of Diane Black's unparalleled pro-life record includes serving as prime sponsor of SJR 127 (pro-life constitutional Amendment 1) in both the state House and state Senate. Additionally, Black led the first state efforts to defund Planned Parenthood by successfully stripping preferential treatment for the abortion facilities from Tennessee's state law and initiating a bid process to allow ethical health care providers to apply for available state grants which had previously been awarded to Planned Parenthood.

In 2010, Black successfully sponsored legislation making Tennessee's Legislature the first in the nation to prevent abortion from being included as a paid benefit in the state's Obamacare health exchanges.

After being elected to Congress, Black's very first bill was to defund Planned Parenthood, an effort that she has continued to lead during her entire tenure in Congress.

"Tennessee Right to Life urges concerned pro-life voters to work for the election of demonstrated pro-life leaders and to decry the use of deception on matters affecting the lives of Tennessee's vulnerable unborn children,"  Harris said.

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Southeast Conservatives Breakfast Club, Sat. July 21st

Saturday, July 21st

Breakfast begins at 8am; Meeting called to order at 9am

Shoney's near the corner of Thompson Lane & Nolensville Road

Ben Cunningham will be the keynote speaker.  Ben is working on a Debt Limit Petition regarding Nashville's out of control city government, from a spending versus revenue standpoint. Learn more at: NashvilleDebtLimit.com

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Ward Baker guest of First Tuesday on Monday July 9th.

From Tim Skow:

A ‘’Political EARTHQUKE’’ just rocked Washington DC sending ‘’SHOCK waves’’ across the nation when Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced he is retiring.

The next big ‘’AFTER SHOCK’’ hits Monday, July 9th when President Trump says he will announce his nominee to replace Justice Kennedy.

Sounds like a GREAT day to have our July version of 1ST TUESDAY! [Yes on ''2nd Monday.'']

BIG QUESTIONS include what impacts will a brutal confirmation fight have on elections this November, especially on the US Senate contests in red states around the country?

WHO??? You may ask has the insights and track record to explain this ‘’Political Rubix Cube’’?

1] How about a leader at the center of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee [RSCC] when Republicans wrestled the majority away from Harry Reid and the DEMs?
 2] How about the leader at RSCC in 2016 who defended a slew of Republican Senators around the US when the DEMs were certain they would be confirming Merrit Garland to the Supreme Court when Hillary nominated him again?
 3] How about the man who has come to TN to lead the Marsha Blackburn US Senate campaign? 

The ANSWER ??? ….. Our Speaker on Monday, July 9th will be WARD BAKER, ......Ward is the

Ward Baker

man who is the correct answer to questions 1, 2 & 3 !!!!!

Mark your calendars, pass the word, invite your friends and get ready for what will be an exhilarating lunch! Event is $20 for Members and $25 for Guests. Doors at Waller Law [511 Union -27th floor] open at 11am. Lunch at 11:30. Remarks from Mr. Baker start at Noon with Q&A concluding at 1:00pm SHARP!

Secure seating for you and Guests at www.1sttuesdaynashville.com [and click on Join Us] [IF…..the ‘’Guest’’ icon gives you trouble, use the $25 ‘’DUES’’ till the new site comes up] Join us for insights into the ‘’Political TSUNAMI ‘’ coming ashore on from coast to coast on Nov 6th… [YES! election day in November is on 1ST TUESDAY] Looking forward to seeing all of you on Monday, July 9th !

Have a SAFE & GREAT July 4TH!
Tim Skow
Host of 1ST TUESDAY

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Jonathan Hall wins Nashville Metro Council District 1 special election runoff

Jonathan Hall

In case you missed it, Jonathan Hall wins Nashville Metro Council District 1 special election runoff. This election was little notices unless one lives in District 1. I have not met Hall or the person he defeated, Judy Cummings, but it looks like the better candidate won. Judy Cummings was a leader in the pro-transit group Moving Forward and an ally of former Mayor Megan Barry.

Hall is the son of late WSMV-TV popular weatherman Bill Hall. Hall cast himself as the anti-establishment candidate in the race. He opposed the recent transit tax referendum. He had the support of the former District 1 councilman Nick Leonardo. The vote was 1,067 votes to 774 votes in favor of  Hall.

