State Senator Jack Johnson's 10th Annual Boots and Jeans, BBQ and Beans event

Description

Please join State Senator Jack Johnson for his 10th Annual Boots and Jeans, BBQ and Beans event with Special Guest, Congressman Marsha Blackburn, honoring the Williamson County Republican State House Candidates: State Representative Glen Casada, State Representative Charles Sargent and Colonel Sam Whitson (Republican Nominee for the 65th House District).  BBQ provided by Martin's BBQ and music by Charlie Richards & the Austin Brothers.

Date and Time: Sun, October 16, 2016. 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM CDT

Location: The Factory At Franklin, 230 Franklin Road, Franklin, TN 37064, View Map

For Tickets, follow this link.  

 

 

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Meetup of "The Right Alternative," this Friday, Oct. 14.

If  I were starting a conservative group, I would not name it "Alt Right."  That term has been used to describe unsavory far right elements of the political spectrum.  I attended my first meeting of this group with a little trepidation but I met the organizer and the other people who attended the first meetup and this is a harmless little discussion group of conservatives who are basically fed up with political correctness and being shamed into silence by the liberal establishment; no skinhead, no racist - you might think of them as normal people who Hillary calls "the deplorables."

I am going to attend my second meeting of the group, which will be the group's third meeting.  Please Join us. Here is information from the Meetup page of the group.

• Friday, October 14, 2016 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

• Peg Leg Porker 903 Gleaves St, Nashville., Nashville, TN (map)

 What Is the Alt Right?

• What is the Alt Right? I imagine some folks might be a little afraid, given that the mainstream media labels us some kind of Army of Darkness.
  (I must admit, I actualy rather like the title.)
  So, I thought we might discuss when I get back to the States.
  Here is a little snippet from Milo Yiannopolis, as he deftly handles leftist accusations of racism, sexism, and homophobia: https://youtu.be/Lgl53EXInPc.
  The Alt Right is none of these things - keep in mind that Milo is a gay Jewish dude. We're just not afraid of calling the left on its ridiculous shenanigans, and we have zero tolerance for PC dogma.
  And we know what the left does when it sees something it is scared of: label it evil!
  Let's get a beer or five and talk about it.
  Will find a location for this after we figure out how many are coming.
  Invite your friends! Hoping to see you folks there!
  
   Join or login to comment.

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Women for Trump event

This is posted as a public service and is not an endorsement of Trump for president.

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Here is the list identifying anonymous State Representatives in the Attorney General's Durham Report

The fallout from the saga of the Jeremy Durham affair continues as some legislators try to use the scandal to gain advantage in an attempt to overthrow Beth Harwell and Democrats milk it for all it is worth to weaken Republicans. My view is that they better be careful.  While, what Durham did was inappropriate, I suspect that not all of his "victims" were victims.  I have no insider knowledge, but knowing human nature, I suspect there were some willing victims.  Just as there are powerful men who take advantage of women beneath them in rank, there are lots of women who throw themselves at powerful men.  This could get more messy as the identity of Durham's victims and unnamed accusers becomes known. Durham once threatened to reveal the identity of his victims but did not do so.

The latest in this continuing saga is that Representative Mary Littleton is accused of covering up Durhams' behavior and that when a staffer complained to Littleton of inappropriate conduct on the part of Durham, Littleton fired the staffer.  Since all firings have to go through Beth Harwell, there is an assumption that Beth Harwell would have had to go along with firing of Littleton's staffer and therefore was complicit  in the coverup and protecting of Durham.

The Attorney General's report that detailed Durham's inappropriate conduct that let to his ouster, listed Durham's victims as "Jane Doe's," protecting their identity.  The report also protected the identify of State legislator whom they quote or reference in the report.  Today the Nashville Scene has revealed the identity of the legislators referenced in the report.

