At-large Council races: Who has the money and where did it come from

* Burkley Allen's totals are based on incomplete data. It is likely higher than the number listed.

Not everyone who have picked up a qualifying petition for a Council-at-large race has appointed a campaign treasurer.  Below is information taken from the financial disclosure of those who have filed reports. These are the only at-large candidates to file financial disclosures. I am not the person in Nashville best connected, so there are many important people whose names I do not know. For more information, visit the Elections Commissions website and view the financial disclosures for yourself at this link.

Burkley Allen
As posted on the Election Commissions website, the report does not contain the report form but only a list of contributors. I have reported this to the Election Commission.  As of now, the total expenditures, total receipts and cash on hand is unknown. Itemized contributions: $89,672
Contributions of interest

• Friends of Burkley, $22,836
• Dave Cooley, lobbyist, $250
• Burkley Allen, $1600
• Marks Deutschmann, Realtor, $1500
• Walker Matthews, R. C.Matthews co., $1500 
• Gayle Ray, $250
• Hannah Casidy, attorney, $250
• Bert Matthews, The Matthews Co., $200
• Charles Howell, IV,  C. A. Howell and Co. $500
• Gina for Schools, Conexion Americas, $150
• H. G. Hill Realty PAC, $250
• Randy Rayburn, Restaurateur, $250
• Waller Lansden PAC, $1,000
• I. C. Thomason PAC, $1,000
• Charles Robert Bone, attorney, $500
• She received a lot of money from medical doctors and others in the medical field.

Fabian Bedne
Total money raised was $39,083 and expenditures totaled $4,770.
The ending Balance on hand was $3,1313

Contributions of interest:

• He reports $51078 of unitemized contributions. Contributions of $100 or less do not have to be itemized.
• Charles Robert Bone, attorney, $500.
• Gina Pupo-Walker, School Board Member, employed by Conexion Americas,  $250. 
• Kay Bowers, MDHA board member, Executive Director of New Level Community Development Corporation,  $250.
• Avi Poster, liberal community activist, $250.
• Mario Ramos, Immigration Attorney, $250.
• Will Cheek, III, attorney, $250.
• William H. Freeman, Freeman Webb real estate, 2016 mayoral candidate, super Democrat Party fundraiser, $1,000.
• Shirley Zeitln, real estate, $200. 
• David G. Cooley, pubic relations/lobbyist, $250.
• Janis Sontany, former state representative, $200.
• Will Pinkston, Metro School Board member, $250.
• Tennessee Laborers PAC, $2000.
• Home Builders PAC,  $500. 

Steve Glover
Total money raised was $8,404; money spent was $379.
The ending balance on hand was $8,025.

Contributions of interest: 

• Roy Dale, Developer, Dale and Associates, former councilman, $500.
• Ronnie Hobbs, Hobbs Enterprises, $500.
• Joe Hobbs, High Note Wine and Spirits, $500.
• Tom White, attorney,  Tune, Entrekin & White, P.C. $500.
• Robert Joslin, Jr, Joslin and Son Sign Co. $500. 
• Doug Pardue, Metro Councilman, $500.
• Raphaela Keohane, member of the Davidson County Republican Party Executive Committee, $100.
• Barrett Hobbs, Cumberland Hospitality Group, $500.
• Beth Harwell, former State Speaker of the House and candidate for governor. $250
• Ben Cunningham, Tea Party activist, $250.
• Edward Smith, $1000.
• Johnny Hobbs,  CEO Jackson Downs Wines & Liquor, $500.
• Home Builders PAC, $250. 

Gary W. Moore
Total money raised was $20,019; money spent was $3711.
The ending balance on hand was $16,308.

