Liberty Rejected by Nashville Council
🏛 Last night at Metro Council · Ogles calls out NES · Boring starts boring · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Last night at Metro council... Tracking NES numbers until Nashville's grid is restored... Ogles calls out NES... Boring to begin boring under Music City... And much more!
Things That Never Happen But Should Join us Thursday, February 19th for an evening with Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist. This is the third installment of the Pamphleteer's new monthly event series. Paying Bard-level subscribers receive free access to this and future events. (Buy Tickets)
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Why did the Metro Council quietly reject a partnership with Liberty University?
From Megan Podsiedlik
🏛 Last night, the council decided to reject a benign bill that would have created an agreement with the Office of Family Safety to provide fieldwork experience for students enrolled in Liberty University's social work programs. There’s no fiscal note; the arrangement is mutually beneficial. Metro has made similar arrangements with multiple universities in the past, so why reject Liberty?
Liberty University is widely understood to be a conservative institution rooted in evangelical Christian beliefs. Frankly, the rejection felt political. For onlookers paying attention, it’s hard to ignore the implications of the rejection and easy to come to the conclusion that, at the very least, the members were making a statement.
From performative resolutions to defund police sentiments to blatant favoritism, we’ve seen it all from the most “progressive council in Nashville's history.” A council whose members rejected Morgan Wallen’s permit to put a neon sign in front his bar simply because they don’t like him. And the pettiness isn’t cheap. It costs a pretty penny, as was the case two years ago when the council selectively settled up one lawsuit regarding First Amendment rights and rejected a reasonable settlement for another, all in the name of identity politics—a $1.8 million mistake taxpayers will shoulder.
During last night’s docket, heard alongside a toothless resolution denouncing Elon Musk’s underground transit project in Nashville and other token gestures, the council rejected Liberty University without discussion.
Perhaps they're taking cues from the mayor, who often projects a particular about-face depending on which groups he's speaking to. In front of the mainstream, he often masks the intentions behind his decisions or indecision. When amongst his progressive cohort, he smooths any ruffled feathers with a wink and a nudge. Of course, this is mere speculation. All very easy to plausibly deny. So, council members, was it political?
✹ THINGS THAT NEVER HAPPEN BUT SHOULD
Welcome to America in 2026. You're sitting at the End of History. Nothing will ever happen again.
The steady march toward the impossible vision of a borderless world governed by rooms full of perfectly rational leaders incapable of committing evil in thought word or deed continues apace.
Will anything–can anything happen–that shakes us from our stupor? Is "Nothing Ever Happens" the law of the land? What should happen that hasn't happened?
Join us Thursday, February 19th as we sit down with Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist, to discuss whether anything will ever happen again and more. (Buy Ticket)
This event is for the benefit of The Pamphleteer and free for paying, Bard-level subscribers.
⚡️ Power Levels As of this writing, the NES power outage map shows 9,537 customers without power. That’s 8,643 fewer customers than yesterday. The NES chart showing when the utility expects full power restoration broken down by zip code has been updated. The estimated date range for some areas extends to February 8th.
HEADLINES
- 💡 Representative Andy Ogles is calling for state oversight of Nashville Electric Service. On Monday, Ogles sent a letter to Tennessee's General Assembly expressing concern over "continued failures" by NES. (Fox 17)
- ⛏️ Elon Musk’s Boring Co. says it is “ready to begin tunneling” in Nashville but is still awaiting five final permits and approvals. Negotiations with state transportation officials and the airport authority are ongoing, as Metro Council members raise concerns over transparency and safety practices.(NBJ)
- 🔥 A fire at Elm Hill Marina on Percy Priest Lake damaged or destroyed 13 boats early Feb. 3, with one houseboat fully engulfed when crews arrived. Occupants evacuated safely and no injuries were reported. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is investigating the cause. (Tennessean)
- ⚽️ Olympics games are coming to Nashville. GEODIS Park was chosen to host the 2028 Olympic Football (Soccer) Tournaments. The six other cities were chosen including Los Angeles, New York, Columbus, St. Louis, San José, and San Diego. (Fox 17)
DEVELOPMENT
- TennGreen Land Conservancy protects 46-acre farm in Williamson (NBJ)
- Hines scraps 2.7M-square-foot Midtown project, lists site (NBJ)
- PopUp Bagels to Open in The Gulch (Scene)
- Members-only cigar lounge opens in the Gulch (NBJ)
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
🪕 Songs and Stories by Larry Cordle & Friends @ Station Inn, 8p, Info
🐶 Woofstock at the Winery with Emmylou Harris @ City Winery, 7:30p, $102+, Info
🥁 Don Was & The Pan Detroit Ensemble @ The Basement East, 8p, $37.04, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik, and Camelia Brennan.