Here is the list as published by The Scene:

• Rep. John Doe 13 is Glen Casada, R-Franklin, (chair of House Republican Caucus who is, if reelected, will run for the House Leader; opposed by D Courtenay Rogers)
• Rep. John Doe 23 is Tilman Goins, R-Morristown (unopposed)
• Rep. Jane Doe 25 is Beth Harwell (opposed by D Chris Moth)
• Rep. Jane Doe 33 is Mary Littleton, R-Dickson (opposed by D Travis Staten)
• Rep. John Doe 37 is Pat Marsh, R-Shelbyville (opposed by D Sharon Kay Edwards)
• Rep. John Doe 42 is Gerald McCormick, R-Chattanooga (current House Majority Leader, unopposed and stepping down from leadership next session)
• Rep. John Doe 55 is Charles Sargent, R-Franklin (unopposed)
• Rep. Jane Doe 65 is Dawn White, R-Eagleville (opposed by D Becky Goff of Murfreesboro)
• Rep. John Doe 68 is Ryan Williams, R-Cookeville (opposed by D Amos Scott Powers)
• Rep. John Doe 69 is Tim Wirgau, R-Buchanan (opposed by D Daniel Powell and I James Hart)

To read the Attorney Generals report, follow this link. For background on the controversy, follow this link, this link, and this link.

I am waiting for a list identifying Durham's victims.  I am sure someone could figure it out.

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Council meeting of 10-6-2016: Gulch Pedestrian Bridge, Google Fiber wins. (last update)

At three hours and twenty-nine minutes long, this is a long council meeting.  If you want to have a better understanding of what is going on, follow this link for a copy of the agenda, staff analysis and my commentary on the agenda.



The opening prayer is offered by a Muslim scholar from The Islamic Center of Nashville. He is a guest of Councilman Burkley Allen. Following the prayer and pledge is a presentation recognizing Fisk Jubilee Day. Following that is the confirmation of appointees to boards and commissions and they all are approved as always.The mayor appoints members to boards and commissions subject to Council confirmation. The seat on the Health and Education Facilities Board is not a confirmation but an election with nomination from council members.  There are two nominees to fill one seat. It is for a seat on the Health and Educational Facilities Board. The purpose of this board is to promote the health and higher education of the people of the Metropolitan Government. What they actually do, I don't know. Sometimes elections of this nature can expose factions within the Council and sometimes council members are heavily lobbied to support one of the candidates over the other. I have no insight as to whether are not the election to fill this seat reveals any thing about the council or not.  If you want to see the nomination speeches and view the election go to timestamp 10:43 in the video.  

There are 29 bills on Public Hearing. Most of them are zoning bills and I do not even attempt to understand every zoning bill.  Most zoning bills concern only a few nearby residents and are boring to everyone else. I did not closely watch all of the pubic hearings. I just zipped though that part of the meeting at double speed, so I might have missed something. These are the bills I find of interest:

BILL NO. BL2016-350  would further curtail strip clubs by removing "adult entertainment" from two zoning classifications.  It is deferred indefinitely.
BILL NO. BL2016-379  would change the definition of a financial institution.  Currently a metro ordinance defines a financial institution and part of that definition is that it is open to the public within hours that do not exceed 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  This bill change that definition by removing the restriction on operating hours and replaces it with a definition that says they must be “a state or federally chartered bank, savings and loan association, or credit union, a mortgage company, or other financial institution whose services are insured by an agency of the United States government.” That is an improvement.  Under the current law a bank could not stay open till 3PM on Saturday or till 7PM on a Friday. The reason the city has a need to define them is to differentiate between respectable establishments like banks and places such as pay day lenders and check cashing services, so the city may restrict the deplorables and not the respectables. .  In my view the city should not try to distinguish and instead let the market decide the mix and what and how many are needed. No one speaks on the bill and it passes.
BILL NO. BL2016-414  in Councilman Scott Davis's district is a bill disapproved 7-0 by the Planning Commission.  It would change  from R6 to RM40-A zoning for various properties along Elvira Avenue, Maynor Avenue, and Keeling Avenue. This would allow 220 units of apartments to be build in a district that does not currently permit that. Quite a few people speak in opposition. Davis closes the pubic hearing and proposes substituting the bill by changing the the zoning from RM40-A to SP zoning which would still allow the development but impose additional restriction, and proposes the bill be referred back to the Planning Commission.  Several council members express concern and say that the bill should come back to the Council for a new public hearing after the substitute is considered by the Planning Commission.  After the discussion by council members, Davis says he will permit a second hearing after the PC considers the substitute. The substitute is passed by a roll call vote of 24 in favor and 18 against.  The bill as substituted is then approved 28 to 10, rereferred to the Planning Commission and the public hearing is reopened. For those who are interested in understanding what is permitted under different zoning classifications, this link is a good resource.  To view the discussion of this bill see timestamp 1:27:25-2:19:52. I am pleased with this outcome. Bills which are substantially changed, I think, should come back to the Council for a second pubic hearing.  Also, I think the Council should take the recommendations of the Planning Commission very seriously.