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Diane Black announces nearly 3000 activists, elected officials and community leaders on County Leadership Teams

Press release, NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Today, Diane Black announced nearly 3,000 activists, elected officials and community leaders will serve on her County Leadership Teams. These leaders will use their diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise to support the Diane Black campaign in their communities.

"I am excited and humbled to announce my County Leadership Teams have reached nearly 3,000 members," Black said. "I have a had a lot of wonderful endorsements in recent weeks, but these are the ones that mean the most to me. To have the support of nearly 3,000 activists, elected officials and community leaders from all over our state is an honor. I am confident their support will help us win this election."

Below are Davidson County members of the County Leadership team.

George J Anderson, Davidson County
Nancy Anness, Davidson County
Paul W. Arrington, Davidson County
Ronald Baldwin, Davidson County
Shane Barry, Davidson County
Raymond Barth, Davidson County
Jeb Beasley, Davidson County
John Beasley, Davidson County
Matthew Beasley, Davidson County
Jamie Bedgood, Davidson County
Stephen A Benson, Davidson County
Kaye Bethel, Davidson County
Joshua F Bird, Davidson County
Mary Alice Bishop, Davidson County
Joseph Botz, Davidson County
Johnny Bowman, Davidson County
Jeffery Bradford, Davidson County
Daniel Bregman, Davidson County
Raymond H Brocato, Davidson County
Conoly Brown, Davidson County
Nancy Brown, Davidson County
Walter Brown, Davidson County
Keith Buchanan, Davidson County
John Bulla, Davidson County
Linda Bulla, Davidson County
James H Bunch, Davidson County
Donald Burks, Davidson County
Timothy Burrow, Davidson County
Dr. Martha J Butterfield, Davidson County
Rafael Calderon, Davidson County
Wood Caldwell, Davidson County
Bill Campbell, Davidson County
Mary Campbell, Davidson County
Victor L. Campbell, Davidson County
Luther E Cantrell, Davidson County
Carole D. Carter, Davidson County
Carroll W Chambliss, Davidson County
Arlyn Cherney, Davidson County
Terrence J. Clyne, Davidson County
Colleen Conway-Welch, Davidson County
Dixie Cooper, Davidson County
Paul S. Corley, Davidson County
Sybil Creekmore, Davidson County
Gary Crigger, Davidson County
Joanne Crowell, Davidson County
Lee Curtis, Davidson County
Betty Powell Cutts, Davidson County
Jean Daniels, Davidson County
James Darter, Davidson County
Rachel Darter, Davidson County
Jimmy Davidson, Davidson County
Leon J Davidson, Davidson County
Steve Davidson, Davidson County
Maclin Davis, Davidson County
Judy DeMoss-Ivey, Davidson County
Kevin Desmond, Davidson County
Trecia Dillingham, Davidson County
John Dudley Dolinger, Davidson County
Dr. Leslie W Doss, Davidson County
Dan Dozier, Davidson County
Kelly H. Durham, Davidson County
Jeff B Eslick, Davidson County
Charles K Evans, Davidson County
Mark Faulkner, Davidson County
Kristi Ferry, Davidson County
Barbara Finney, Davidson County
Jon M Foster, Davidson County
James Dudney Fox, Davidson County
Tony Giarratana, Davidson County
Thomas Gittelson, Davidson County
John Goetz, Davidson County
Stanley Graham, Davidson County
Anthony Grande, Davidson County
Lydia Ann Hagar, Davidson County
Alan Halbert, Davidson County
Carl Haley, Davidson County
Connie Haley, Davidson County
Charles Hankla, Davidson County
Sarah Elizabeth Hargis, Davidson County
Juanita Hargrove, Davidson County
Brian Harris, Davidson County
Kermit Hugh Harris, Davidson County
Emily Hastings, Davidson County
John William Haynes, Davidson County
Samuel Hazen, Davidson County
Dorothy Hiatt, Davidson County
James T. Hiatt, Davidson County
Barbara Higgins, Davidson County
E. Brent Hill, Davidson County
Sheryl Hodde, Davidson County
Christopher Howard, Davidson County
Bill Hunter, Davidson County
Dr. David R Hunter, Davidson County
Thomas Hutchinson, Davidson County
Charles B Reasor III, Davidson County
Dr. James R Shackleford III, Davidson County
Ernest Williams III, Davidson County
James C Ward III, Davidson County
James Nixon III, Davidson County
John E Curley III, Davidson County
Joseph A. Sowell III, Davidson County
MSgt A S Westbrook III, Davidson County
