Mark Levin Endorses Grant Starrett For Congress

Press release, MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Last night, Mark Levin endorsed Grant Starrett on

Grant Starrett

his live, nationally-syndicated broadcast. Mark Levin is one of the most influential conservative talk radio hosts in the country and can be heard each evening across the entire 4th Congressional District.

In the interview with Grant Starrett, Levin said "I want to endorse you, strongly. I think you'd make an outstanding Constitutional conservative in the House of Representatives" and "wouldn't it be spectacular to get some new fresh young blood in there, another Constitutional conservative who will give 'em hell?"

Levin had choice words about Grant's opponent: "Scott DesJarlais, the fact of the matter is he's utterly and completely useless. He's definitely a sell out, he's definitely a creature of Washington now."

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Will Pinkston, Amy Frogge and Jill Speering boycott Project Renaissance candidate forum

by Jason Gonzales, The Tennessean, June 14, 2016 - Three incumbent board members are boycotting a candidate forum scheduled by Nashville Rise — a parent group led by nonprofit Project Renaissance — due to concerns about a perceived charter school agenda. The charge is being led by board member Will Pinkston, ....  ...Amy Frogge and Jill Speering also will not be participating. ...  ..forum scheduled for June 23 ... Pinkston has been one of the most vocal critics of Project Renaissance, founded by former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. .... The Tennessean's opinion engagement editor David Plazas will moderate Nashville Rise's candidate forum. (link)

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Corker and Alexander critical of Trump after his post-Orlando speech.

Chattanooga Times Free press, June 15th, 2016 - Dismayed Republicans scrambled for cover Tuesday from Donald Trump's inflammatory response to the Orlando massacre, with both of Tennessee's Republican senators backing away from fully supporting the presumptive GOP nominee.

"I continue to be discouraged by the direction of the campaign and comments that are made," said Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.  ....  not "the type of speech that one would give that wants to lead this country through difficult times."

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., went so far as to suggest Trump might not end up as the party's nominee after all.  "We do not have a nominee until after the convention," Alexander asserted in response to a question. Reminded that Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee, Alexander retorted, "That's what you say." (link)

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Liberty on the Rocks, Thursday, June 16, 201

Thursday, June 16, 2016, 5:30 PM,  Smokin Thighs,  611 Wedgewood Ave Nashville, TN

Liberty on the Rocks is a great place to meet other people, have a beer and some great food. We promote thoughtful and rational discussion on a wide range of topics.
http://www.libertyontherocks.org

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Flood wall designs to move forward

by Joey Garrison, The Tennessean - ... Striking a compromise with the mayor's administration, the Metro Council voted to amend Barry’s 2016-17 capital improvements budget to reduce the amount earmarked for the project from $110 million to $15 million. That’s enough money to finish designs that were already started and solicit community input on a flood wall and protection system that has been billed as an “insurance policy” for a future flood such as the one that devastated Nashville in 2010. ... An original council amendment would have deleted the entire $110 million flood wall project from the capital improvements plan and therefore blocked any planning at all.  ... to build the flood wall and protection system, the council would need to include construction funding — perhaps $95 million or more — in a future capital improvements budget. The water department has bonding capacity to cover funding for the project, ...  

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What's on the Council Agenda for 6/14/16: Flood wall, and other amendments to the CIB

Tonight's council meeting is a special "adjourned" meeting related to the need to pass the budget by July 1.  So that the capital improvements budget may pass at the June 21st meeting, amendments to the CIB will be considered tonight.

Only bills on Third Reading are on the agenda.  To get your own copy of the agenda, follow this link.  To see the amendments that have been filed to amend the CIB follow this link. There is no separate staff analysis, but the bills on the agenda were on the analysis of the June  7th meeting and you can get it at  this link. The only important item on the agenda is the ClB.

The Capital Improvements budget is not really a budget and it appropriates no money.  It is a planning document that list proposed capital spending projects and list the proposed funding to fund the projects.  Many items make it into the CIB but never get funded or built.  If a project is not in the CIB it does not get built. If you have a special project you are concerned about you may want to read the CIB and make sure it is in the budget, however it is unlikely you could do anything to get it added this year.