All resolutions are on the Consent Agenda. None of them are of much interest and they all pass.
Bills on First reading pass by a single vote as is customary.

Bills on Second Reading.

BILL NO. BL2016-308  requires tenants of housing funded by the Barnes Trust Fund to comply with certain maintenance and conduct standards and to refrain from any illegal conduct on the premises of the dwelling being rented. Surprising me, this proves controversial. Several council members speak against it, mostly the African-American members of the Council.  It is amended to say landlords "may" instead of "shall" enforce standards of conduct. This still does not satisfy some members of the Council. It passes on a voice vote with some audible "no's." To see the discussion see timestamp 2:27:02- 2:43:11.

BILL NO. BL2016-336  says that if a local company is competing with a company that is not local for a metro contract and the local company submits a Matching Low Bid with the company that is not local, that preference be given to the local company. The staff analysis says that, "Historically, the Tennessee Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals have strongly disfavored local bidder preferences, citing the negative impact such preferences can have on competitive market forces," and that this bill may violate the Metro Charter and State law. This was on Second Reading last council meeting and deferred to this meeting. It is deferred indefinitely.

BILL NO. BL2016-416  by Councilmen Mendes and Cooper would require that any Metro department or agency that must submit regular reports to the Metro Council should post those reports on their website and keep them posted for up to six months. There are 14 reports that must regularly be submitted to Council.  This should be easy and cost nothing to accomplish.  I support this move to make government more transparent and accessible to the public. It passes by voice vote.

BILL NO. BL2016-417  would prohibit one from putting a "for sale" on their vehicle parked on residential property.  I wonder how often this occurs and if this is really a problem. It is deferred "by rule."

BILL NO. BL2016-418 would require Google to bear the cost of defending Metro in the lawsuit brought by Bell South against Nashville over the One-Touch-Make-Ready bill the Council passed last Council meeting.  OTMR allows one company to climb a pole and move all of the cables that must be moved in order to accommodate a new party adding a cable to the pole. Google Fiber which is coming to Nashville ran into long delays in stinging their cable because each company that already had a cable on a pole had to move their cable before Google could add theirs. OTMR was passed to address this.  ATT opposed this and said if the Council passed it, they would sue. The Council passed it; ATT sued. The staff analysis says that while there is no know prohibition against requiring a third party to reimburse the city for the cost of a lawsuit, there is no known legal precedent for requiring it.  For background on OTMR and the controversy surrounding this issue see "BILL NO. BL2016-418" at this link.  I would oppose this bill.  The city should bear the cost of defending itself in court.  It fails on a voice vote. To see the discussion see timestamp 2:45:38- 2:54:56.

BILL NO. BL2016-419  would require Council members to receive diversity training.  This is more useless unnecessary political correctness. Last Council meeting the Council passed a bill on Second Reading requiring the Council to receive Sexual Harassment training. Maybe this and that requirement could be combined and both included in some orientation. While they are at it they could throw in some sensitivity training and have a group hug-in. It passes on a voice vote without discussion.