Chris Jensen, Davidson County
Donald W Johnson, Davidson County
Eden E Johnson, Davidson County
Hansel Jones, Davidson County
James R. Jones, Davidson County
Charles B Reasor Jr., Davidson County
Charles F. Smith Jr., Davidson County
Douglas G Odom Jr., Davidson County
John Coleman Hayes Jr., Davidson County
Martin Brown Jr., Davidson County
Bryan Kaegi, Davidson County
A.J. Kazimi, Davidson County
Kathleen Kazimi, Davidson County
Brenda C King, Davidson County
J S Kirkham, Davidson County
James Knight, Davidson County
Art Laffer, Davidson County
Kay Lane, Davidson County
Sandi B. Lawless, Davidson County
Ted Lazenby, Davidson County
Virginia B. Lazenby, Davidson County
Jeffrey Lynch, Davidson County
Jeff Mandrell, Davidson County
Audrey K Marshall, Davidson County
Sean A Marshall, Davidson County
Raouf Mattin, Davidson County
Sue McCall, Davidson County
Mitzi McCloud, Davidson County
Olie B McCoin, Davidson County
TNGOP State Executive Committeeman Ron McDow, Davidson County
Vickie H. Mcguigan, Davidson County
Teresa McLemore, Davidson County
David W McMackin, Davidson County
Jonathan McNabb, Davidson County
Kathryn McNabb, Davidson County
Andy McQueen, Davidson County
Carlos Melendez, Davidson County
Kurt Merkelz, Davidson County
Karen A Milek, Davidson County
Mary N Morgan, Davidson County
Matthew Morgan, Davidson County
Kelley Michelle Morris, Davidson County
Will Morrow, Davidson County
Nicole Nunley, Davidson County
Jose Orozco, Davidson County
Bernard Pargh, Davidson County
Maria Pargh, Davidson County
Randall Parham, Davidson County
Robie R Parsley, Davidson County
Paul M Paslick, Davidson County
Perry Patteson, Davidson County
David Pennell, Davidson County
Richard Perez, Davidson County
Anne Perkins, Davidson County
Donna Perlin, Davidson County
Margaret L Peto, Davidson County
Richard Petri, Davidson County
Philip M Pfeffer, Davidson County
Howard Pipes, Davidson County
Margaret Pirtle, Davidson County
Timothy Wade Potter, Davidson County
Dwight Price, Davidson County
Eleanor Raths, Davidson County
Brad Regens, Davidson County
Tom Rice, Davidson County
Bob Ries, Davidson County
Richard Rigali, Davidson County
William J Riker, Davidson County
James H Roberts, Davidson County
Mike Robinson, Davidson County
Mark Rogers, Davidson County
Leesa Roller, Davidson County
Dianna Ruch, Davidson County
Mary Frances Rudy, Davidson County
Henry Paul Scott, Davidson County
Lee R Selby, Davidson County
Patrick Shepherd, Davidson County
Sharon A. Sheriff, Davidson County
William E. Sheriff, Davidson County
Carol Lynn Siemers, Davidson County
Robert Simpson, Davidson County
Matthew Singh, Davidson County
John Slavik, Davidson County
Jon Stephen Smith, Davidson County
Leah M. Smith, Davidson County
Randell A. Smith, Davidson County
Richard Smith, Davidson County
Steve Smith, Davidson County
Sukey Smith, Davidson County
Tristan Newt Smith, Davidson County
Stacy Ries Snyder, Davidson County
Gloria Sparkman, Davidson County
Clifford K McGown Sr., Davidson County
Daniel Stepp, Davidson County
Jerry Stewart, Davidson County
Zeljko Stojadinovic, Davidson County
Ryan Neil Stringfellow, Davidson County
Patricia Sullivan, Davidson County
Patrick Swindle, Davidson County
Margaret Tamberino, Davidson County
Thomas Tanner, Davidson County
John P Taylor, Davidson County
Monica M Terry, Davidson County
Russell Thomas, Davidson County
Joshua Trantum, Davidson County
Scott Turner, Davidson County
Jeffrey Usman, Davidson County
Diann Vaccaro, Davidson County
James E Varallo, Davidson County
Ming Wang, Davidson County
Steven Way, Davidson County
Johnnie G. Williams, Davidson County
Ralph Williams, Davidson County
Dwight Willingham, Davidson County
Timothy R Wilson, Davidson County
William Wilson, Davidson County
Eddie Winkenhofer, Davidson County
Agnes L Withers, Davidson County
Jordan Woodruff, Davidson County
Hilary Young, Davidson County
Jane Young, Davidson County

Other noteworthy names include the following:

State Representative Bill Dunn, Knox County 
State Senator Mike Bell, McMinn County 
State Senator Mark Green, Montgomery County
Former Congressman Van Hilleary, Rutherford County 
Former United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Williamson County
Brownlee O. Currey, Jr, Williamson County

For the complete list follow this link.

