Shrinking Council
⚖️ Will Council get cut in half? · Council members call for the ouster of NES CEO · Cleaning up after Fern · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Will Nashville's Council get cut in half? TN Supreme Court hears oral arguments... Council members call for the ouster of NES CEO... Cleaning up the mess that Fern left behind... And much more!
Who funds your Councilmember? Checkout our new Council Watch tool. 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. (Explore)
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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Will Nashville’s council shrink? The TN Supreme Court arguments are in.
From Megan Podsiedlik
In 2023, the state passed a law that would effectively cut Metro Council in half. The city took the state to court and initially won its case. The ruling was later overturned in the Court of Appeals, but, upon Metro’s request, the Tennessee Supreme Court agreed to hear the case.
This morning, Tennessee’s five justices heard arguments from both sides.
Metro Nashville’s argument: “Crafty drafting.” That’s how Metro Legal’s Associate Director, Allison Bussell, characterized the state’s law. Metro contends the statute is unconstitutional local legislation disguised as a general law. Specifically, Bussell tried to make the case that state lawmakers are attempting to single out Metro Nashville, eroding local sovereignty using the guise of state sovereignty in violation of the Tennessee Constitution.
In a press conference last April, Metro Legal Director Wally Dietz stated that this is “the most important lawsuit in the history of the Metropolitan government." Bussell echoed his sentiment during today’s oral arguments, highlighting that the State’s interpretation would set a dangerous precedent regarding local sovereignty.
The State’s argument: The State maintains that the law is valid due to the fact that though Metro Nashville is the only municipality affected by the law, it applies statewide. Principal Deputy Solicitor General for the Tennessee AG's Office, Madeline Clark, argued that any Metro-specific language included in the law merely sets up a transition mechanism for Nashville since it's the only current municipality impacted by the change. Furthermore, though Nashville's Council is not bound by the recommended structure outlined by the state, the General Assembly still has broader authority to limit the amount of members in the body.
Flashback: Early on, Metro Legal laid the groundwork for its argument by citing the “home rule,” arguing that the Tennessee Constitution protects Metro’s local protocol, which only allows the consolidation of Nashville's legislative body by amending its Charter as “adopted by voters.”
During 2023’s General Assembly session, House Leader Lamberth defended the constitutionality of the bill that would create this council cap by citing the Dillon Rule.
“This body creates both cities and Metro governments,” argued Lamberth. “That is part of our responsibility. . .The Tennessee Constitution provides that ‘the General Assembly shall, by general law, provide the exclusive method of which municipalities may be created, merged, consolidated, and dissolved and by which municipal boundaries may be changed’ is our responsibility.”
It’s worth noting that back in 2015, an amendment to reduce the body of Nashville’s Metro council members from 40 to 27 appeared on the ballot. The amendment failed, and Metro Council remains the third-largest city council in the country.
✹ 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.
✹ 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
- 🔥 Council members call for the firing of Nashville Electric Service CEO. In the wake of Fern, Councilmembers Emily Benedict and Courtney Johnston are spearheading the ouster of Teresa Broyles-Aplin. The council members filed a resolution citing Broyles-Aplin’s “demonstrated failures in leadership, preparedness, risk management, and public communication during recent extended power outages.” (Resolution 1801)
- 🧹 Hundreds of crew members are working around the clock to clean up Music City. Nashville Department of Transportation crews have already hauled away at least 142,000 cubic yards—roughly 43 Olympic-size swimming pools —of debris from city streets. (NewsChannel 5)
- 💰 Governor Bill Lee launches a campaign supporting TN Constitutional Amendment Two that would prevent the implementation of state property tax. The governor’s “Yes on 2” campaign bolsters the effort to codify that only local governments in Tennessee can collect property taxes. (Mainstreet)
- 🔪 Runner threatened with knife on Nashville’s Stones River greenway trail. According to arrest documents, the runner was stretching at the greenway trailhead when he was approached by Reginald Williams who allegedly pulled out a knife and told the runner he “better run” back to his truck. (WKRN)
- 🛎 Nashville breaks record for hotel rooms sold in 2025. Across Davidson County, 10.244 million hotel rooms were sold in 2025, beating the previous record set in 2023 at 10.018 million rooms and 2024’s 9.9 million rooms sold. (NBJ)
DEVELOPMENT
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
🎷Live Jazz: Parker James, Paul DeFiglia & Anson Hohne @ Vinyl Tap, 7p, Free, Info
🎸 Clint Black @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $49+, Info
🎸 Taylor McCall w/ Olivia Wolf @ The Basement, 7p, $19.78, Info
🎸 John Denver Celebration Concert w/ Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $39+, 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.