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Saturday, February 04, 2023
Lonnie Spivak is running for DCRP Chairman
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| Lonnie Spivak |
Breakfast Club Members,
If you have not heard, I have decided to run for Davidson County Republican Party (DCRP) Chairman. I am excited for this opportunity, and I believe I have the experience and vision necessary to lead the party in the coming years, and I look forward to mending fences and working with my fellow Republicans to ensure that our message for Nashville government is heard loud and clear.
Please plan to attend the convention. There are a few ways you can qualify to vote:
- The best way is to have voted in 3 out of the last 4 primaries
- You can also be a member of a federated auxiliary groups such as the Republican Women or the Young Republicans
- You can have given money to the Republican Party
- Vouched by a board member if you do not meet any of the other requirements
The election for the Davidson County Republican Party Executive Committee will take place Saturday, February 11, 2023, starting at 9:00 a.m. at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, located at 2025 Rosa L. Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37228
The DCRP Reorganization Committee has asked that attendees pre-register by Friday, February 10, 2023 CLICK HERE (voteGOPnashville.com).
Below is my 7 point plan to improve the party, and I hope you will attend the convention and vote for me and the other board positions.
Lonnie Spivak DCRP Reorganization Plan
- Rethink the how the organization operates at every level.
- Review and possibly adjust the current Executive Committee structure
- Be an organization that gives the auxiliary groups an umbrella to sit under
- Improve the definition of what it means to be a “Republican” to be more inclusive and welcoming.
- Improve fundraising by reconnecting with the business community and the grassroots to improve active membership and community outreach
- Build a better understanding of the county population
- Become more active in local politics.
1. How we do business
It is apparent to everyone that the status quo is not working in Nashville. To be successful, I would want the board to rethink everything regarding:
- Recruiting candidates
- Supporting candidates
- Funding candidates
(Specifics to come)
2. Change the makeup of the board
I believe the Davidson County Executive Committee can be more efficient and create a winning environment in Nashville. I would consider the following changes:
- Reduce the number of Regional Vice-Chairs
- Create a position whose responsibility is Digital Engagement (Communications and social media are different skill sets)
- The current rules set a high-bar of what it means to be a republican. I would explore changing the rules in a way that enables new residents a way to get involved.
- Make our financials more public so our membership has a better understanding of the status of the organization
3. Reconnect with the auxiliary republican groups
We are lucky to have so many great conservative groups in Nashville. I think in recent years the county party has seen these organizations as competitors instead of allies. I am hoping to mend some fences and be a better umbrella organization for groups such as:
- Nashville Republican Women
- Young Republicans
- College Republicans
- Tennessee Republican Assembly
- Other local meeting groups
It is the party’s responsibility to be glue that keeps the party moving forward by giving the auxiliary groups whatever support they need to be successful. This will help us all be successful.
4. What it means to be a Republican in Nashville
Becoming the “It” city has its challenges. It is extremely rare to find a resident who is a native Nashvillian. We need to take the opportunity to consider changing the bylaws to enable new republican residents an opportunity to put their expertise and skills to work. We all understand that being a conservative/republican is different in Nashville than other places, and it is up to us to welcome those who want to get involved.
- Start a “Welcome Wagon” program that gives new residents from blue states a box with DCRP logo items as well as info on how to join and info on other area organizations.
5. Improve fundraising and reconnect with the business community
To improve fundraising, the DCRP should make sure that their communications are clear, transparent, and consistent with the ideals of the republican party. We should listen to our members and the business community, understand their concerns, and provide them with regular updates and information to foster open lines of communication. We will need to:
- Provide a civic value
- Support business development and growth
- Collaborate with other stakeholders and political organizations to create a broad network to support one another
With all the growth in Nashville, I don’t believe we have a current understanding of the electorate in Davidson County. I believe we need to do:
- Traditional Polling
- Gather Social Media data
- Direct contact with new Nashville residents
- Combine new aggregate data with primary voter information
We will use all the information to identify districts that are favorable and where we have the ability for improvement.
