Update. What happened at the Council meeting of 2-2-16: PILOT to fund affordable housing, no new reg for historic home events, ....

... $10M more for Meharry money pit, inclusionary zoning bills deferred on first reading, Human Relations strengthening bill deferred.



To see my commentary on the agenda a link to the agenda and agenda analysis, follow this link. There are a lot of zoning bills on public hearing and I don't report on them unless they have an impact beyond one community or prove extremely controversial, so if you are particularly interested in a zoning issue, don't rely on my analysis or meeting summary.

Following the prayer and pledge, the meeting starts with a presentation about heart disease and the agenda is not taken up until time stamp 8:23. Below is a summary of the meeting calling attention to the most important actions.
Charles Robert Bone's appointment to the board of MDHA is a approved and all other mayoral appointments to Boards and Commissions are approved. The other appointments were to the NECAT  board.

• BILL NO. BL2015-96 by Councilman Withers which would restrict all “Historic home events” to enclosed areas is withdrawn without explanation. Good. That was a bad bill. An explanation would have been nice.
• BILL NO. BL2016-107 by Councilman Anthony Davis which would expand the Inglewood Place - Jackson Park Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District to 454 additional acres has people wearing green "Preserve Inglewood" tee shirts speak in favor of the bill, and several people speak against.  It is approved. To see the discussion on this bill see time stamp 18:15- 41:45.
• BILL NO. BL2016-109 which is a rezoning proposal for property on Kenilwood Drive to allow the construction of large self-story facility generates some negative comments from the public and passes second reading. See time stamp 47:15 -1:14:01 to view the discussion.
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-86 which authorizes MDHA to  enter into a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) Agreement with a developer, developing a 240 unit apartment complex of affordable housing is approved on a voice vote. This is the first of its kind program in Nashville to build affordable housing using this tool.  
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-100 which request an addition $10 million dollars in operating subsidy for Metro hospital in addition to the $35 million dollar operating subsidy in the FY16 budget is approved unanimously. I am disappointed and think Metro should totally get out of the hospital business.  I am disappointing that none of the council members who identify as conservatives took a stand on this issue. Since poor people can go to the hospital of their choice, there is no need for Metro to have a charity hospital. While passing unanimous, the council does require the Hospital Authority to report report back to the Council on their financial status and questions the timing of the request. If Council had not approved this expenditure, the hospital would not have been able to meet their next payroll. Metro privatized the two nursing homes it used to own and should do the same thing with Meharry Hospital. The way I see it, the only reason we have a Metro General Hospital now is because it is a payoff to the Black Community. Metro General is also know as Meharry Hospital and is the teaching hospital of Meharry Medical College. Meharry Medical College is a Black institution and the Black community takes pride in it. All candidates for Mayor promised they would continue to support it. Due to the desire to curry favor with the Black community, politicians still continue to poor money into the Meharry Hosptial money pit despite there being no logic to funding a charity hospital.  If I am missing something and there is logic to funding Meharry, I would like for someone to explain it. Without a Metro charity hospital, is there anyone served who would not otherwise be served?  Not all cities have charity hospitals. How do cities without charity hospitals care for their indigent? To view the discussion, see time stamp 139:05- 1:56:54. To read The Tennessean report on the issue see Council approves emergency $10M for Metro General Hospital.
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-101  refinancing some metro bonds to a more favorable interest rate freeing up some debt capacity, passes unanimously. This sounds like a good deal to me.
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-102  which takes out the north shed portion of Farmers Market is deferred two meetings. It is revealed that the $4M that the State is going to pay Metro for releasing the northern sheds, will not flow back to the Metro General fund but will go to subsidize the operation of the Farmers Market. I do not like that and think the money should go to the General Fund and any additional subsidizing of Farmers Market should have to come before the Metro Council. In my view the Farmers Market should not have to be subsidized. I like Farmers Market but think it should be able to cover its own operating cost. Kudos to Council member Jacobia Dowell for speaking out on this issue.  
• RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-113 is a memorizing resolution asking the Davidson County Delegation to oppose House Bill 1412 sponsored by Rep. Mark Pody which responds to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges which forced all states to grant license for same-sex marriage, by saying the Supreme Court's decision in Tennessee is "unauthoritative, void and of no effect." I am no friend of gay marriage but do think HB 1412 is a bad bill. RS2016-113 passes on a voice vote. 
• BILL NO. BL2016-133 and BILL NO. BL2016-134 on First Reading are the inclusionary zoning ordinances and they are deferred indefinitely. Almost never is a bill on First Reading not passed.  For more on this issue, read The Tennessean's report at this link: Affordable housing plan delayed in Metro Council  
• BILL NO. BL2016-99 which would strengthen the Human Relations Commission by removing the term limits for members of the Commission is deferred one meeting.