Contributions of interest:

• Gary W. Moore, $500
  Nashville Firefighters Local 140, $7,800.
• Amanda McClendon, judge, $250
• William Freeman, (I assume this is Bill Freeman of Freeman Webb, former candidate for mayor and fund raiser for the Democrat Party*), $250.
• Gary Moore, Jr, $1000. 
• Nashville Firemans Credit Union, $200. 
• Friends of Bo Mitchell, $500.
• UAW PAC, $500.
• Dewey Brandstetter, attorney, $250.
• DRIVE Committee, Washington D. C., $1000.

*Note: On this candidates disclosure form, on most entries the candidate did not list the employer and occupation of the contributor which is required by law.  This makes it difficult to know who is the contributor. 


Zulfat Suara
Total money raised was $57,076. Money spent was $15,373.
The ending balance on hand was $41,703. 

Contributions of interest:

• unitemzed contribution were $2,626
• Rahaman Suara, $1600
• Will Pinkston, School board member, $250
• Brenda Wynn, Metro Clerk, $250
• Demetria Kalodimos, $100
• Gayle Ray, $250
• Mark Deutschman, broker, Village Real Estate, $100
• Wade Munday, Executive Director, Tennessee Justice for our Neighbors, $150. 
• Megan Barry, former mayor, $100.
• Jose Conzalez, CFO, Conexion Americas, $125

Note: The majority of contributors to this campaign were people with foreign sounding names and I knew very few of them.

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Why is Steve Glover fighting to keep General Hospital open? Very disappointing.

Steve Glover, fighting to
Keep General Hospital Open

According to The Tennesseean, a bill has been filed by two metro council members to force the city to keep General Hospital open for at least a year and a half.  The sponsors are Erca Gilmore and Councilman Steve Glover.  Steve Glover! I am shocked.  I expected push back from the Black community and from some super liberals in the Council and am not surprised that a Black council member would introduce such legislation but fiscally responsible members of the Council should be rallying behind the mayor on this issue. Councilman Glover is thought of as one of the conservatives in the Council. He is a Republican. If Steve Glover would like to explain why he is taking this action, he is free to leave a comment.

Member of the Black community see Meharry General Hospital as a source of pride. Nashville General is the teaching hospital of Meharry Medical College. Meharry is the second largest educator of African-American medical doctors and dentists in the United States and has the highest percentage of African Americans graduating with Ph.Ds in the biomedical sciences in the country.  Meharry recently partnered with HCA to train at TriStar Southern Hills Medical Center, a hospital in HCA's TriStar Health subsidiary. Meharry's mission will not be jeopardizes by the closure of General.  Despite serving very little purpose for the city and despite there being no law requiring the city to operate such a hospital, no previous mayor has dared to antagonize the leadership of the Black community by proposing to close General Hospital.

In the last two years the Hospital has sought $26 million in emergency funding  in addition to a $35 million annual subsidy from the Metro Council.  As reported in The Tennessean recently, a recent audit found that the hospital, "failed at basic bookkeeping, unable to keep track of patient payments and major expenses."

While poor management is obviously a problem, the real problem with Nashville General is that  no one wants to go there.  Metro jail inmates without insurance needing hospitalization have no choice and are sent to General and there is a financial incentive for Metro employees to use General but it still cannot fill its beds. The facility is  licensed for 150 beds, staffed for 114 and has an average of 44 beds filled a day. Metro General should have been closed fifty years ago.  Ever since the advent of Medicaid there has been no need for a city charity hospital and the reason it has been kept open is purely political.

Finally, surprisingly,  a liberal mayor is showing the courage to close this money pit and instead of being cheered on and supported by a Republican in the Metro Council, she is being sabotaged.  I am very disappointing. If you see the mayor encourage her to stay the course. If you interact with your council members, please tell him or her to support the mayor on this issue.

For recent news regarding Nashville General, see the following.
The Tennessean, December 17, 2017: Future uncertain for Nashville General CEO amid mayor's plans to end inpatient care.
The Tennessean, December 15, 2017:  Hospital landscape in limbo as questions swirl over Nashville General's fate
The Tennessean, December 14, 2017: Audit: Nashville General plagued by financial mismanagement despite progress.
 