7. Become more active in local politics
I believe the average republican voter does not care about the nuts and bolts of the inner workings of the party but wants to see activity and action. As a board we need to do a better job communicating our positions on everyday kitchen-table issues to Nashville residents. This includes but is not limited to:
- Metro Budget/Government
- Education
- Transit
- Crime
- Mental health/Drug Use
This will include regular press-releases, a working relationship with local conservative media, social media and digital ad campaigns.
I believe if we start to implement these steps, we will be on our way to creating a fun and successful republican party in blue Davidson County.
All the best.
Lonnie Spivak
lonnie@lonniespivak.com
615.429.5902
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Tennessee Senate committee hears testimony on mileage-based vehicle tax options
Several states have begun pilot programs on what is called an MBUF while Virginia has gone to a permanent model.
Patricia Hendren, Executive Director of the 17-state Eastern Transportation Coalition that includes Tennessee, said the issue is, with more fuel-efficient vehicles and the rise of electric vehicles and hybrids, gas taxes are no longer a tax that equates to a road usage fee.
As Sycamore Institute showed in its recent policy statement on road infrastructure needs and funding, taxes on fuel and registration are the largest funding source for transportation projects in Tennessee. The state currently has a one-year moratorium on personal vehicle registration fees but normally charges $16.75 annually for most vehicles, $100 for electric vehicles and 26 cents per gallon for gasoline along with 27 cents for diesel.
Those fees bring in $1.1 billion annually to the Tennessee Highway Fund. The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations recently reported that the state, one of just six which does not take on debt for road projects, has $34.7 billion of transportation infrastructure needs.
Sycamore Institute noted one state agency estimate said the rise in more fuel-efficient, hybrid, and electric vehicles could decrease the state's annual transportation revenues by as much as $130 million in 2030.
In 2020, Tennessee spent $2.8 billion on transportation projects with 75% of that funding coming from the state.
Late last year, Gov. Bill Lee claimed the state needs $26 billion in funding toward road congestion, with $14 billion for the state’s four major metro areas and $12 billion for rural interstates.
Members of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee heard presentations from Hendren and Reason Foundation Senior Managing Director Baruch Feigenbaum, asking questions of the two on issues related to the mileage-based taxes.
Hendren said the new system typically cut costs for rural drivers, who tend to have less fuel-efficient vehicles and therefore pay more gas taxes currently than others. She said a key is having plenty of options on how to report mileage, from phone apps to reporting odometer readings to having the option of paying the average fee for a user with the same vehicle type.
Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Fields, said monitoring devices on vehicles continue the narrative that “We’re one nation under surveillance.”
Feigenbaum said, while he is not suggesting a fee, the range is usually 1.5 cents to 2 cents per mile. The fees would be paid monthly through a third-party provider. The taxes would replace the current state gas tax.
Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, said she participated in a pilot program for the mileage-based monitors last fall and is open to a pilot program in Tennessee. She noted some issues would have to be addressed, such as a partnership with neighboring states as she said that 30% to 40% of Tennessee’s current gas tax is paid by out-of-state drivers.
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First of several Tennessee bills aimed at Nashville government advances
By Jon Styf, The Center Square, Feb 2, 2023 - A bill that would reduce Nashville’s Metro Council from 40 to 20 voting members was approved by a House subcommittee and now is headed to the House Local Government Committee.
A fiscal note on the bill said it will save Nashville $425,000 in the first year and $510,000 in the years after based on council members' salaries.
House sponsor Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, said during subcommittee meetings that the goal of House Bill 48 was to minimize city governments, noting that only Chicago and New York City have larger councils than Nashville.
“Forty is an exceptional outlier,” Lamberth said. ”Anything over 20 doesn’t work well.”
Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, pointed out that Nashville has a metropolitan government that serves both Nashville and Davidson County, comparing it to the 50 representatives in total that serve the cities and county in Blount County. But Lamberth said he believed that counties were much different.
Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman spoke at the committee meeting, saying that Nashville has had 40 members since April 1963 and a vote to lower the council to 27 members in 2015 failed with 62% of residents voting against it.
Shulman said that, if the bill passes, it could extend council terms by one year before it passes.
“If the terms are extended and it does turn out to be illegal, then anything we pass during that year may be illegal,” Shulman said.
Lamberth added an amendment to the bill that would allow cities to change rules by majority vote to reach the maximum of 20 members by elections in August 2024.
The bill is one of several aimed at Nashville after the Metro Council rejected an agreement to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee.
House Bill 1176, separately, would change how the Nashville airport authority board is determined, giving state leaders the job of deciding 10 of the 11 board members with the House speaker and Senate speaker each selecting four members and the governor selecting two.
House Bill 1197, meanwhile, would allow each speaker to appoint three members and the governor to appoint four members of the 13 on the Metro Nashville Sports Authority. The mayor would appoint the other three.
Senate Bill 648 would end a fund created to pay off debt on the Music City Center in Nashville, ending several taxes that paid into the fund toward $625 million in bonds taken out on the convention center, which opened in 2013.
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Nashville named one of the best cities in US to open an Airbnb in new report
By John Klyce and Meg Wrather, Nashville Business Journal, Feb 3, 2023 - ..... "The average Airbnb rakes in just under $4,000 a month, and though the cost of living and housing prices are a little steep, the average revenue and higher-than-normal occupancy rate of 56% means you’re likely to recoup your initial investment quickly," the report said of Music City.
Nashville’s Airbnb occupancy rate stood at 56% while its median home price was $455,157 and its average monthly Airbnb revenue was $3,911. Nashville scored a 101.4 on the cost of living index, which was slightly above the national average of 100. (link)
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Friday, February 03, 2023
GOP Lawmakers Seek to Re-Name Part of 'John Lewis Way' After Trump
Rod's Comment: I oppose this.
One, this is just petty vindictiveness for Nashville not pursuing hosting the 2024 Republican Convention.
Two, while John Lewis Way is a long street, it looks bad to rename any part of because of John Lewis being an iconic figure in the civil rights movement.
Three, Donald Trump attempted to prevent the peaceful transfer of power and deserves to be condemned; not honored.
If they are going to rename any part of it for Donald Trump, it should be the part pictured here.
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Analysis: Could Megan Barry make a political comeback and win Nashville's mayoral race?
Former Mayor Megan Barry has not ruled out a possible comeback. ...
"She would immediately become a formidable candidate because she does have name recognition," said John Geer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University. (link)
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Legislation to protect children from harmful medical procedures clears first hurdle in General Assembly
The legislation would provide the nation’s strongest protections against the removal of a child’s healthy body parts. If passed, it would ban medical interference that alters a child’s hormonal balance and procedures that remove body parts to enable the minor to identify as a gender different from their biological sex.
“Gender dysphoria is a mental health condition that should be treated with love and understanding, therapy, and other appropriate interventions – just as we treat other mental health disorders,” Lamberth said. “Under no circumstance should we ever allow a child to undergo a procedure that destroys their normal, healthy development. I appreciate the wisdom of the committee members who recognize that this legislation protects minors from the negative consequences of adult decisions they aren’t ready for.”
If passed, a health care provider who violates the law can be sued in civil court by the minor injured, the parent of the minor injured or the Attorney General within 10 years of the violation. Providers found to be in violation could face up to a $25,000 penalty per violation and have their medical license restricted.
The legislation ensures that doctors can still prescribe hormone treatment to minors for medically necessary purposes and makes exceptions for children born with chromosomal anomalies or congenital defects. House Bill 1 is scheduled to be heard in the House Health Committee on Wednesday, Feb 8.
Rod's Comment: I wholeheartedly support this bill.