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"This land is your land," is not a patriotic song.

If you are a attending Fourth of July event, you may hear a medley of songs bound to include The Battle Hymn of the Republic, America the Beautiful, God Bless America and a bunch of Sousa marches.  Often thrown into the mix will be This Land is Your Land. It is very singable and rousing. If you don't listen to the words you may think This Land .. is appropriate.  However, it is not a patriotic song. It appears to be call for socialism or nationalizing the land or at least intended to sow discontent. It was written by Woody Guthrie who was a Communist. Here are the lyrics.

[Verse 1]
As I was walking a ribbon of highway
I saw above me an endless skyway
I saw below me a golden valley
This land was made for you and me

[Verse 2]
I've roamed and rambled and I've followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was sounding
This land was made for you and me

[Verse 3]
The sun comes shining as I was strolling
The wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
The fog was lifting a voice come chanting
This land was made for you and me

[Verse 4]
As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said "No trespassin'"
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!

[Verse 5]
 In the squares of the city - In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin' and some are wonderin'
If this land's still made for you and me

[Chorus]
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California, to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me

 I have found that most people do not pay attention to lyrics and don't know the meaning of the songs they sing. I have been at a wedding were the initial dance of the newly wed couple was danced to a song that was not really a love song but a break-up song that involved infidelity but it sounded like a love song.  Born in the USA, is also not a patriotic song. It is a very anti-American song yet I saw it used as bumper music at a Republican convention.

Since few people know the meaning of This Land,  the song does no harm. Also most performances would not get to verse 4 and 5 where the song's meaning becomes more clear. Maybe it is a good thing the song has been appropriated as a patriotic song. If is produces patriotic feelings, then the joke is on commie Woody Gurthie who is probably spinning in his grave. 

While I would not make an issue out of it if the song is included in a medley of patriotic songs, if I was the program chair selecting the music, I would leave it off the list.

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Ex-judge Moreland’s city pension revoked

Ex-judge Moreland’s city pension revoked.

Rod's Comment: I am pleased. Occasionally justice prevails. For background on this sordid story of abuse of power and corruption, follow this link.

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Trump Trade War tariffs could add $5000 to price of new cars

by Rod Williams - Prices of new cars and trucks could increase by as much as $5000 if President Trump follows through on his threat to raise tariffs on imports.  Even vehicles made in America would likely increase in price as automakers would likely spread the cost of tariffs among many different vehicles to avoid putting at a disadvantage those vehicles made in foreign markets.  The President has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on foreign auto imports.

The tariffs on the import of foreign vehicles is not likely to increase car manufacturing in America but depress sales.  Instead of more manufacturing of cars in America, the tariffs could lead to decreased production as sales fall.  Not only would those involved in auto manufacturing be at risk of job loss but those involved in sales or financing of vehicles could see job losses.

Not only would those buying new cars feel the impact of the higher prices but used cars would likely increase in price also.  When fewer new cars are sold and those that are sold sell at a higher price then the price of used cars tends to rise. Increases tariffs are in effect a tax on the American people.  I hope that Trump will listen to reason and retreat from his threatened trade war with out allies.  The real culprit in international trade is China with its policy of currency manipulation and theft of intellectual property.

Congress should exert its authority and block Trumps tariffs. Unlike immigration policy or health care policy, this is not that complicated. There should be a bipartisan majority that would vote to require that all tariffs be approved by Congress before they are implemented. Republicans should stand with the president when he is right but he is wrong on this issue.  Not only is his policy likely to lead to an economic downturn but it has the potential to spiral out of control and lead to a world-wide economic crisis. Even a less than catastrophic impact could have severe political impact on the Republican party. The recent wave of economic good news resulting from tax cuts and deregulation could quickly be erased as prices rise and unemployment increases as a result of a trade war.  If Trumps Trade War leads to an economic downturn, Republicans will get the blame and rightly so.