BILL NO. BL2016-421  is a part of the effort to build the pedestrian bridge across the

gulch. This bill would acquire the parcel of land known as the Clement Land Port and

sell it to Cummings Station and it would permit metro to acquire a piece of land owned by Cummings Station. This parcel would be the eastern end of the bridge.  The gulch pedestrian bridge is already approved and funded.  A couple of years ago this project was stopped by Council when council refused to approve a land acquisition ordinance necessary to facilitate the construction of the bridge. At that time the Council rebelled against the deal in frustration that so much money was being spend downtown and neighborhoods were being ignored. The project was funded then and is still funded.

I support the pedestrian bridge.  Certainly we could build a more utilitarian bridge for less or not build the bridge at all, but I believe this will be an important connection to tie the gulch to downtown.  Also, I support the bridge as a beautification and an arts project.  It will be one more thing to make Nashville a place tourist want to visit and a city where people want to live. Cities should not be just utilitarian but pleasant places to live and visit.  

The argument against if is that neighborhood streets need sidewalks and $16 million dollars would build a lot of sidewalks. This development is not, contrary to what I previously understood, being financed with Tax Increment Financing but is being funded from General Obligation Bonds, not that I think that is particularly significant.  To see the discussion see timestamp 2:56:36 - 3:13:59.

None of the Bills on Third Reading are of significance.

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BBQ and Bluegrass for the Babies, Saturday, October 15th

Tennessee Right to Life invites you to join us for great music...great BBQ...and great family fun...for a great cause! Hoot & holler as The Meltones play bluegrass favorites and Bailey Rose plays some good ol' country! Bring the whole family to play games...bounce in the bounce houses and MUCH MORE!!

$10 per person, $25 per family

Schedule        
11AM ~ NOON: Family Fun & Bouncing for the Babies  with music by Bailey Rose

NOON: BBQ lunch with bluegrass music byThe Meltones.
1 PM ~ 2:30 PM: More Family Fun, October 15, 2016 at 11am – 2:30pm
Cotton Wood Farm 1026 Knight Rd, Joelton, TN 37080. Google map and directions

For ticket information, follow this link.  

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TNGOP: ‘Embarrassed Erin’ Coleman Isn’t Ready to Lead in Tennessee

TNGOP Press release, NASHVILLE, Tenn.- October 6, 2016 — Democrat Erin Coleman was interviewed by the editorial board of the Nashville Tennessean newspaper this morning and the thirty minute discussion provided a window into the thinking of one of the Tennessee Democratic Party’s top recruits.

Asked right out of the gate why she’s running in Senate District 20 against State Senator Steve Dickerson, Coleman states (1:01) how “embarrassed (she was) to be living in Tennessee.”

From that ignominious beginning, Coleman launched into a haphazard list of policy prescriptions that veered from big government spending proposals to positions that sounded as if Coleman was reading off the Smart Solutions agenda that Sen. Dickerson is advancing (which is a remarkable turnaround from 24 hours ago when the TNGOP criticized Coleman for standing for “pretty much the opposite” of everything Dickerson stands for).

Among the liberal and sclerotic positions Coleman staked out:

• Advocated for deficit spending (8:45) for Tennessee’s roadways (currently, Tennessee has zero road debt thanks to the fiscally responsible leadership of Lamar Alexander when he was Governor);
• Lamented that potholes (9:30) are ubiquitous on Tennessee’s highways (our state’s infrastructure system was recently ranked among the best in the nation);
• Talked about an alleged funding shortfall (13:54) in education (Tennessee’s teachers just received a $100 million increase for salaries—with no tax increase);
• Was critical of multiple pieces of legislation (3:21 and 4:13)—but failed to disclose that Dickerson was against them;
• Bizarrely tried to claim she has been both very active and knowledgeable about her district yet, at the same time, was so unfamiliar with the local representation she tried to vote for a State Senator whose district she didn’t even live in (24:29).

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes reacted to the video of the interview by remarking, “Erin Coleman stands for the exact opposite of what mainstream Tennesseans believe in. You can’t be a public servant of a state you’re embarrassed to live in. You can’t advocate for deficit spending in a state known for fiscal responsibility. You can’t be a leader when you’re taking your cues from a liberal agenda that’s been rejected multiple times by our voters. This interview not only makes it clear ‘Embarrassed Erin’ isn’t ready to lead in our state, she’s not even aware of the values of our state.”