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Jim Garrett will not seek reelection as Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party
From Jim Garret, Chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party:
Davidson County Republican Party,
It is with humility that I’m writing to you today. I’m very appreciative to have been given the opportunity to lead for these past three years such selfless, energized, and good patriotic conservatives we have. I diligently strove to the best of my ability to fulfill my duties as Chairman of the DCRP.
After countless hours spent growing our county party while also supporting local candidates and keeping abreast of city and county happenings, I realize I have also been fortunate to attend meetings regarding state-wide legislation. It is due to these meetings, in part, that I feel my talents are better used elsewhere.
Although I have enjoyed the successes, and we have been able to accomplish greatly in getting our grassroots membership grown down to the precinct level, I feel it is time to turn my energies towards affecting public policy for all Tennesseans. It is with great gratitude and appreciation that I thank each of you for all the effort you have put forth voluntarily to make Nashville a better place.
I am officially notifying you that I will not seek the position of Chairman in our upcoming reorganization meeting.
I submit that Lonnie Spivak will make an excellent Chairman and will do my utmost to help him secure that position. Thank you all for your dedicated service.
Warmest regards always,
James B. Garrett
James B. Garrett
Chairman,
Davidson Co. Republican Party
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Tennessee Senate committee hears testimony on mileage-based vehicle tax options
By Jon Styf, The Center Square, Feb 1, 2023 - A Tennessee Senate committee heard testimony on Wednesday on a potential mileage-based user fee to replace the state’s gas tax.
Several states have begun pilot programs on what is called an MBUF while Virginia has gone to a permanent model.
Patricia Hendren, Executive Director of the 17-state Eastern Transportation Coalition that includes Tennessee, said the issue is, with more fuel-efficient vehicles and the rise of electric vehicles and hybrids, gas taxes are no longer a tax that equates to a road usage fee.
As Sycamore Institute showed in its recent policy statement on road infrastructure needs and funding, taxes on fuel and registration are the largest funding source for transportation projects in Tennessee. The state currently has a one-year moratorium on personal vehicle registration fees but normally charges $16.75 annually for most vehicles, $100 for electric vehicles and 26 cents per gallon for gasoline along with 27 cents for diesel.
Those fees bring in $1.1 billion annually to the Tennessee Highway Fund. The Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations recently reported that the state, one of just six which does not take on debt for road projects, has $34.7 billion of transportation infrastructure needs.
Sycamore Institute noted one state agency estimate said the rise in more fuel-efficient, hybrid, and electric vehicles could decrease the state's annual transportation revenues by as much as $130 million in 2030.
In 2020, Tennessee spent $2.8 billion on transportation projects with 75% of that funding coming from the state.
Late last year, Gov. Bill Lee claimed the state needs $26 billion in funding toward road congestion, with $14 billion for the state’s four major metro areas and $12 billion for rural interstates.
Members of the Senate Transportation and Safety Committee heard presentations from Hendren and Reason Foundation Senior Managing Director Baruch Feigenbaum, asking questions of the two on issues related to the mileage-based taxes.
Hendren said the new system typically cut costs for rural drivers, who tend to have less fuel-efficient vehicles and therefore pay more gas taxes currently than others. She said a key is having plenty of options on how to report mileage, from phone apps to reporting odometer readings to having the option of paying the average fee for a user with the same vehicle type.
Sen. Frank Niceley, R-Strawberry Fields, said monitoring devices on vehicles continue the narrative that “We’re one nation under surveillance.”
Feigenbaum said, while he is not suggesting a fee, the range is usually 1.5 cents to 2 cents per mile. The fees would be paid monthly through a third-party provider. The taxes would replace the current state gas tax.
Sen. Becky Duncan Massey, R-Knoxville, said she participated in a pilot program for the mileage-based monitors last fall and is open to a pilot program in Tennessee. She noted some issues would have to be addressed, such as a partnership with neighboring states as she said that 30% to 40% of Tennessee’s current gas tax is paid by out-of-state drivers.