For previous reporting on Metro Nashville General issues covered in this blog, follow this link.  

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These are the eight council members who voted against the sanctuary city bill.

Robert Swope

Doug Pardue

On July 6th the Metro Council met in regular session and among the items on the agenda was BILL NO. BL2017-739, the sanctuary bill. It was withdrawn by the sponsor. On June 20th the bill had passed second reading by a vote of 25 in favor, eight opposed and four abstentions.  Between second reading and third reading, the mayor had come out against the bill, the sheriff  had come out against it and said if it passed he would not enforce it, the Metro legal department had issued an opinion that the bill was not enforceable and the Council could not compel the sheriff to abide by the bills requirements, the state legislature let it be know they were considering going into special session to nullify the Council's action should the bill pass, and there had been a howl of pubic protest opposing the bill.

Steve Glover

Sheri Weiner

On July 20th when on second reading Councilman Robert Swope led the opposition and gave a powerful speech arguing against it.  When it came to a vote, only eight council members voted against it. The eight "no" votes were Robert Swope, Doug Pardue, Steve Glover, Sheri Weiner, Russ Pulley, Davette Blalock, Tanaka Vercher, and Jacobia Dowell. These council members who had the courage to vote against this bill should be applauded.  If you see them, please thank they for their vote.

The members of the Council voting for the sanctuary city bill were John Cooper, Erica Gilmore, Bob Mendes, Sharon Hurt, Jim Shulman, DeCosta Hastings, Brenda Haywood, Scott Davis, Brett Withers, Anthony Davis, Nancy VanReece, Bill Pridemore, Jeff Syracuse, Mike Freeman, Colby Sledge, Burkley Allen, Freddie O’Connell, Mary Carolyn Roberts, Ed Kindall, Mina Johnson, Kathleen Murphy, Jeremy Elrod, Karen Johnson, Fabian Bedne, and Dave Rosenberg. 

Russ Pulley

Davette Blalock

Four council members, Nike Leonardo, Larry Hagar, Keven Rhoten, and Angie Henderson abstained.

To place a face and council district number with the names, follow this link.

Tanaka Vercher

Jacobia Dowell

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Council Meeting of 9-20-16: Three short-term rental bills deferred, two pass; Google Fiber One-touch bill passes; Pot bill passes,

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. If you are going to actually watch the meeting, you really need to follow along with the agenda.

If you are going to watch the meeting you may want to watch it in double speed. That is usually what I do with council meeting and most meetings and speeches. I can watch it in double time and not lose much content and I slow it if something is interesting. To watch it in double speed, hover your cursor over "YouTube" and click it. The video will then open in another screen. Then click "setting" which is indicated by a gear icon. When that opens change speed from normal to the desired speed.  If you are not given that option, then follow this link for instructions.

Below is a summary and the highlights of the meeting.

All resolutions pass on the consent agenda except for an insignificant bill to be deferred and the two below. 

RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-380 by Council member Weiner ask Google Fiber and Comcast and everyone else involved in the process of facilitating the stringing of cable, to make Google Fiber available in Nashville, to play nice and make it happen. It says that "WHEREAS, industry stakeholders oppose BL2016-343,"  "the industry stakeholders, including but not limited to Google Fiber, AT&T, Comcast, and NES, are to come together in good faith and execute a Memorandum of Understanding to memorialize process enhancements that substantially eliminate the current backlog in make-ready work to facilitate the Google Fiber deployment and reduce the timeline for broadband deployment by all Internet service providers in Nashville. The stakeholders shall aim to complete the permit for each make-ready poll in 30 days and the subsequent make -ready work shall be completed within 45 days or less." This sets out what would be in the MOU and says that a minimum of 125 poles per week for a period of 18 months will be completed. The staff analysis says. "It is arguable that Metro Council does not have the legal authority to control how private companies address one another,much less mandate that they meet. Initiating a requirement making one private company liable to pay a penalty to another company is likewise problematic. It is anticipated therefore that a substitute resolution will be offered." This resolution was offered as an attempt to kill the One-touch-make-ready bill by offering an alternative approach.  To see the discussion see time stamp 16:33- 31:48.The bill fails on a roll call vote. To see how members of the council voted follow this link.

