Here is who voted to destroy the Fairgronds and give away ten acres of fairground property.

There have been several recorded votes related to the fairgrounds issue so the record is clear who supports building the MLS stadium at the fairground and giving away ten acres of fairground property and who wants to save the fairground.  On all of the recorded votes, the record is pretty consistent as to which members support the fairgrounds and which do not.

One of the most important votes was the roll call vote on second reading of Bill BL2018-1289. This was the ordinance to approve the demolition of certain buildings and structures necessary for the construction of a new major league soccer stadium at the fairgrounds and impose a privilege tax on the sale of tickets to events at the new Major League Soccer stadium.

This was approved by a vote of 24 in favor, seven "no's", 8 abstaining, and one not voting. A vote to "abstain" means the council member pushed a button voting to abstain. "Not voting" means the Council member did not a push a button.  They may have been absent, hiding in the bathroom, distracted or sitting on their hands.

While BL2018-1289 passed second reading, for this bill to pass on third reading it must get 27 votes.  Both the imposing of a tax on ticket sales and destruction of fairground buildings require 27 votes.  Since the final vote requires 27 votes, a vote to abstain or simply not pushing a button at all is the same as a no vote.  To simply this issue I am calling those who voted for this bill as having voted against the fairgrounds and those who voted "no" as having voted for the fairgrounds. This is how they voted on the subject bill.

Voted against the fairground (voted yes on BL2018-1289)

Sheri Weiner- D-22

Jim Shulman- At Large

 

Jonathan Hall
D-1

Scott Davis D-5

DeCosta Hastings
D-2

Brenda Haywood
D-3

Nancy VanReece
D-8

Brett Withers D-6

 

 

Anthony Davis
D-7

   

Jeff Syracuse
D-15

Bill Pridemore
D-9

 

Kevin Rhoten
D-14

Colby Sledge
D-17

Burkley Allen
D-18

Freddie O'Connell
D-19

Ed Kindall
D-21

Kathleen Murphy
D-24

Russ Pulley
D-25

Jeremy Elrod
D-26

Davette Blalock
D-27

Karen Johnson
D-29

Jason Potts
D-30

Antoinette LeeD-33

 

Fabian Bedne
D=31

The above are the 24 votes solidly in favor of building the MLS stadium and, I would contend, in favor of destroying the fairgrounds. You may want to call them and ask them to change their position. One factor that may be persuasive is the new revelation that the existing building may very well be demolished before the new building which will house the flea market are constructed. That would kill the flea market. Another factor may be that the value of the ten acres giveaway is $20 million dollars at a time when we cannot afford to give metro employees their promised cost of living increase and when Metro is deeply in debt and essentially broke.

Another persuasive factor may be that you are simply very disappointed in them. That is my case with Weiner and Blalock. They are both Republicans and I have supported their candidacy when they have ran for office.

While you may send a blanket email blast to all council members, contacting your own council member has more impact than contacting someone with whom you have no connection. If you contributed to their campaign or volunteered for their candidacy or had their sign in your card, play the shame card; "I supported you, and I am very disappointed."

Don't say, "I'll never vote for you again," if the person is not eligible to seek reelection or is not seeking higher office. To find out who is eligible for reelection and who is term limited, follow this link. When a person is term limited, they can be much more free to vote the way they think is right rather than listen to public opinion. That can be both good and bad.

Please be respectful. I know some people have a lot of passion about this issue, but getting mad and being a jerk is not likely to sway votes.  These council members are also being pressured by soccer fans and Metro's elitist to vote to advance the MLS stadium. They may even have kids of their own who play soccer and are lobbying them. Express your passion but please do not abuse the council members. Even when they are wrong on an issue, they are not bad people.  Even when I disagree with a particular council members position on an issue, I respect their service to our city. Being polite and offering logical arguments is more persuasive than being abusive.

In the above list of council members, if you will click on their name below their photograph, that will take you to a link to their email address. Should you not know in which district you live, follow this link for a Council District Lookup tool to the right of the list of council members, near the top of the page.

The Council members who voted to abstain or voted "no" are under lots of pressure to change their vote also. They need to be called also and have their position and resolve shored up.  I will try to post the list of those who voted to save the fairgrounds tomorrow. 

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Demolition at fairgrounds could begin before expo space is ready.

by Nancy Amons, News 4 - There’s been a lot of promises the last few months that if a new soccer

We can say goodbye to the flea market

stadium is built at The Fairgrounds Nashville, Nashville’s beloved flea market would continue in a new building.