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Council Members: Vote against Human Relations appointees who support the Metro Youth Pavilion at Gay Pride Festival

There are several people up for Council confirmation of their appointment to the Human Relations Commission next Tuesday night.  The Human Relations Commission is an organization that serves no purpose except to promote political correctness and should be abolished.  

One of the things the Human Relations Commission does is sponsor a youth pavilion at the Nashville Gay Pride Festival. I am sure many Nashvillians believe that homosexual activity is deviant behavior and a sin.  Metro should not be in the business of normalizing and promoting acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle among our youth.

I would hope that the appointees to the HRC will be questioned and asked if they support Metro’s funding of the youth pavilion at the gay pride event.  If they do, the council members who do not believe this is a proper roll for Metro government should vote against those appointees. 

Below are the list of  the Mayor’s appointees to the Human Relations Commission who will be  up for confirmation by the Council on Tuesday  May 21^st.

Human Relations Commission
Reappointment of Ms. Debra Palmer George for a term expiring April 18, 2016.
Reappointment of Ms. Sharon Kay for a term expiring April 18, 2016.
Appointment of Mr. Richard Kennedy for a term expiring April 18, 2016.
Appointment of Ms. Tasha French Lemley for a term expiring April 18, 2016.
Reappointment of Mr. Don Peterson for a term expiring April 18, 2016.
Reappointment of Mr. Avi Poster for a term expiring April 18, 2016.
Appointment of Mr. Frank Trew for a term expiring April 18, 2016.

If you would like to let your councilman know you would like for them to question and vote against those appointees who support Metro’s funding of a youth pavilion at the Nashivlle Gay Pride festival, follow this link to find the email address of  your councilman and the councilmen-at-large: Contact your Councilman.

I have written my Council member the following short message.

Dean Council Lady Moore,

I do not think it appropriate that Metro should fund a youth pavilion at the Nashville Gay Pride Festival. We should not be sending the message to our youth that homosexuality is normal and acceptable.

Several people are up for confirmation of their appointment to the Human Relations Commission next Tuesday.  I would urge you to question them on their views on Metro’s funding of the youth pavilion at the Nashville Gay Pride Festival. If they support this program, I urge you to vote against their confirmation.

Sincerely

Rod Williams

I am also sending a similar message to all of the Council-Members-at-large and a hand full of other council members who I consider conservatives who I think may be inclined to think that funding a youth pavilion at the Nashville Gay Pride Festival is inappropriate.

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Your Metro Tax Dollars funded a Youth Pavillion at the Nashville Gay Pride Festival

Did you know your tax dollars went to fund the Metro Human Relations Youth Area at Nashville's Gay Pride Festival?

Why should the city support the Youth Pavilion at the Nashville Gay Pride event? Many Christian Nashvillians may feel that homosexuality is a perversion and a sin. Should the City be supporting our young people at an event that celebrates and normalizes homosexuality.

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The budget hearing of the Department of Politically Correct Propaganda and Indoctrination (Human Relations Commission)

Above is the Mayor's budget hearing of the Human Relations Commission. This is a small Department with only 3.3 full-time-equivalent positions, however, this organization does nothing that is necessary.

Not that all they do is bad, but much of what they do is a duplication of what is already being done by non-profit advocacy groups. Some of what they do is being done by offices such as Tennessee Fair Housing Council or the Attorney General's office. In her testimony, the Director says she only gets two or three calls a month regarding compliance issues.

This organization should more aptly be named the Department of Politically Correct Propaganda and Indoctrination. Why should the city support the Youth Pavilion at the Nashville Gay Pride event? Many Christian Nashvillians may feel that homosexuality is a perversion and that the city should not be in the position of supporting our young people in an event that celebrates and normalizes homosexuality. I would like to know what they taught the 160 students who attended their Human Relations Summit. I would like to be assured that this organization is not undermining the values children are being taught at home.

Metro's 50th anniversary celebration would have happened without a Metro Human Relations Commission and the NashvilleNext program, which I support and which is an on-going planning exercise, would happen without an office of Human Relations.