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First of several Tennessee bills aimed at Nashville government advances
By Jon Styf, The Center Square, Feb 2, 2023 - A bill that would reduce Nashville’s Metro Council from 40 to 20 voting members was approved by a House subcommittee and now is headed to the House Local Government Committee.
A fiscal note on the bill said it will save Nashville $425,000 in the first year and $510,000 in the years after based on council members' salaries.
House sponsor Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, said during subcommittee meetings that the goal of House Bill 48 was to minimize city governments, noting that only Chicago and New York City have larger councils than Nashville.
“Forty is an exceptional outlier,” Lamberth said. ”Anything over 20 doesn’t work well.”
Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, pointed out that Nashville has a metropolitan government that serves both Nashville and Davidson County, comparing it to the 50 representatives in total that serve the cities and county in Blount County. But Lamberth said he believed that counties were much different.
Nashville Vice Mayor Jim Shulman spoke at the committee meeting, saying that Nashville has had 40 members since April 1963 and a vote to lower the council to 27 members in 2015 failed with 62% of residents voting against it.
Shulman said that, if the bill passes, it could extend council terms by one year before it passes.
“If the terms are extended and it does turn out to be illegal, then anything we pass during that year may be illegal,” Shulman said.
Lamberth added an amendment to the bill that would allow cities to change rules by majority vote to reach the maximum of 20 members by elections in August 2024.
The bill is one of several aimed at Nashville after the Metro Council rejected an agreement to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, which will be held in Milwaukee.
House Bill 1176, separately, would change how the Nashville airport authority board is determined, giving state leaders the job of deciding 10 of the 11 board members with the House speaker and Senate speaker each selecting four members and the governor selecting two.
House Bill 1197, meanwhile, would allow each speaker to appoint three members and the governor to appoint four members of the 13 on the Metro Nashville Sports Authority. The mayor would appoint the other three.
Senate Bill 648 would end a fund created to pay off debt on the Music City Center in Nashville, ending several taxes that paid into the fund toward $625 million in bonds taken out on the convention center, which opened in 2013.
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Wednesday, February 01, 2023
Mayor Cooper announces he will not run for re-election
His decision not to run means the race is wide open. Cooper had already picked up challengers in Councilmembers Sharon Hurt and Freddie O'Connell and in former Metro Development and Housing Agency official Matt Wiltshire. Also, Broadway business owner Steve Smith has not announced his candidacy for mayor but had launched an ad campaign against Mayor Cooper.
I expect others will get into the race. Will Carol Swain make another attempt? I like and admire Carol Swain but I don't think she can win. She is a good pundit and outspoken conservative, but I think that will work against her in a race for mayor in liberal woke Nashville. What about David Fox who ran a good campaign against Megan Barry? And what about Megan Barry? Despite her having an affair on the city's dime and ignoring her duties as mayor, I perceive that she is still popular among many Nashvilliams. Maybe Bill Freedman still has aspirations?
Other people who may consider a run for office include Bill Freedman's son Bob Freedman who is a State representative for parts of Nashville. Maybe Odessa Kelly? She is a very progressive Black activist who ran in the Democrat primary against Congressman Jim Cooper and then ran against Republican Congressman Mark Green in the general election. There are several other people, including other members of the Metro Council who may throw their hats in the ring. What about Karen Johnson, Register of Deeds? She is charming, attractive, smart, and a Black female. I think if she should run, she would be a formidable candidate. There are always some little-known candidates who get in the race hoping for a miracle when there is an open seat. This could get interesting.
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Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Has Trump Completely Lost His Grip on Reality?
by Rod Williams, Jan. 26, 2022 - Charles Cooke writing in National Review makes the case Trump has lost touch with reality, and I am persuaded he is right. I have always thought Trump was a carnival barker, a con man, a bully, and rude and crude. I would also say he is a populist demagogue but was not persuaded he was deranged. However, at some point, I began to believe that Trump really believed his own BS. Despite no credible evidence the election was stolen and staff and friends and family telling him the election was not stolen, he continued to adamantly insist it was. I became convinced Trump really believed it. I began to think that Trump really was nuts. I think he has such a huge ego that he really believes he could not possibly lose an election unless it was stolen. Trump is the emperor who has no clothes.