Online: http://tngop.org/embarrassed-erin-trainwreck-interview/

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In Council action 10-4-16: Gulch pedestrian bride advances, Google wins another round.

As soon as the video of last night's council meeting is availble I will post it, highlight the interesting parts and provide some commentary. Please check back.

The bill which will sell the old Clements Land Port and purchased a parcel of land south of Cummings Station to accommodate the planned pedestrian bridge across the railroad gulch passed second reading on a voice vote.  The funding and approval of the project had occurred during the Dean administration. The only thing before the Council was the land acquisition for the east bank of the gulch.

When presented with the land acquisition bill necessary to advance the project in October 2014 the council balked and stopped the project.  Dean then changed the method of funding to Tax Increment Financing and the Council took some action to advance the project but then delayed it.  Tax Increment Financing takes money from that area and pays for the project.  The logic of TIF is that by allowing infrastructure and development to be funded by new revenues from the area, a blighted area is revived  and becomes tax producing. That logic may be valid in the early stages of revitalizing an area but applied to this pedestrian bridge it is a shell game.  By financing the project by TIF that simply delays the day that downtown development will start putting money into the city coffers.  In this case, TIF funding for this project is the equivalent of taking money out of your right pocket rather than your left pocket. In 2014, changing the funding from General Bond obligations to TIF placated some members of the council.  The argument in 2014 is much the same as the argument now, that $18 million would build a lot of sidewalks in neighborhoods and we are spending money downtown at the expense of communities.

Since the bill passed on a voice vote with no recorded opposition, it should not face any problem on third reading. Here is the Tennessean report: Gulch-SoBro pedestrian bridge land deal advances in Metro Council.

The bill that would have required Google to pay the legal fees to defend One-touch-make-ready was defeated.  To read the Tennessean's report on this, see Google Fiber wins one more fight in Nashville's council

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What's on the Council Agenda for 10-4-2016: Gulch Pedestrian Bridge, making Google pay to defend One-Touch-Make-Ready, Diversity training and Sexual Harasement training for Metro Council

The Metro Council will meet Tuesday, October 4th  at 6:30 PM in the Council chamber at the Metro Courthouse. To watch the Council meeting, you can go to the courthouse and watch the meeting in person, or you can watch the broadcast live at Metro Nashville Network's Government TV on Nashville's Comcast Channel 3 and AT&T's U-verse 99 and it is streamed live at the Metro Nashville Network's livestream site. You can catch the meeting the next day on the Metro YouTube channel. If you will wait, I will watch it for you and post the video and point out the good parts so you can go to that point in the video and watch just those segments. Also, I will  tell you what I think about what happened.  Council meetings are really boring and I watch them so you don't have to.

If you are going to watch a council meeting, you really need the agenda and  the Council staff analysis or you won't have a clue about what is going on. Follow the highlighted link to view the agenda.  Here is my commentary and analysis of the agenda.

There are seven people up for confirmation to Boards and Commissions. These are people appointed by the mayor subject to approval by the Council. They will be approved as always.

There are 29 bills on Public Hearing. Most of them are zoning bills and I do not even attempt to understand every zoning bill.  Most zoning bills concern only a few nearby residents and are boring to everyone else.  Opposition to rezoning is almost always the same and comes down to (1) increased traffic, (2) increased water run-off, (3) overcrowded schools and strain on infrastructure, and  (4) a detrimental change to the character of the neighborhood. For those who are interested in zoning issues, this link is a good resource that tells you what is permitted in which zoning district.

I am only reporting on bills that I think will be particularly controversial or have general importance beyond one neighborhood.

BILL NO. BL2016-350  would curtail strip clubs by removing "adult entertainment" from two zoning classifications.  Nashville has almost destroyed all of the strip clubs and made it almost impossible for new clubs to open.  About 20 years ago, metro imposed a three-foot rule allowing patrons to be no closer than three feet to a nude dancer.  That pretty much destroyed strip clubs in Nashville.  The city also established a requirement that dancers be licensed. The city has continued their policy of discouraging strip clubs by restricting where they are permitted to only a few zoning district classifications.  This bill further restricts where strip clubs can locate.