The News4 I-Team confirmed that buildings at the fairgrounds could be torn down right away if a package of stadium bills passes Metro Council on Tuesday night.

The actual demolition ordinance before Council doesn’t require the city to wait for new buildings to be constructed before the old buildings are torn down.

Mike Jameson, Metro Council’s attorney, confirmed that although Council expressed "the intention" to have new buildings ready before demolition, "it isn't binding" because that intention is in a "whereas clause" and is "not in the body of the pending ordinance." (link)

Rod's Comment: I have believed all along that the elitist movers and shakers who dominate this city are out to destroy the fairgrounds.  They simply do not like the image of flea markets, gun and knife shows, auto racing, or fairs.  The fairgrounds and the activities hosted at the fairgrounds does not fit their image of the cool, hip "it" city. Unless Council rejects the pending legislation, the existing space used to house the flea market will be torn down, months will pass with no flea market and in the meantime, many flea market vendors will go broke and the surviving vendors will find other outlets and the largest flea market in the southeast will cease to exist.

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Council to decide fate of fairground at September 4th meeting.

The Tuesday September 4th Council meeting will most likely seal the fate of the future of the

fairground. At issues is the final approval of the MLS soccer deal which includes essentially giving ten acres of fairground property to the stadium developer.  There are several pieces of legislature on the agenda related to the soccer deal.  The bill which has the best chance of killing the ten acre giveaway and saving the fairground is Bill BL2018-1289.

Bill BL2018-1289 approves the demolition of certain buildings and structures necessary for the construction of a new Major League Soccer Stadium at the Fairgrounds Nashville, and amending Title 5 of the Metropolitan Code to impose a privilege tax on the sale of tickets to events at the new Major League Soccer stadium. It passed on Second Reading by a vote of 24 to 7 with 8 abstentions and one not voting. To pass on third reading, the bill must get 27 votes. All of the other pieces of legislation can pass by a simple majority.

Other pieces of legislation concerning the MLS stadium and the fairgrounds are these:

Resolution RS2018-1373 calls for a county-wide referendum election to ascertain the will of the people regarding the issuance of general obligation bonds by Metro for the construction of a new Major League Soccer Stadium at the Fairgrounds. I doubt this can get a majority based on the way the voting has gone on other bills related to the fairgrounds. However, the Council has been under a lot of pressure to vote for or against the MLS fairground giveaway deal, so passing the buck to the voters may appear attractive to some. You may recall that the decision to build the Titans stadium was subject to public referendum.  

 Bill BL2018-1291 on Third Reading declares the ten acres to be given away as surplus property and approves a ground lease for the property. The fair board has already declared this property as surplus. This passed second reading by a vote of 24 in favor, 9 opposed and 6 abstentions.

Bill BL2018-1293 approves a privilege tax on the sale of tickets to events at the new Major League Soccer stadium. This was deferred at the request of the sponsor last council meeting and will likely be withdrawn or deferred again and allowed to die. Bill 1289 above also imposes the privilege tax. To impose such a tax requires 27 votes.

An additional blog post will address other legislation on the September 4th Council agenda.

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Rezoning fairgrounds for mixed-use development nearly doubles land value to $20M, new report says

The Tennessean: Rezoning fairgrounds for mixed-use development nearly doubles land value to $20M, new report says.

Rod's Comment: That is a nice chunk of corporate welfare. In summary, the deal would work like this. The developer would lease the property on a 99 year lease and would pay $22.8 million over the term of the lease, paying the city a minimum of $200,000 a year. However, Parking revenue collected from non-soccer events at the new stadium, such as concerts or other events, would go toward the annual base rent and could offset the entire $200,000 a year. So, the developer is basicly getting the $20 million property for free.

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Reception in support of Dr. Brent Mood for State Representative, September 19th.

To Donate on line or for more information follow this link.

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Nashville council advances fairgrounds rezoning for MLS stadium as big crowd debates project. Video of meeting.

The Tennessean: Nashville council advances fairgrounds rezoning for MLS stadium as big crowd debates project.

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Donald Trump is a real jerk.