For more on this issue see, Trump tariffs could add $5,000 to price of new vehicle in U.S.

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Shelby County Dem Chair says Republican candidates are racist, homphobic and unethical.

Corey Strong is the Chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party. He says Republican candidates are" demonstrably racist, homophobic, unethical."  I am listening to my better angels and not responding by calling Democrats ..... 

I almost did it, but caught myself. I am trying to be calm and dignified. This kind of name-calling may motivate the most partisan but I don't think it entices many wavering Republicans to vote for Democrats. And, when Republicans respond in kind I don't think it wins friends among the undecided or persuadable. I assume many Democrats really do feel this way about all Republicans.

Link to Corey Strong on Facebook. 

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American Conservative Union endorses Diane Black in GOP primary for Tennessee governor

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Registration for August 2 primary voting ends tomorrow, July 2nd, for Republicans

For Republican who are not registered to vote, Tuesday, July 3 is the last day to register to vote in the upcoming August 2 elections.  Democrats have until July 9th to register.

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July Young Republicans Meeting with guest Marsha Blackburn, Thursday July 19th

From DCRP on behalf of the Nashville Young Republicans:

Thursday, July 19th from 6pm - 8pm 

Buffalo Wings and Rings, 105 International Dr., Franklin

Please join us as we host Tennessee's next senator, Marsha Blackburn. Marsha founded the Williamson County Young Republicans and we are very excited to host her during her campaign. Show your support and let's keep Tennessee red!

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Randy Boyd did not overpay his taxes!

Randy Boyd

by Rod Williams - The Tennessean has a front page story today with the  headline, Boyd business avoids millions. According to the story he used the same strategies as Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft to legally avoid paying taxes beyond what he is required to pay. The strategy involved something called a "double Irish" and involved two Irish subsidiaries. If interested in the details of how he structured his company to avoid overpaying taxes, read the article.

The story does not allege he did anything illegal. By using these tax avoidance strategies he saved his company millions of dollars. Still, the company paid $8.6 million in taxes during this period.  It should be noted that at the time, America's corporate tax rate of 35% and Ireland's tax rate was one of the lowest in the world.  Tax reform will make some of this creative structuring unnecessary and increase the amount of taxes American companies pay and reduce the accounting cost and the cost of engaging in creative company structuring.

I assume the Tennessean thinks this expose' of Boyd engaging in legal practices to reduce his tax liability will make people think less of  him.  For me, it make me regard him more highly. It shows he is smart and wise and has valuable real life experiences.  If he can do that with his own company, he understands complexity and the importance of a positive business environment.  If a company has to twist itself into a pretzel with subsidiaries and foreign offices and has to hire an army of lawyers and accountants to avoid overpaying taxes, then I am critical of  the tax system, not the person saving money on his tax bill.  If the Cayman Islands, Malta, and Ireland are tax havens, maybe instead of blaming companies who filter their profits though these countries as somehow immoral, the United States should become a tax haven.

If as an individual you have a mortgage payment, student loans, and medical expenses, you can probably save money by itemizing rather than taking the standard deduction. You also might discover you can claim a deduction for driving an environmentally friendly car or some other deduction. I am not going to think less of you because you itemized.  In my view it is stupid to overpay on your taxes. One person's tax loophole is another person's legal tax deduction.

Congratulations Randy Boyd on not overpaying your taxes and instead stimulating the economy.

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What's on the July 3rd Council agenda: Stopping the Fairgrounds giveaway, New regulations for Birds, dogs, hotels and land near the river.

By Rod Williams - The Metro Council will meet Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 6:30 PM in the Council chamber at the Metro Courthouse. Here is a link to the Council agenda and the staff analysis for those who want to watch the Council meeting and follow along.  Below is a summary of what is on the agenda.

Elections and Confirmation: There are 10 mayoral appointments to Boards and Commission before the Council for confirmation. Usually, these are confirmed without controversy, discussion or dissension. 