BILL NO. BL2016-379  would curtail alternative financial services.  Currently a metro ordinance defines a financial institution and part of that definition is that it is open to the public within hours that do not exceed 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  In my view this is a really stupid law and overly restrictive.  If your local branch bank wanted to extend their Saturday hours to 3PM or stay open till 7PM on Friday, they would not be allowed to do so because their zoning does not permit those extended hours. This would change that definition by removing the restriction on operating hours and replace it with a definition that says they must be “a state or federally chartered bank, savings and loan association, or credit union, a mortgage company, or other financial institution whose services are insured by an agency of the United States government.” That is an improvement.  However, the reason we have these restrictions at all is to curtail alternative financial service companies, places such as pay day lenders and check cashing services.  These alternative financial services are often called "predatory."  They charge outrageous rates of interest, rates as high as 600%.  However, that is no worse than the late fee a bank charges for a bounced check if one were to calculate overdraft fees as interest.

Borrowing money from a pay day lender can be less inconvenient and less expensive than getting one's electricity cut off and paying a reconnect fee.  Unfortunately, this "predatory" financial services are needed by some people and are no more expensive than respectable financial institution in many cases.

My view is that people should be free to be stupid and as a society we should attempt to educate people so they do not need alternative financial services. Some people simply can't manage a checking account however and they need the alternative banking services. Their math skills and their discipline is not sufficient to do mainstream banking. These are services used by the poor.  A lot of these type businesses in a community creates a bad impression of the community and supposedly can impact property values.  The advocates of the poor and opponents of gentrification are not going to be found defending alternative financial institutions but these are services needed by the stupid poor and curtailing their presence helps in gentrification.

BILL NO. BL2016-409  on Old Charlotte Pk in Councilman Rosenberg's district down-zones a parcel from R-80 to AR2a. I am calling attention to this because it is a rare down zoning and because it is disapproved by the Planning Commission 7-0.  I know nothing more about the bill than that. Disapproved bills must receive a 2/3rds approval by the Council on third reading.

BILL NO. BL2016-411  rezones 23 acres from a zoning that permits duplexes to one that does not. This has been happening for many years. Allowing more areas to be zoned for less density seems counter to a goal of promoting affordable housing and mass transit.

BILL NO. BL2016-414  in Councilman Scott Davis's district is a bill disapproved 7-0 by the Planning Commission.

There are 10 resolutions on the consent agenda. Resolutions on "consent" are passed by a single vote of the council instead of being voted on individually. If a resolution has any negative votes in committee it is taken off of consent.  Also any council member may ask to have an item taken off of consent or to have his abstention or dissenting vote recorded.  None of  the resolutions appear controversial or of much interest.

Bills on First Reading. There are 23 bills on First Reading but I usually don't review bills on First Reading. First reading is a formality that gets bills on the agenda. They are not evaluated by committee until they are on Second Reading. All bills on First Reading are lumped together and pass by a single vote.

Bills on Second Reading. These are 14 bills on Second reading and these are the one's of interest.

BILL NO. BL2016-336  says that if a local company is competing with a company that is not local for a metro contract and the local company submits a Matching Low Bid with the company that is not local, that preference be given to the local company. The staff analysis says that, "Historically, the Tennessee Supreme Court and Courts of Appeals have strongly disfavored local bidder preferences, citing the negative impact such preferences can have on competitive market forces," and that this bill may violate the Metro Charter and State law. This was on Second Reading last council meeting and deferred to this meeting.

BILL NO. BL2016-416  by Councilmen Mendes and Cooper would require that any Metro department or agency that must submit regular reports to the Metro Council should post those reports on their website and keep them posted for up to six months. There are 14 reports that must regularly be submitted to Council.  This should be easy and cost nothing to accomplish.  I support this move to make government more transparent and accessible to the public.

