Mayor Barry vetoes the legislatiion celebrating the homosexual commuity and Gay Pride week.

Mayor Barry returned unsigned a resolution "celebrating the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender

Mayor Barry officiates a lesbian wedding

communities and their enormous contributions to the quality of life in Nashville and Davidson County." Returning a resolution unsigned is the same thing as vetoing, but our charter does not use the term "veto."   

The mayor has been an advocate of gay rights and has stellar liberal credentials so why she returned RESOLUTION NO. RS2017-744 unsigned, I do not know. In 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled that homosexuals had the right to marry, Barry issued a statement saying, “Words cannot express the joy I have for so many of my gay and lesbian friends and family who now have the freedom to marry whomever they love."  Mayor Barry also appointed a transgender "women" to an important position in Metro government and performed one of the first lesbian weddings in Tennessee following the Supreme Courts ruling legalizing homosexual marriage.

The charter states that when a resolution is returned unsigned that it may be accompanied by a message indicating the reason for the disapproval.  I do not find a posting of a disapproval message but have contacted the Metro Clerk seeking a copy of it if one was made.  I have also asked the mayor's office for an explanation for the mayor's disapproval. A mayor's disapproval of a bill or resolution can be overridden by  2/3rds vote of the Council. Here is what the Charter says about a Mayor's disapproval of legislation:

The mayor is authorized to approve or to disapprove ordinances and resolutions adopted by the council and no ordinance or resolution shall become effective without his approval except as herein provided. Every ordinance or resolution adopted by the council shall be presented to the mayor for his consideration. If he approves, he shall sign the same, and it shall become effective according to the terms thereof. If he disapproves, he shall return the same to the council without his signature, which return may be accompanied by a message indicating the reasons for his disapproval. Any resolution or ordinance so disapproved shall become effective when subsequent to its return it shall be adopted by two-thirds (2/3rds) of all the members to which the council is entitled, with the ayes and noes and the names of the councilmen voting for and against the same entered on the minutes. Every resolution or ordinance shall become effective unless the same be approved or disapproved by the mayor and returned to the council at or prior to the next regular meeting of the council occurring ten (10) days or more subsequent to the date when the same was delivered to his office for consideration.(Sec 5.04)

Below is a copy of RS2017-744  showing it was returned unsigned.

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