The most controversial item of the evening will be an amendment by Councilman Bob Mendes to remove from the CIB, the $110 million proposed flood wall. Last year, the proposal to build the wall was defeated by one vote.  Mayor Barry has included in this year's CIB. As a council member in 2015, Barry voted in favor of the wall when it was before the Council.

The 2010 flood of Nashville produced 2 billion dollars in damages, however it was not all downtown.  The wall would only protect downtown but everyone would pay for it by an additional fee added to their water bill.  The 2010 flood was considered a "1000-year flood" meaning the likelihood of such a flood occurring is only once in a thousand years.

The wall would consist of supports, (fence post) permanently in place and in the event of a flood, large slats would be placed in the grooves in the supports, creating the wall.  In essence the wall would be constructed when a flood was approaching.

Assume 75 years from now we have another 1000-year flood.  Am I the only one that things the wall may not work.  Due to road or subway or other construction, some of the supports would have been removed and not replaced or a slight settling of the earth no longer make the pieces fit or proper training  has not taken place and pubic works no longer knows how to make the pieces fit or the wall or some of the slats where relocated and no one knows where they are.  I don't think this is far-fetched.  Government is not even very good at maintaining things used every day.  I am just not confident that something that may never be used will be properly maintained.

In addition to thinking it is difficult to plan for such a system and doubt that it will work when needed, I would assume that protecting down town will cause worse flooding elsewhere.  If water cannot flow into downtown, will it not force more water into east Nashville?  The water has to go somewhere.

This amendment to remove the flood wall from the CIB will be the first continuous issue Mayor Barry has had before the Council.

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Nashville needs a Judicial Campus Master Plan before more money is spent on Sheriff renovation or consolidation “plans”.

Margo Chambers is a citizen activist who closely follows metro events.  In this letter to members of the Metro Council she ask that the Capital Improvements Budget be amended to remove spending on the Sheriff's relocation plan. I think she makes a good argument. 

 

From: "Margo Chambers"

Subject: Today's Vote on Capital Spending

Date: June 14, 2016 at 11:58:20 AM CDT

To:

Greetings,

Nashville needs a Judicial Campus Master Plan before more money is spent on Sheriff renovation or consolidation “plans”.

 

Yesterday I attended a tour of the Harding Place Jail.  Four days prior to this tour, I was permitted to sit in a CJC Renovation Meeting for 15 minutes.  Two very different stories from the Sheriff Department were delivered in less than 100 hours.

 

Yesterday I listened to Sheriff Hall explain why the consolidation of four sheriff properties from downtown will be a part of the Capital Spending request given to Council, today.  He explained he does not know ‘where’ certain other ideas for the CJC Renovation plan came from – but it wasn’t from HIM. 

The Sheriff’s pitch yesterday:  the reason Council should spend $20M or $40M to consolidate the Sheriff’s four properties into the CJC Renovation project is... every other Metro department does this!  Every other Metro Departments get city funds without presenting a plan, so “Why not let the Sheriff” do this, too?

Last Thursday, I heard a Sheriff employee confirm to the 'CJC Renovation' Design Team (chair is General Services, Nancy Whittemore) that the Jerry Newson Training Facility would NOT be involved in any part of the CJC Renovation project.

 

Today the Sheriff asks you to endorse several different versions of the same project name.  Please do not endorse this.  A Failure to Plan, is a Plan to Fail.

 

There has been no Judicial Campus Master Plan presented for two years in a row.  Despite the city paying a contractor $1.5M to produce a Judicial Campus Master Plan.  Despite the city awarding a contract to produce a Judicial Campus Master Plan.   Despite Council voting down the (essentially same) Sheriff’s “plan”, last year!

Despite everybody understanding the CJC building is in bad shape!

 

Please approve amendments in this year’s budget which remove spending taxpayer money on any Sheriff Relocation “Plan”.  

 

This would include not spending on the Sheriff’s CJC Renovation ‘plan’, or an Inmate Relocation ‘plan’, or a Sheriff Consolidation ‘plan’, or any other plan which applies to our Judicial Campus.  Due to what the Sheriff said, yesterday!

 

Please do not fund city projects which have several different versions of the same plan name.  The CJC Renovation Project should have ONE version. 