BILL NO. BL2016-417  would prohibit one from putting a "for sale" on their vehicle parked on residential property.  I wonder how often this occurs and if this is really a problem.

BILL NO. BL2016-418 would require Google to bear the cost of defending Metro in the lawsuit brought by Bell South against Nashville over the One-Touch-Make-Ready bill the Council passed last Council meeting.  The staff analysis says that while their is no know prohibition against requiring a third party to reimburse the city for the cost of a lawsuit, there is no known legal precedent for requiring it.  For background on OTMR and the controversy surrounding this issue see "BILL NO. BL2016-418" at this link.  I would oppose this bill.  The city should bear the cost of defending itself in court.   

BILL NO. BL2016-419  would require Council members to receive diversity training.  This is more useless unnecessary political correctness. Last Council meeting the Council passed a bill on Second Reading requiring the Council to receive Sexual Harassment training. Maybe this and that requirement could be combined and both included in some orientation. While they are at it they could throw in some sensitivity training and have a group hug-in.

BILL NO. BL2016-421  is a part of the effort to build the pedestrian bridge across the

gulch. This bill would acquire the parcel of land known as the Clement Land Port and sell it to Cummings Station and it would permit metro to acquire a piece of land owned by Cummings Station. This parcel would be the eastern end of the bridge.  The gulch pedestrian bridge is already approved and funded.  A couple of years ago this project was stopped by Council when council refused to approve a land acquisition ordinance necessary to facilitate the construction of the bridge. At that time the Council rebelled against the deal in frustration that so much money was being spend downtown and neighborhoods were being ignored. The project was funded then and is still funded. The means of funding was changed so that the bridge is paid for out of revenue generated from downtown development.

I support the pedestrian bridge.  Certainly we could build a more utilitarian bridge for less or not build the bridge at all, but I believe this will be an important connection to tie the gulch to downtown.  Also, I support the bridge as a beautification and an arts project.  It will be one more thing to make Nashville a place tourist want to visit and a city where people want to live. Cities should not be just utilitarian but beautiful, pleasant places to live.  

The argument against if of course is that the residents of the gulch are wealthy people, that tax increment financing means the gulch development does little to support the city coffers so the wealthy residents of the Gulch are not contributing their fair share to the city, and that neighborhood streets need sidewalks and $16 million dollars would build a lot of sidewalks.  The bridge of course is also being funded by Tax Increment Financing. That really is slight of hand however, and is like taking money our of your right pocket rather than your left pocket. If not funding this project then downtown development wound start putting money into city coffers earlier. There are valid arguments against it but I come down on the side in favor of it. 

Pause should be given to reflect on the wasteful pork spending that funded the Clement's Land Port, the "Clement" being Bob Clement when he was congressman for this district.  In 1996, he acquired $3.6 million dollars in federal funding for the project which was envisioned as the central transportation hub for the city. It never happened. It was a waste of money. For one thing the Demombruen Street bridge was determined to be in need of replacement and could not support the volume of heavy traffic that would use it if the land port was the central bus terminus.  Then the bridge had to be closed and reconstructed which took some time to complete.  Anyway, the Clement Land Port never became much more than a bus stop. I wish the city would install a historic marker on the site explaining the wasteful pork spending and mismanagement. 

 Bills on Third Reading. 

BILL NO. BL2016-385  requires members of the  Metropolitan Council and other Davidson County elected officials and members of Boards and Commission to receive Sexual Harassment training. Ridiculous political correctness and unnecessary in my view.

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Tennessee Board of Cosmetology Backs Down, Withdraws Threatened Enforcement Action Against Project Belle

by Daniel Horwitz, Reposted from Supreme Court of Tennessee Blog, Nashville, Tennessee — The Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners has officially withdrawn its threatened enforcement action against on-demand beauty services provider Project Belle, greenlighting the company’s business practices and enabling its continued growth throughout the State of Tennessee. The Board’s decision to back down comes after intense media coverage from local, state and national media outlets including Forbes, Yahoo, Reason, the Nashville Business Journal, the Beacon Center of Tennessee, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The Board had claimed that the Tennessee Cosmetology Act of 1986 prohibited Belle from facilitating the purchase of beauty services in the privacy of a customer’s home. Accordingly, the Board demanded that Belle pay a civil fine, waive its right to judicial review, and cease and desist from operating. Instead, Belle lawyered up and formally contested the Board’s allegations, causing it to reconsider its threatened enforcement action. The Board’s decision to permanently withdraw its complaint soon followed.