RESOLUTION NO. RS2016-382   ask Live Nation Entertainment to implement anti-scalping controls for events conducted at Ascend Amphitheater. Ticket scalping has become a major concern everywhere. Individuals and companies using software programs often buy up huge blocks of tickets of popular shows and then scalp them at higher prices.  This resolution was deferred three meetings. 

All bills on introduction and First Reading pass without objection by a single vote, as is customary.

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 is deferred two meetings.

BILL NO. BL2016-375  would prohibit more than three unrelated people from sharing a STRP among other things. This would eliminate renting the properties to a bachelorette group or any other group of more than three unrelated people.  This would not apply to those who already have a permit for a STRP.  This would not be enforceable and seems overly restrictive. I oppose this measure. It is deferred two meetings and sent back to committee. To see discussion see time stamp 39:32-45:16.

BILL NO. BL2016-381 says that an  STRP permit applications shall be valid for sixty (60) calendar days from the date filed and shall expire if the application process has not been completed within that time. This seems unnecessarily restrictive and I oppose this bill. It is substituted and deferred two meetings and rereferred to committee. To see the discussion of this bill and the next one, see time stamp 46:01-49:39.

BILL NO. BL2016-382   places more stringent restrictions on the number of STRP permitted.  It reduces to only 1% of the properties the Not Owner-Occupied STRP permitted in any single census tract. I oppose this measure. This is substituted and deferred two meetings and rereferred to committee.


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. It passes on a voice vote with no discussion. 

 Bills on Third Reading. There are 27 bills on Third reading. Here are the ones of interest.

BILL NO. BL2016-257   would make changes to the Short Term Rental Property regulations.  If someone was caught operating a STPP without a permit, a "stop work" order could be issued and they could no longer operate their property as a STRP and would have to three years before they could apply for a STRP permit and they could be fined $50 a day for each day they were found to have operated a STRP without a permit. Currently if found operating a STRP without a permit, they must wait a year before they can apply. It is a little more complicated this however. It is amended so that those simply not in compliance out of ignorance can get in compliance but those willfully evading compliance would be severely penalized. It passed on a voice vote when on Second Reading. To see the discussion at last council meeting when this was on second reading see see time stamp 1:30:25 - 1:40:53 at this link.  It passes third reading without discussion.

BILL NO. BL2016-343 is the “One Touch Make Ready” (OTMR) bill which would allow one company the right to work on a utility pole and move all of the cable that must be moved in order to accommodate a new company adding a cable to the utility poll.  This is being proposed to accommodate Google Fiber, which is trying to provide high-speed Internet to Nashville.  Other companies, such as Comcast, do not want anyone but their own people moving their cable. Also, there are labor contracts that complicate this. The Mayor's office has tried to work out a some agreeable accommodation but has not been successful. Google Fiber has threatened to abandon their plans for Nashville to get Google Fiber unless something can be worked out. After Louisville passed a similar bill, AT&T sued the city arguing that the city lacked authority to pass such an ordinance and they have threatened to sue Nashville if this passed. For more on this issue see this link, this link, and this and read the staff analysis of Sept.6.  The bill passes by a vote of 32 to 7 on second reading. This has been one of the most heavily lobbied bills before the Metro Council in a long time. For more information on the council actions on this bill when it was on second reading and to see how members voted on the motion to table and the motion to defer and the final bill on Second, see this Tennessean article. To see the discussion that occurred when the bill was on second reading  see time stamp 1:42:45 - 2:39:20 at this link.