 

Do not approve spending on the CIB project CM Steve Glover inserted last minute, into the CIB, last year.  That action appears to have wasted at least $10M worth of bond money. 

 

Please approve amendments that will clarify how and when city money can be spent.  Establish accountability in the Procurement department.   

 

Things to consider - Inconsistencies given:

 

The Metro Procurement Department refuses to get a contract deliverable:  the Judicial Campus Master Plan.  Council paid $1.5M in 2014 – and Contract 317260 was billed.  Today, the Sheriff and General Services claim they do not know what a “Judicial Campus” Master Plan means.  This points to a General Services “Fail”.  If it is true that no one knows what Judicial Campus Master Plan means then WHY does General Services ask Council to spend $1.5M on something not defined?   Is Council going to let General Services do this again when Council approves spending $1M, today, on a Juvenile Justice Center Master Plan?  What exactly does this mean?

 

Metro pays a private prison company (CCA) $20M a year to manage 1,000 empty beds at the Harding Place facility.  Today, Council is being asked to use taxpayer money to ‘temporarily’ pay the Sheriff to house approx 1,000 inmates at the Harding Place facility  - for the CJC Renovation.  Someone (Sheriff or CCA) at Harding Place already has the excess capacity needed to temporarily house the inmates from the CJC center.  Who is it (Sheriff or CCA)?  Should Metro pay TWICE, to house inmates?

 

I have found $17M in Revenue coming from the State to Metro, for a Sheriff contract with CCA at the Harding Place facility.  I have not found a $20M Expense, per year for the Metro/CCA 1,000 Empty Bed Management contract.  This is another city contract never communicated to Council (points to a Procurement “Fail”).

 

If consolidation and cost savings are important:  can Metro save money at Harding Place by asking the Sheriff and CCA to use the same vendors?  Yesterday on the jail tour I was told the Harding Place jail complex has two vendors for things like medical care, inmate food, inmate clothing, phones, etc.  That seems odd. 

And expensive.  The Sheriff has one medical contract for ‘their’ inmates;  CCA (at Harding Place) has a different medical contract at Harding Place.

 

The State is involved a lot, with Sheriff duties and responsibilities.  According to the State, The Sheriff’s Office must be located close to the main county jail (so it really does matter where the county jail moves ‘to’).  This affects “release” and “Pre-Trial Diversion” – which affects Court Case load.  Judicial Campus impacts.

 

In 2013, the State Comptroller issued a 'Finding' that Davidson County had underreported (!) 5,000 inmate beds.  The State asked Metro for a refund.  I did not see a reduction to Metro by the State (as was suggested), due to this ‘Finding’.

 

Please do not vote to release Capital Spending dollars on an unknown and unsafe Sheriff “plan”.  Council will be held accountable for advancing a poor city plan.

 

Margo Chambers

Nashville Resident District 24

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Look who voted to draft your daughter.

Today the Senate  voted to advance S. 2943, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.  The bill included a provision that forces America’s young women between the ages of 18 and 26 to register for the Selective Service, which makes them eligible for a military draft should Congress reinstate the draft for some future military need. The bills passed 85 to 13.

Legislation often contains bad provisions, but the good in the bill outweighs the bad and the bill needs to pass anyway. It is a judgement call as to whether or not the underlying bill is of such importance that one must accept a bad provision.  I don't know if this bill was critical enough to have to accept the provision making young women register for the draft or not. I would have to have more context to draw a conclusion.  It is often a cheap shot to claim someone voted for something despicable without explaining that it was part of crucial piece of legislation. 

I certainly oppose making women eligible for the draft.  I oppose the draft itself unless it is absolutely necessary.  Free people should own their own lives.  Being forced to serve the State for a period of time, whether in the military or some sort of national service, is wrong, unless there is an overwhelming national need.  We already have to surrender a large portion of our income to the government for our whole life; we should not also have to give years of our life.  While I oppose the draft and think the all volunteer military is the proper way to meet our nations national security needs, I do not oppose selective service registration. In the event of a need for a massive mobilization, we need a pool of fighting age men to pull from.  But, we should not force women to register.  I am chauvinistic enough to believe men should be expected to defend women and children and women and children should only fight if that is all that is left, and maybe by the time we reach that point it is time to surrender anyway.