“We are extremely pleased that the Board of Cosmetology has withdrawn its unlawful and overzealous threats against Project Belle, whose only crime has ever been to provide eager customers with convenient, premium quality beauty services at competitive prices in the privacy of their own homes,” said Daniel Horwitz, Belle’s attorney. “No government agency should be in the business of preventing popular, innovative businesses from serving willing customers just to protect entrenched industry competitors from competition. We look forward to working with the General Assembly in the coming months to make clear that the Board lacks the authority to deprive healthy, able-bodied consumers of their right to purchase their desired beauty services whenever and wherever they please.”

“The Board has decided to dismiss its complaint and Belle will continue its operations and growth efforts in Nashville,” said Armand Lauzon, Belle’s founder and CEO, who recently penned an op ed in The Tennessean calling on legislators to repeal Tennessee’s outdated cosmetology regulations. “We are delighted by the Board’s decision.  It means that beauty professionals who have built businesses with us can continue their success, and our clients can continue enjoying services that many of them desperately need. It also means that economic growth and innovation can continue expanding in Tennessee. We are proud to have helped pave the way on this important issue.”
“I also want to send a special thanks to the legislators who took time to voice their support on our behalf, including State Representative John Ray Clemmons, State Senator Steven Dickerson, and State Senator Mark Green,” added Lauzon.

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Corporate PACs Supporting Hillary Clinton for President

2nd Vote Press release, NASHVILLE, TN – According to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, at least 26 major corporations have donated to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign through their Political Action Committees, or PACs.

“Obviously, the presidential election has the potential to significantly alter policies that affect our nation,” said 2ndVote Executive Director Lance Wray. “We want to make sure that voters understand how corporations are impacting the outcome of the election just as they play a role in advancing policy through their support of liberal advocacy groups.”

Through August 31, 2016, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has accepted donations from the following corporate PACs:

Albermarle Corporation PAC - $5,000

Amalgamated Bank PAC - $5,000

Anheuser-Busch Companies PAC - $10,000

Caesar's Entertainment Corporation PAC - $5,000

CenturyLink Inc. Employees PAC - $2,700

Charter Communications Inc. PAC - $5,000

Commerce Bancshares Inc. PAC - $2,700

The Doctors' Company Federal PAC - $5,000

Dow PAC - $5,000

Dynamis Inc. PAC - $2,700

EDP Renewables North America LLC PAC - $3,000

Enterprise Holdings Inc. PAC - $10,000

Everpower Wind Holding Inc. PAC - $2,700

Fuelcell Energy PAC - $10,000

Gentex Corporation PAC - $5,000

Interdigital Inc. PAC - $10,000

Leo A Daly Company PAC -$2,700

Liberty Interactive Corporation PAC - $2,500

Liberty Media Corporation - $2,500

Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc. PAC - $5,000

Southeast Permanente Med. Group (Kaiser Permanente) Fed. Healthcare PAC Inc. - $2,700

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. PAC - $2,500

STV Group, Inc. PAC - $2,700

SunEdison Inc. Employees PAC - $2,000

Ullico Inc. PAC - $500

Yelp Inc. PAC - $2,700

Records from the FEC indicated that Donald Trump’s campaign had not accepted any donations from corporate PACs.

By law, Political Action Committees may only donate $5,000 to an individual candidate’s committee per election.

2ndVote is a resource for helping consumers make better-informed decisions about where to spend their money. 2ndVote conducts extensive research on multiple issues to shed light on the various support that companies and non-profits give to specific issues that are important to those who follow public policy. Follow 2ndVote on Twitter @2ndvote and on Facebook at facebook.com/2ndvote.

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