I actually enjoy the event "Celebrate Nashville" which use to be more apply named the "Celebration of Cultures." If the Human Relations Commission went away, I have no doubt that this celebration would continue.

I don't expect it to happen, but I would hope the Council would defund this office and abolish it. When I served in the Council in the mid-eighties we did defund this office for several years and we survived just fine without it.  I am proud of my role in, at least for a short time, abolishing this agency. If we abolished the Metro Human Relations Commission we would never miss it. Let liberal advocacy groups do their own fundraising instead of getting Metro dollars to advocate for their causes.

I would hope one of our conservative council members would present an alternative budget that eliminates this unnecessary department.  If there is a citizen activist looking to get involved in monitoring agencies of Metro Government, this is one that needs close monitoring. I would like to know who they are collaborating with and what else they are teaching.

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Do not fund the Metro Human Relations Commission

Metropolitan Human Relations Commission

 By Fred Cloud , Nashville 

In 1970 Cloud assumed the post of executive director and remained in that position until 1990. In 1995 after a five-year hiatus in the life of the commission caused by a discontinuation of operating funds, the budget was reinstated under Mayor Philip Bredesen. Anthea Boarman became the new executive director. Throughout its existence, the staff of the Metropolitan Human Rights Commission has assumed leadership roles in both state and national human rights organizations. (link)

I knew that sometime during the time I served in the Metro Council that we had not funded the Human Relations Commission.  I worked hard to deny the agency funding. I could not recall for how long nor what year the agency was defunded. I left the Council in 1990. It must have been that 1990 was the year we defunded it and that the funding was not restored until 1995. 

I was unaware that we had no Commission form 1990-1995.  This is an agency that indoctrinates and organizes people for liberal causes. Not all of their causes are bad, however there are liberal advocacy groups to do the advocating for these causes. Taxpayers money should not be used to promote a liberal agenda.

Council: Please do not fund the Metro Human Relations Commission.

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Human Relations Budget Hearing. An agency that should be abolished.

Watch the video

Summary of the Human Relations Budget hearings


Caroline Blackwell, the Executive Director makes the presentation. A 2% reduction in the budget would negatively impact the agency. The agency would be less able to fund guest speakers for the proposed Student Human Relations Summit and would otherwise impact the agencies outreach effort. 

My View

Most people have probably never heard of the Metro Human Relations Commission. They are a relatively small agency with a  budget of $234,100 and a staff of three.  To learn more about the agency visit their website. 

Below is a description of their function:

The Metro Human Relations Commission protects and promotes the dignity of all people through a menu of services that help ensure safety, health, security, peace and general welfare in Davidson County. Committed to community education and advocacy for diversity—and for the cultural awareness, understanding, and behaviors needed to foster inclusion—the Commission assists individuals and organizations in understanding and defending their civil and human rights.

The MHRC core services include educational resources that promote effective intergroup relations, diversity training, dialogue, study circles and other group facilitation models, Title VI training and compliance support, data collection, intake and timely processing of discrimination inquiries and complaints, community forums, ADR and community problem-solving, policy recommendations, public hearings and Commission reports.

This agency could better be named The Agency for Political Correctness and Indoctrination.  It is not that I do not share some of the objectives of the agency. I am opposed to hate and bullying and I want Nashville to be a welcoming community that appreciates our cultural diversity and I am a pretty tolerant guy. I do not, however, think that an agency of government should be devoted to the functions of this agency. All of the functions of this agency could either be done by existing government agencies such as Fair Housing, the Attorney General's Office, and law enforcement or by private liberal advocacy agencies such as the Scarritt Bennett Center, the First Amendment Center, The Peace and Justice Center, The Neighborhood Resource Center, The NAACP or any of a number of other advocacy groups.

Back in the 80's when I was serving in the Metro Council during a particularly tight budget year, the Council defunded the agency, essentially closing it down for a year, or maybe two. The Commission still existed but had no staff and could not do much. I was instrumental in helping that to occur. It is one of my proudest accomplishments of my service in the Council. I was aided in this effort by the fact that we had a particularly outspoken director of the agency at the time who had had the agency participate in Gay Rights events and who had written a letter on Metro Human Relations letterhead opposing the war in Nicaragua where the US was supporting the anti-Communist freedom fighters know as the Contras.  The director at that time had been able to offend quite a few people by his promotion of a very left-wing agenda.

Metro Government should not be in the business of progressive indoctrination and community organizing.  Rather than raise taxes one cent, this agency should be abolished.

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