Four of the appointees are to the Hospital Authority which overseas Metro General Hospital.  In my view, General Hospital needs to be closed as was proposed by former Mayor Barry for a short while before she ran into opposition and quickly backtracked. General Hospital is a money pit that is constantly needing more funding. In this years tight budget Metro General is getting subsidized $46 million up from, $11 million last year. It cannot fill its beds and there is no charter requirement or state law that requires Metro to maintain a public hospital. Low income people have choices and they are not choosing General. The only reason General is kept open, as far as I can tell, is that it is a source of pride in the Black community.  In addition to the long-term financial woes of the hospital, the hospital authority has proven dysfunctional and unprofessional. Several Board members have quit the board in disgust and the ten-member board is down to five members. Among the criticisms of the  Authority is that it gave a two year extension to the contract to the current Hospital CEO without having performance review or even a written contract, it gave the CEO a 10% raise and it has been revealed that the hospital secretly paid $150,000 in consulting fees to ex Councilman Jerry Maynard.  I hope the Council carefully screens the appointees to the General Authority and gets some hard-nosed business people on there who have experience sitting on boards.    
 
Public Hearing: There are two resolutions and 26 bill on public hearing. The resolutions are asking for a variance from the minimum distance requirements for obtaining a beer permit.  I do not even attempt to understand the pros and cons of every zoning bill and they generally bore me and are of interest to only the people in the immediate vicinity of the rezoning. At public hearings almost all opposition come down to (1) concern about traffic, (2) water runoff and potential for flooding, (3) overcrowding of local schools and impact on infrastructure, (4) detrimentally changing the character of the neighborhood. You will hear the same arguments over and over. I only call attention to bills that I think will have an impact beyond the immediate neighborhood or are bills that have already been to the Planning Commission and have been disapproved by the Planning Commission, or  for some other reason are of interest.

Bill BL2018-1182 is a bill disapproved by the Planning Commission. It would rezone from R10 to OL property located at 355 Bell Road. R-10 is a residential zoning; OL is a office zoning intended for moderate intensity office uses. This looks like a spot zoning. 

 Bill BL2018-1197  approves a waste processing facility at 4648 Ashland City Highway. All landfills or waste processing facilities have to be approved by the Council and they often generate neighborhood hostility. This facility would be an  anaerobic digestion facility which processes food waste.

Resolutions: There are 24 resolution on the agenda. Initially all resolutions are on the consent agenda. A resolution stays on the consent agenda if it passes unanimously the committees to which it is assigned. Resolutions which receive negative votes in committee are pulled off of consent. Also any councilman may have a resolution pulled off of consent. Those remaining on consent are lumped together and passed by a single vote. Resolutions on the consent agenda are usually not controversial and tend to be routine matters, such as accepting grants from the Federal or State Government, entering into inter-agency agreements over mundane things, appropriating money from the 4% fund, settling lawsuits, or approving signs overhanging the sidewalk. Unlike a bill which requires three votes of the Council to pass, a resolution only requires one vote of the Council. Here are the resolutions of interest:  

Resolution RS2018-1244  would require the city to fly the Metropolitan Government flags at half-staff for a period of one year in honor and memory of students killed as a result of gun violence and as a reminder of the urgency of gun violence solutions. This would not be one year from the date of any future shootings, but one year from the effective date of the passage of the ordinance. I don't like this resolution.  The flag should not be flying at half-staff all the time.  What if we had a local occurrence of something, such as death of a local dignitary that warranted a show of respect and honor?  If the flags were already at half staff, we could not use the flag to honor that person.

Resolution RS2018-1253 would extend the maturity date a bill that is coming due. It extends the duration of the water and sewer extendable commercial paper program. This would result in more fees and a higher interest rate. This seems like poor money management to me. It looks like Metro has been so mismanaged that we are like a family that is juggling bills and flipping credit card debts from one card to another to weather a crisis.  Maybe this is a wise thing to do at this time, I don't know, but it appears we keep kicking the debt down the road. 

Bills on First reading: There are 25 bills on first reading. First reading is a formality that gets bills on the agenda and they are not considered by committee until after they pass first reading. They are all lumped together and pass by a single vote except in rare circumstances. 

Bills on Second Reading: Below are the ones of interest.

Substitute Bill BL2018-1157  establishes a 50 foot floodway buffer along the Cumberland River and prohibits variances. The floodway is the river channel and adjacent low lying areas that would be underwater in a 100 year flood. This bill would establish that no new construction could occur within an area that is within 50 feet of the floodway and in this buffer no existing building could be expanded.  

If a building site was on a 50 foot tall bluff but within 50 feet of the floodway, as I read this bill, one could not build on top of that bluff. Also as I read this bill, this would not allow "displacement" to justify a variance. 