An attempt to defer the bill two meetings, fails. The point is made by Councilman Elrod and Councilman Swope that the lawsuit pending in Louisville Kentucky may not be relevant to Nashville, because of difference circumstances and that should not be used as an excuse for inaction by Nashville. The motion to defer fails on a roll call vote, and on a voice vote the bill is passed on third and final reading.  To see the discussion see time stamp 1:01:42-1;20:09. 

BILL NO. BL2016-373  says that any advertisement for a STRP must include the permit number of the property. The AirB&B website and similar websites do not actually have the ads placed there read by a real person. When the software that reads the entries sees a series of numbers, it assumes it a phone number.  If a phone number of the person offering the property for rent was posted, AirB&B would not get their commission and the whole app business model would fall apart. This could destroy completely the STRP business in Nashville. The staff analysis fails to address this concern with this bill. This concern is addressed by the sponsor and an amendment is offered and passed that says the ad can include the permit number or a picture of the permit. That apparently  resolves this concern. The bill passes on a voice vote without discussion.

BILL NO. BL2016-374 would require an affidavit from the permit applicant that is renting the property as a STRP does not violate any HOA rules or Condo rules. I oppose this. I do not think Metro should get in the business of ensuring people are abiding by private contracts and an HOA reg or Condo rule is a private matter and Government should not involve itself.  This passed on a voice vote without discussion when on second reading. This passes on Third on a voice vote without discussion.


SUBSTITUTE BILL NO. BL2016-378BILL NO. BL2016-378  is the bill that would substantially reduce the penalty for  possession or

causal exchange of up to a half ounce of marijuana. Currently one can be fined up to $2500 and spend a year in jail.  Under this bill one would not be arrested but given a $50 ticket. Unfortunately, this bill is amended so that it is less attractive than the bill as introduced. The amendments replaces "shall" with "may,"  saying police "may" issue the ticket for $50 instead of saying that shall.  Discretion is not rule of law.  The police should not have that much flexibility. It leads to unequal treatment and makes the policeman "the law" instead of enforcers of the law.  The amendment also removes the lessened penalty for casual transfer. This is still a step in the right direction but a much smaller step. To see my views on marijuana follow this link.

This bill was debated at length on Second Reading. For more on this legislation as reported in The Tennessean see this link. The bill passed on a voice vote with some audible "no's" on Second Reading.  To view the discussion of this bill on Second Reading see time stamp 2:42:24 - 3:20:28 at this link.

The point is made that this bill is not in conflict with state law. I am disappointing to see Councilman Glover who is running for a seat in the State legislature take a strong stand against this bill. While I would almost always prefer to see a Republican replace a Democrat in the legislature, Councilman Glover's stand on this bill makes me less inclined to think he deserves to win that legislative race. The bill passes on a roll call vote of 35-3-1. The three "no" votes are Doug Pardue, Sheri Weiner, and Steve Glover.  To see the discussion, see time stamp 1:33:17-148:59.

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Council resolution asks fair board to reverse gun show vote

The Tennessean - The Metro Council will soon have its say on the fair board’s controversial move to halt gun shows at the Metro-owned Fairgrounds Nashville.

A resolution filed Friday by Councilman Steve Glover would request that the five-member Metro Board of Fair Commissioners overturn its action taken Tuesday to terminate gun shows at the fairgrounds after the completion of existing contracts.(link)

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How the Council voted on same-sex Metro benefits & who simply did not vote.

On July 3rd the Metro Council passed a bill on second reading that would extend metro benefits to the domestic partner of same-sex couples.  The measure is estimated to cost between $400,000 and $900,000 a year.  While the cost is reason enough to oppose the measure, in my view a more compelling reason is that we should not be normalizing what is a perverted life style.  We should not treat as if married, two homosexuals who live together.  If we wanted to say that any two people who share a household and have financial entanglement could be treated the same as a married couple, then I would have less problem with the bill.  I am sure that among Metro's employees, there is a son caring for his elderly mother who lives with him, or there is a mother carrying for her disabled son who lives wither her, or there are two "old maids" who share expenses but do not share sex. If we want to extend this service to people who may be dependent on each other, why is it contingent that they have a sexual relationship?