The move toward making women register for the draft follow logically from making women eligible for combat rolls.  This has been coming for a long time.

Tennessee Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander both voted "yes."  For a complete list of how Senator voted, follow this link.

 

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Bill Haslam, other GOP governors meeting with Donald Trump

The Tennessean - Gov. Bill Haslam and other Republican governors are in New York City today to meet with presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
"Gov. Haslam joined several other governors in New York today to meet with Mr. Trump and discuss state and federal issues," said Jennifer Donnals, a spokeswoman for Haslam. (link)

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Tennessee revenues have surpassed estimates by $800 million so far this fiscal year

Times Free Press, Nashville - Tennessee reaped nearly $800 more than budget estimates of tax collections during the first ten months of the fiscal year, state Finance Department officials said Friday. The total for May tax collections on April activity was $41.3 million over estimates. Finance Commissioner Larry Martin said in a statement that the totals, primarily from sales taxes, "reflect significant improvement over this time last year."

While business franchise and excise taxes fell short of May 2015 figures — as well as below last month's budgeted estimate — "all other tax collections, taken as a group, were above the May estimate," Martin said in his statement.

Year-to-date revenues for the first 10 ten months of the 2015-16 fiscal year are running a whopping $798.4 million more than estimates. The fiscal year ends June 30.

The general fund, which pays for most state government functions from public education to prisons, is $735.8 million above budgeted estimates for the year. (link)

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Jeff Roberts Named New Administrator of Elections for Davidson County

Press release, 6/13/2016, NASHVILLE, Tenn.  - The Davidson County Election Commissioners voted unanimously today to hire Jeff Roberts as the new administrator of elections.

“Jeff Roberts brings strong managerial and financial experience from both the private and government sectors and has worked in different administrations,” said Jim DeLanis, Election Commission chair. “We believe he has the management experience and analytical skills to keep the Election Commission moving in a positive direction with error-free elections.”

Roberts has worked in both state and city departments as deputy commissioner with the Tennessee Department of Education, assistant commissioner for finance and administration with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and assistant purchasing agent with Metro Finance Department. Most recently, he was chief operating officer for FSI, Inc., a supply chain management firm.

He is a graduate of The University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance.

“I look forward to working with the members of the Election Commission and the Commission staff to meet the needs of all the voters of Davidson County,” said Roberts.

Roberts will start in the next couple weeks and have time to acclimate prior to the State Primary & County General Election on August 4. He will take the administrator reins from Joan Nixon, the deputy administrator who has been serving as interim administrator since April 1.

Working with Metro Nashville Department of Human Resources, the Election Commission narrowed the list of 179 administrator applicants to 12 candidates. Roberts was one of seven finalists interviewed by commissioners.

The Davidson County Election Commission is responsible for providing free and fair elections to every eligible citizen. The Election Commission is regulated by State of Tennessee law and funded by Metro Nashville government. The main office is located at 1417 Murfreesboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37217. For more information, visit www.nashville.gov/voten

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1st Tuesday meets Monday June 20th, Guest speaker Alberto Gonzales.

Alberto Gonzales

1ST TUESDAY Members and friends

If you've not already made plans to join us on MONDAY, June 20th for June's 1ST TUESDAY lunch event with former US Attorney General ALBERTO GONZALES, please do so !!!

You may know that Mr. Gonzales has stepped forward advocating Mr. Trump's questioning of Federal Judge in San Diego who is handling the Trump University civil case.

Many of you will have questions into how law enforcement is handling the Orlando tragedy, and what laws and limits are currently in force. 

Or.. how can a ''President Trump'' really prevent some from entering the US ? 

Could he truly deport those who have already been granted entry into the country ?

No question... a slew of intriguing and important questions abound .... and for us... the former US Attorney General will be...in the right place at the Right time with the RIGHT group!

Secure your seats today by clicking on ''Join Us '' at 1st Tuesday Nashville and pass this on to those you know who will want to join us on MONDAY,  June 20th !! 

Thanks!

Tim Skow

Host of 1ST TUESDAY  

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