Eyes on OEM
🔎 Commission investigating Nashville's ice storm response seeks answers from OEM, not just NES · Helicopters helping to catch street racers · TN state and federal ballots all but finalized. · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Commission investigating Nashville's ice storm response wants answers from Metro's Office of Emergency Management, not just NES... Helicopters helping Nashville police catch street racers... TN state and federal race candidate lists all but finalized... And much more!
The Battle for Nashville's Soul Join us Thursday, March 26th for a discussion with developer and advocate Chris Remke as we dig into the city's actions around zoning and property taxes. (Buy Ticket)
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Winter Storm Response Commission seeks clarity on Metro's emergency response, not just NES.
From Megan Podsiedlik
Board members of the mayor’s Winter Storm Response Commission pointed out what has largely been ignored in the wake of the ice storm during today’s meeting: Metro government is the control center when it comes to responding to major disasters in Nashville.
“In the end, it is incumbent on the Metro government to have managed this disaster response and recovery,” said member and Vice Mayor Angie Henderson, who suggested the commission interview Metro’s Office of Emergency Management toward the end of its investigative process to ensure accountability and clarity before submitting its final report and recommendations.
Commission appointee and General Manager of Dickson Electric System, Darrell Gillespie, agreed. “Office of Emergency Management is one of the pillars of a storm sequence like what we experienced,” said Gillespie, who explained that the OEM is one of the key organizations responsible for how Nashville’s emergency response was handled.
Commission member and Vanderbilt Director of Emergency Management, Johnny Vanderpool, said he would like to see all the activities that came out of Metro’s Emergency Operations Center, including scribe notes, activation levels, timestamps, and dates.
“EOC…is your command and coordination hub,” said Vanderpool. “In reality, that's where…all this coordination should have worked out of,” he continued, explaining that though NES has been painted as the entity in charge of Nashville's emergency response, in reality, OEM and Metro “should have been the big driver of this.”
Going forward, staff will be conducting preliminary interviews with subject matter experts to provide the commission with pertinent background information. While commission members are allowed to attend the interviews, Chair Phil Bredesen recommended that attendance be kept to a minimum as to not invoke TN sunshine laws which require public notice and access to such meetings.
Over the coming months, the commission will also be conducting public interviews of departments and other subject matter experts. Chair Bredesen hopes the body will be able to provide an interim report sometime in late July or mid-August. A final report is expected to be released in mid-November.
✹ DOES NASHVILLE WANT YOU TO STAY?
The Zoning Phantom Leadeth the Taxman Zoning, land use, and property tax disputes have animated political discussions in Nashville since Mayor Freddie O'Connell first took office in September 2023.
Through his Substack, Built to Think, and organization, Save Our Nashville Neighborhoods, Chris Remke has emerged as the city’s most potent critic of the Metro agenda. He's effectively drawn attention to everything from Nashville’s inflated growth projections to the smoke-and-mirrors assurances given to homeowners about how upzoning would affect them, and most recently, the betrayal of local businesses now saddled with unwieldy tax bills.
Join us Thursday evening, March 26th, for a wide-ranging discussion on what Metro is trying to achieve and where they've gone wrong.
This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer, Nashville, and priced with that in mind. Bard-level subscribers receive free admittance.
LOCAL COLOR
🔌 Behind The Velvet Rope The mayor’s Winter Storm Response Commission is not likely to investigate “preferential treatment” during Nashville’s ice storm. During today’s meeting, commission member and owner of Easley Communications, Cassandra Easley, brought up media coverage indicating that “privileged individuals were able to reach out to the president of NES to get special treatment.”
Though no specific incident was mentioned, Easley was likely alluding to reports that NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin directed employees to provide two NES board members and Senator Marsha Blackburn with information about restoration timelines that were not available to the general public.
Chair Phil Bredesen told commission members that the body can investigate anything it wants to, but was personally hesitant about expanding its scope to investigating the exchanges.
✹ METRO COUNCIL WATCH
Who bankrolls your councilmember? We analyzed every donation to every council member to show you whether they're funded by their constituents or someone else. Higher grades go to those who raise more money locally. (Take a Look)
HEADLINES
- 🚁 Helicopters helping police catch street racers in Nashville. Since MNPD’s Street Racer Initiative began in 2020, officers have conducted over 1,400 traffic stops, arrested 399 people, filed 446 misdemeanor charges and 90 felony charges, recovered 22 guns, made 17 drug seizures, and impounded 93 vehicles. (NewsChannel 5)
- 🏛 Martha Sundquist, former Tennessee first lady, dies at 88. The widow of former congressman and two-term Republican Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist passed away two and a half years after her husband’s passing. (Tennessean)
- 🗳 Ballots all but finalized for TN state and federal races.
✹ Socioeconomic Indicators in TN Legislative Districts
The Sycamore Institute, a nonpartisan public policy research center based out of Nashville, put together an interactive map showing socioeconomic indicators in Tennessee’s legislative districts.
Click here to get more information about education, health care & insurance, housing, and income & poverty levels in your area.
DEVELOPMENT
- Pelican & Pig to close in East Nashville after 7 years, citing soaring restaurant costs (Fox 17)
- The Barbershop Harmony Society is selling its downtown Nashville building (NBJ)
- Create Energy announces $78 million Middle Tennessee investment, 1,000 new jobs (Post)
- Vanderbilt releases renderings for sports facilities (Post)
- Sylvan Heights building listed for $3.2M (Post)
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 Ratboys @ The Basement East, 8p, $29.83, Info
🎸 Al Olender @ The East Room, 8p, $21.32, Info
🥁 Live Jazz: Parker James, Paul DeFiglia and Anson Hohne @ Vinyl Tap, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
🎸 Open Mic @ Fox & Locke, 6:30p, Free, Info
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.