Donald Trump is a real jerk. I am pleased with many of his policies and every once in a while I want to cheer him when he spits in the eye of the politically correct or says something so commonsense that you wonder why no one else dared say it before.  I like some of his plain talk but some of it makes me cringe.  At a minimum, he lacks class and is crude. Sometimes he comes across as a spoiled brat, a bully and a mean person.   Having said that however, policies are more important than personality.  I thought President Jimmy Carter was a moral man, a kind soul, and a gentleman. Jimmy Carter was a better man than Donald Trump, but I would prefer Donald Trump to be president than Jimmy Carter.

This week following the death of Senator John McCain, President Trump showed what a petty mean-spirited jerk he really is. It cost nothing to be nice to the dead. I understand Donald Trump and John McCain had their differences. However, when someone dies, it cost nothing to be gracious and kind.  I did not always agree with John McCain, however he spend a lifetime in service to his country.  He spend five years in a North Vietnamese prison and two years in solitary confinement and was tortured for his country. Donald Trump evaded the draft due to flatfeet. In my mind, Donald Trump is not worthy of tiring John McCain's shoes.

Trump did not issue a statement honoring McCain; he only tweeted an expression of sympathy for the family.  He lowered the White House flag to half-staff for the mandatory time but did not keep it lowered until McCain's burial which is customary for a deceased sitting senator. There are certain norms of behavior that we follow that make society function more smoothly.  One of them is shaking hands with people you don't even like and being polite. I don't think it shows commitment to principal to refuse to shake the hand of someone you disagree with, it simply shows what a jerk you are. Civility and politeness and conforming to common norms of behavior are not signs of weakness; they are a sign of dignity and manners. Being respectful of the deceased is minimally expected behavior for anyone who is not a jerk.

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(final update) What happened at the 8/21/18 Council meeting: MLS stadium/Fairground giveaway advances, Effort to trample property rights .....

...and kill affordable housing withdrawn, Bird regs pass, the Donelson Transit-Oriented Redevelopment Plan voted down.



by Rod Williams - At over five hours long, this is another very long council meeting. I watched part of it in real time and parts of the video. I zipped through the video at double speed and totally skipped parts of it. I may have missed something of interest. If you intend to watch the video or want to seek out the more interesting parts, you may want an agenda of the meeting. To access the agenda, the agenda analysis and my commentary on the agenda, follow this link.  If you want to know the outcome of a particular issue or see how people voted on an issue, you can find that information by reading the minutes of the meeting, available at this link. While I normally note the timestamp of the most important parts of the meeting, I am not providing that service in this meeting summary.  The meeting was just too long and I am limiting the time I spend on this summary. There were some good speeches and interesting arguments so if you are one who enjoys watching our Council in action I encourage you to seek them out on your own. Below is the summary of the most important issues.

The MLS stadium and Fairgrounds: 
The most important topic on this agenda was the approval of resolutions and bills to advance the Soccer stadium and giveaway ten acres of fairgrounds property to private developers. Those items advanced. However there is still a chance to stop this deal because one of the bills requires 27 positive votes to pass on third reading and did not garner 27 votes on second reading. For more on that development, see Council advances MLS stadium, but project still in doubt. Below is the actions taken on each of the resolutions or bill related to the fairgrounds issue:    

Resolution RS2018-1356  by Steve Glover expresses the intention of the Metropolitan Council to suspend action on any agreement related to any lease and redevelopment of the Nashville Fairgrounds until all necessary procedures have been completed was withdrawn by the sponsor.

Resolution RS2018-1372 which calls for a county-wide referendum election to ascertain the will of the people regarding the issuance of revenue bonds by Metro to fund the construction of the Major League Soccer Stadium at Fairgrounds was withdrawn by the sponsor.

Resolution RS2018-1373 calls for a county-wide referendum election to ascertain the will of the people regarding the issuance of general obligation bonds by Metro for the construction of a new Major League Soccer Stadium at the Fairgrounds was deferred "by rule."  The sponsor attempted to suspend the rule to take up the measure but that effort failed.

 Bill BL2018-1205  on Second Reading would prohibit the city from approving or otherwise entering into the sale, lease, transfer or conveyance of property adjacent to the proposed Major League Soccer stadium to any third party for purposes of private development. This failed by a vote of 15 in favor, 18 opposed, and 6 abstentions. Below is how members voted:
Yes (15): Cooper, Hall, Hastings, Swope, Scott Davis, Pardue, Hagar, Glover, Huezo, Freeman, Roberts, Blalock, Vercher, Dowell, and Henderson; No (18): Weiner, Shulman, Haywood, Withers, Anthony Davis, VanReece, Pridemore, Rhoten, Syracuse, Sledge, Allen, O'Connell, Kindall, Murphy, Pulley, Elrod, Potts, and Bedne; Abstain (6): Gilmore, Mendes, Hurt, Mina Johnson, Lee, and Rosenberg.