Displacement means that if any capacity for the land to hold water is decreased on one part of a parcel, then more capacity must be added elsewhere. As an example, if a home is build on a lot and near the front of the property the lot is build up by adding so many cubic yards of dirt, then the same amount of earth would have to be removed elsewhere from that parcel. This neutralizes any impact the development would have on flooding. 

I understand what the sponsor is trying to do, but rather than a buffer 50 feet from the floodway, it appears a better approach would be elevation above the floodway.  In reality, a house within in a 50 foot floodway buffer but on a bluff may have less impact on the potential to contribute to flooding than a house ten miles away that is only a little higher in elevation than the floodway. Addressing elevation above the floodway seems to be a more rational approach than measuring distance from the flood way.  

Also, for years there has been talk and proposals of building a river-oriented development in Nashville with homes on canals with homesites having private boat docs.  I am sure such could be done without contributing to flooding but this bill would  preclude that possibility.

This bill is trying to address a real need.  The Storm Water Management Committee has been granting variances to build in flood prone areas simply based on hardship (link).  That needs to stop, but I think this is the wrong approach.

Bill BL2018-1189  would require Metro to make an even greater effort to make sure some Metro business goes to minority contractors when Metro has projects to put out for bid. The staff analysis says Metro legal has expressed concern that the bill may contain unconstitutional race and gender based preferences and is inconsistent with the current framework of the Procurement Non-Discrimination Program. Last meeting this was on Second Reading and deferred to this meeting.

Bill BL2018-1190   would give free parking at public parking meters in Davidson County for environmentally friendly vehicles and for vehicle owners that purchase carbon offsets. I oppose this. If we are going to give anyone free parking, I would prefer to give it to low-income people who were forced to spend money bringing their car into auto emission standards compliance rather than wealthier people who can afford an environmentally friendly car. Also, carbon offsets are a often a scam.

Bill BL2018-1200 would require that if hotels or roominghouses accept cash payment, they must also accept at least one other form of payment such as check or credit cards. I seldom carry cash and would find it inconvenient if I tried to do business with an entity that was cash-only, but why not let the market work this out?  Why must the government try to micromanage every aspect of commerce and our lives? This was on second last time and deferred to this meeting. 

Bill BL2018-1201  would tighten animal control regulations. Now, you are not supposed to leave your pooch out if the heat index will be above 95 degree. This lowers it to 85. Animal Control says to enforce this will take more people, space, and equipment and cost $472,617. $472,617 hear and $472,617 there and soon you are talking about real money. This was on the agenda last time and deferred to this meeting.

Substitute Bill BL2018-1202 proposed new rules for scooter prompted by the

arrival of Bird Scooter here in Nashville. It would require new fees including a fee of $35 per scooter.  This does a lot, but if Bird can live with it and is not fighting it, then I would assume it is an OK bill. Bird and similar scooter companies are in lots of other cities. I hope we are not over regulating them. Something like Bird can be an important part of making our city more mobile and can take cars off the road. Some cities have welcomed scooters and merchants have  installed scooter racks.


Bill BL2018-1203  also deals with scooters, in-line skates, and roller skates by removing the requirement for wrist guards, elbow pads, and kneepads and updating audio device references. It redefines the word "scooter" to mean non-motorized scooters, so this section would not apply to the electric Bird scooters.They would be regulated by the regulations contained in 1202 above.

Bill BL2018-1205 is an effort to stop the fairgrounds giveaway.  It wold ban the sale, lease, transfer or conveyance of property adjacent to the proposed Major League Soccer stadium to any third party for purposes of private development. I support this. We should not be giving away land to private developers and we ought to save the fairgrounds for an improved fairground facility not shrinking the site. 

Bills on Third Reading: There are 21 bills on third and final reading. None are very important or of interest. Most are zoning bills approved by the Planning Commission. Bill BL2018-1099  is a disapproved zoning bill in Scot Davis' district. It will take 27 votes to pass.

To watch the Council meeting, you can go to the courthouse and watch the meeting in person or you can watch the broadcast live at Metro Nashville Network's Government TV on Nashville's Comcast Channel 3 and AT&T's U-verse 99 and it is streamed live at the Metro Nashville Network's livestream site and you can watch it live on Roku. You can catch the meeting the next day (or the day after the next) on the Metro YouTube channel. If can stand the suspense and just wait, I will post the video on this blog the day after or the day after that and provide commentary.

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