Cooke says, "The former president’s deterioration is on full display in the Truth Social asylum he built for himself." Here is the case Cooke makes:
There was a point in time at which Trump’s unusual verbal affect and singular nose for underutilized wedge issues gave him a competitive edge. Now? Now, he’s morphing into one of the three witches from Macbeth. To peruse Trump’s account on Truth Social is to meet a cast of characters about whom nobody who lives beyond the Trump Extended Universe could possibly care one whit. Here in the real world, the border is a catastrophe, inflation is as bad as it’s been in four decades, interest rates have risen to their highest level in 15 years, crime is on the up, and the debt continues to mushroom. And yet, safely ensconced within his own macrocosm, Trump is busy mainlining Edward Lear. Day in, day out, he rambles about the adventures of Coco Chow and the Old Broken Crow; the dastardly Unselect Committee; the (presumably tasty) Stollen Presidential Election; the travails of that famous law-enforcement agency, the Gestopo; Joe Scarborough’s wife “Mike”; and other unusual characters from Coromandel. “Where the early pumpkins blow / In the middle of the woods / Lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò / Who STOLLE THE ELECTION / Don’t you know?”
I am not a psychiatrist and I don't play one on TV and I am not on Truth Social, but what Cooke describes sounds like the ranting of a madman. Cooke points out that on Trump's Truth Social, he often touts his own heroism. Speaking of himself in the third person, he says "TRUMP WAS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING." Of the 2020 elections Trump says, "I did a GREAT job as President, maybe the best. I Ran twice, did much better the second time (Rigged Election!).”
I am convinced Trump is not only an evil man who attempted a coup but am also convinced he is nuts.
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Monday, January 30, 2023
I'm Back!
by Rod Williams, Jan. 30, 2023- About the middle of January, I went to open my blog, and instead of my blog, I got a message that A Disgruntled Republican was now available if one wanted to purchase that domain name. The link on that page led to a blog broker. If one wants a particular domain name and it is owned by someone else, a blog broker tries to buy that domain name from the one who owns it and resell it to the one who wants it. That was not my situation. I'm Back!
What had happened is that my blog domain registration was set for automatic renewal and a credit card on file with Google had expired. I had simply overlooked this. The behind the curtain stuff of a blog can be complicated. I thought if I simply updated by credit card I would get my blog back. Since that is something I only have to infrequently do, even that was not simple. After updating with valid credit card information, I still did not recover my blog.
I won't bore you with all the details but I had conversations with GoDaddy, email exchanges with Google, email exchanges with a domain broker, and hours and hours on the computer leading to dead ends. I have been blogging for 18 years and have over 9,000 posts. I thought I had lost it all. Fortunately, somehow, after hours of blindly trying, and not sure how, I found and recovered my blog platform and the content and all of my 18 years of blog posts. I was relieved to know it was not all lost, but that still did not restore my blog.
In the meantime, I was making inquiries as to who might could help me. Thankfully, I found someone. I won't mention him by name, but he is a fellow conservative and has a full-time job, and is also attending law school. His plate is full, but he helped me. I am thankful. Doing web pages and helping people with blog issues is a part-time gig for this person. I would like to publicly thank him, but he doesn't need additional work in the IT field, so I won't mention his name. I am grateful for his help.
He tried hard to restore my blog but was unable to reclaim the domain name for me. He was, however, able to reestablish my blog with a different domain name and link my Blogger platform to a new domain name. My old domain name was A disgruntled Republican; my new domain name is The Disgruntled Republican. That means that I have lost all of my subscribers and people who had my blog pinned in their "favorites" list. Hopefully, over time, I can rebuild my list of followers.
I am happy to be back in business! If you are a former follower please follow me at this new link.
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