Bill BL2018-1289 approves the demolition of certain buildings and structures necessary for the construction of a new Major League Soccer Stadium at the Fairgrounds Nashville, and amending Title 5 of the Metropolitan Code to impose a privilege tax on the sale of tickets to events at the new Major League Soccer stadium. It passed on Second Reading by a vote of 24 to 7 with 8 abstentions and one not voting. To pass on third reading, the bill must get 27 votes. To see how individual council members voted, follow this link.

 Bill BL2018-1291 declares the ten acres to be given away as surplus property and approves a ground lease for the property. The fair board has already declared this surplus, now the Council must do so. This passed second reading by a vote of 24 in favor, 9 opposed and 6 abstentions.

Bill BL2018-1293 approves a privilege tax on the sale of tickets to events at the new Major League Soccer stadium. This was deferred at the request of the sponsor.

Donelson Transit-oriented Development (Substitute BL2018-1139 (as amended)): 
Another important vote of the night was the defeat of the proposed Donelson Transit-oriented Development plan for the Donelson stop on the Music City Star.  This plan has been worked on for months.  It would have guided redevelopment around that transit stop and made tax increment financing available for new development.  The plan was defeated by a vote of 19 in favor  to 15 against. It required 21 votes to pass.

The opposition to the plan came down to the price tag of the Tax Increment Financing. When a project is financed by TIF, the logic is that the development would not have occurred except for the redevelopment and city investment, so the city advances money to loan to developers and the property tax that would have fed into the general fund instead is used to pay off the TIF money that was advanced. Under this plan, for the next thirty years the new property tax revenue generated in the area would have went to MDHA rather than the city coffers. This type of TIF redevelopment is blamed on Nashville's current budget woes.  Much of the downtown development one sees does not contribute to the Metro tax revenues because it is used instead to repay TIF advances.

There was also concern that this proposal had an affordable housing component and the property likely to be redeveloped was already mostly affordable housing. To see more on this topic, see this Tennessean article: $30M transit-oriented development in Donelson squashed in narrow Council vote.


Bird Scooter returns (Second Substitute Bill BL2018-1202 (as amended))
The Council voted  29-1 to approve a bill which will allow motorized scooters to operate in Nashville. This comes with hefty fees and lots of  lots of new rules.

Proposed Charter Amendments bill passes (Resolution RS2018-1314)
The bill to place proposed charter amendments on the November 6th ballot passed. There were 6 proposed amendments and five of the six were approved. Each of the proposed amendments had to approved, then the bill as a whole had to be approved.  The one that failed  was a proposal for an instant run-off process for special elections when there is an election to fill a council vacancy.  For the Tennessean's report on this see Nashville to vote on 5 charter amendments in November — including extending council term-limits.

Bill to trample property rights withdrawn
Bill BL2016-219  to trample private property rights and kill an affordable housing development in the process by cancel an approved Planned Unit Development and down zoning a persons property without their consent was withdrawn at the request of the sponsor.  The effort to pass this bill had been pending since June of 2016

In other Council action:
Burkley Allen was elected President Pro Tempore. Burkley Allen and Jacobia Dowell sought the position. Allen won by a vote of 23 to 15.

Elections and Confirmation: No surprises. Everyone nominated was confirmed unanimously. 

Other Bills on Second Reading:

Bill BL2018-1190  would provide free parking at public parking meters in Davidson County for environmentally friendly vehicles and for vehicle owners that purchase carbon offsets. It passes on a voice vote.

Substitute Bill BL2018-1203 (as amended)   is a bill to distinguish non-motorized scooters and things like in-line skates from motorized scooters. Last council meeting the Council passed a detailed bill on second reading to address motorized scooters such as Bird. This just makes it clear that what was passed to apply to Bird and similar scooters does not apply to manually operated scooters and other non-motorized devices. This passes on a voice vote.

Bill BL2018-1294  changes the construction noise ordinance and makes what has just applied to downtown, apply anywhere in the county. 

Other Bills on Third Reading:

Second Substitute Bill BL2016-414  is a disapproved zoning bill to change the zoning on 5.8 acres from R6 to SP for property in Scott Davis's district. Deferred.  

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