The vote to approve the bill was 25 in favor, 6 opposed, and 3 voting to abstain.

 BILL NO. BL2014-779

An ordinance amending Title 3 of the Metropolitan Code to provide domestic partner benefits for Metropolitan Government employees. The bill was approved by the Budget and Finance Committee and Personnel-Public Information-Human Resources-Housing Committees. Mr. Westerholm moved to pass the bill on second reading, which motion was seconded and adopted by a the following roll call vote: “Ayes” Barry, Steine, Garrett, Tygard, Matthews, Harrison, Hunt, Banks, Scott Davis, Westerholm, Anthony Davis, Stanley, Moore, Allen, Gilmore, Baker, Evans, Holleman, McGuire, Harmon, Johnson, Potts, Bedne, Todd, Mitchell (25); “Noes” Pridemore, Pardue, Glover, Stites, Claiborne, Dominy (6); “Abstaining” Bennett, Blalock, Dowell (3).

Bill Pridemore
voted NO

Doug Pardue
voted NO

I am extremely proud of those six who voted "No" and want to put a picture with the face.  I am especially proud of the stand and comments made by Josh Sites.

Josh Stites
voted NO

Steve Glover
voted NO

Phil Clairborne
voted NO

Duane Dominy
voted NO

Three Council members voted to abstain. I do not understand a vote to abstain.  I think on controversial issues one should get off the fence and state how they stand.  Sometimes one votes to abstain when they have a conflict of interest. If a council member works for a company that is seeking a zone change, then a vote to abstain is appropriate, or if one has some other conflict of interest. On a bill like these there is no logic to a vote to abstain. Of the three abstentions  Karen Bennett and Davette Blalock who are both Republicans are very disappointing. I am not familiar enough with Jacobia Dowell to know how she would have voted, had she voted. I emailed Karen Bennett and Davette Blalock to give them a chance to tell me why they abstained, but I did not hear from either of them.

 Here are the pictures of those who chose to not take a stand and voted to abstain. 

Jacobia Dowell
Abstained

Karen Bennett
Abstained

Davette Blalock
Abstained

Twenty-five of the Council members voted "yes."  Many of them are obviously liberals and I am not surprised. Some of them I don't know well enough to have guessed how they would have voted. Some of them however disappoint me in how they voted. Maybe my evaluation of them was wrong, but these are the Councilman who disappointment. I am especially disappointing in Charlie Tygerd, and Carter Todd both of whom are Republicans.  

Here are the "yes" votes that either surprised me or disappointed me.

Charlie Tygard
voted YES

Emily Evans
voted YES

Carter Todd
voted YES

Tim Garrett
voted YES

There is one vacancy in the Council and Council Member Edith Langster was absent for the whole meeting. Other Council Member who did not vote at all and were present at least for part of the meeting were Jerry Maynard, Tony Tenpenny, Sheri Weiner and Robert Duvall. I do not know if Mr. Maynard was present for this vote or not. This vote was near the end of agenda and the meeting was almost five hours long, so he may have not been present and had a legitimate reason.  I did speak to Councilman Tenpenny, Sheri Weiner, and Robert Duvall. They all had left the meeting early with very legitimate reason. Council member Sheri Weiner had a health issue and Councilman Robert Duvall and Councilman Tony Tenpenny had family emergencies. I won't go into details but they all did what they needed to do by leaving early. All three told me that had they been there they would have been "no" votes and that they will continue to oppose this effort.

As disappointing as I am in those who I expected to be "no's" who voted yes and those who abstained, I am disappointed in the Christian community and those who advocate traditional values. The Social Conservatives were AWOL on this issue. Had the three who abstained voted "no" and the two of the four disappointing "yes's" voted "no" and Weiner, Tenpenny and Duvall been present, the vote would have been to 23 to 14. If there would have been a campaign from advocates of traditional values to stop this, I believe five more votes could have been switched and it could have been killed. An outpouring of opposition could still stop this between now and June 17th.

If anyone, I mentioned in this blog post would like to explain your vote or your abstention, please feel free to leave a comment, or email me and I will post your explanation.

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Robert Duvall disappoints. Votes against slashing transportation price-fixing.

Robert Duvall

Last night shortly after the council voted on the bill to slash the minimum fee for a vehicle for hire from $45 to below $10, I got a call from someone who was there to tell me it had passed. The caller told me of the vote and said, "You won't believe who voted against it."

Who would one think would be the votes against it?  Maybe three of Nashville's most "progressive" council members?  Maybe Bo Mitchell, maybe Ronnie Stein, maybe Brady Banks, maybe Megan Barry?

One would not expect a person who identifies himself as a Republican or calls himself a conservative to vote for against the bill that essentially repealed price-fixing. Conservatives believe in a market economy. They believe in getting government out of the way and letting the market flourish. Conservatives do not believe it is the job of government to protect businessmen from competition. Conservatives believe in competition.  Conservatives know that a free enterprise is essential to freedom.  Conservatives know that over regulation strangles innovation and economic growth. 

The three votes against the bill that slashed the minimum allowable fee for vehicles for hire to an ineffective level and which made it possible for black sedans, Lyft and Uber to ply their trade in Nashville were Bo Mitchell, Steve Clover, and Robert Duvall.

Robert Duvall is often considered the most conservative member of the Council and is chairman of the Davidson County Republican Party.  To say the least, I am very disappointment.

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Anti-Charter School resolution before Metro Council

Councilman Steve Glover has introduced a resolution in the Metro Council asking State Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman for a charter school moratorium. The logic of the request is that charter schools take financial resources away from the school system.  When a child attends a charter school, the money that would have gone to the school system to educate that child follows the child to the charter school. Opponents of charter schools claim that overhead cost are fixed and having less children to educate does not cut those overhead cost.

This is obviously a phony argument. At about the same rate that children are leaving the regular district schools for charters, population growth is adding new students.  Charter schools are not leaving empty seats.  Those seats are being filled by new students.  In any event, cost are not fixed. If a system as large as Metro's public school system cannot reallocate resources to manage change in student enrollment then something is terribly wrong. You can be sure that if we had more students in public schools, the same people who are saying that fewer students present a financial hardship would be saying more students present a financial hardship. 

Charter schools have almost worked miracles in some cases. In charter schools, Black children with all of the disadvantages that usually indicate failure are excelling. No child should have to attend a failing school. We should embrace charters.

I have about given up thinking there is any bill so bad that our Council will not vote for it. I have also come to the conclusion that  Republicans in the Council are as about as useless as tits on a boar hog. Last month the Council passed a resolution calling on Congress to end sequestration, not cut spending, and to raise taxes.  The Republicans in the Council voted for it. A few months ago they voted for a resolution calling on the EPA to vigorously enforce the arbitrary CO2 limits the EPA had adopted without Congressional approval. The Republicans in the Council voted for it.  Some of the Republicans in the Council were in that body when the Council unanimously voted to impose minimum fare prices and other anti-market polices on limousine services. Think of your most conservative Council member; he votes exactly like the most progressive council member.  I don't expect any principled opposition to even the most liberal of legislation from any members of our Council.

The only thing that may cause this bill to run into trouble is that we have an active pro-charter community and Mayor Karl Dean is a supporter of charter schools.   Glover, sponsor of the resolution, was elected to the Council without opposition taking the seat formerly occupied by Councilman Jim Gotto. Glover is a Republican and a former member of the School Board. The resolution will be on the September 10 Council agenda.

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