There is a Metro Council Meeting tonight… An agenda has been provided, and you can watch the meeting live via channel 3 or stream live on your electronic devices.

37208 Committee Update - click here for the committee's report

“You either die or go to jail,” said Deirdre Nicole of Gideon’s Army during our first meeting. Her statement sums up the hopelessness of many residents living in 37208. But incarceration is a symptom, not the sickness. 

The sickness is a lack of opportunity, and that is why the work of the 37208 Special Committee is paramount.  

In the Brookings Institute report, Work and Opportunity Before and After Incarceration, Adam Looney cites poverty as one of the major predictors of incarceration. Twenty-seven percent of prisoners grew up in families in the bottom 10 percent of income distribution—earning less than $14,000 annually.  Family conditions are also linked to high incarceration. African American boys raised in single-parent homes are two times more likely to be incarcerated than those in two-parent homes.

In searching for solutions, the 37208 Committee has concentrated on two areas: Prevention and Post-incarceration.

As a resident of zip code 37208, I take the work our Committee is doing personally. I deeply appreciate their efforts to provide sustainable solutions. Second, I want to thank Vice Mayor Shulman for creating this Committee and giving us the charge to recommend solutions. 

Finally, on behalf of the Committee, I invite you to join us in our campaign to reach the goals outlined in this report. Ten years ago, Nashvillians responded with vigor and tenacity to support neighbors navigating the aftermath of the flood. We will need the same resolve to address the systems of oppression that lead to this devastating statistic. 

Nashville (American) Football 

Soccer has been at the forefront of the most recent conversations. Nevertheless, I am committed to focusing on District 21 matters at hand; creating sustainable solutions for 37208 residents, improving the infrastructure in our communities with safe and complete streets, ensuring public safety for residents, generating opportunities for youth to have a safe place to play and learn, and striving for smart growth and creating unified communities.

I wanted to provide a quick overview of the soccer conversation, when it started and where we are today. The Council adopted a resolution - RS2017-910 - approving the issuance of public facility revenue improvement bonds to the Metro Sports Authority to construct a soccer stadium for Nashville Soccer Club's expansion into Major League Soccer (MLS).

If we fast forward to 2019, Mayor Cooper was elected, the city's budget was not balanced, and the soccer stadium slated for the Fairgrounds hangs in the balance. Last Friday, the Mayor's office and John Ingram, along with the MLS, sent a few open letters sharing their thoughts on the future of the soccer stadium, the Fairgrounds, and the city's responsibility for the budget. 

As this conversation continues to go back and forth I will keep you updated. However, as I mentioned earlier, I will continue to focus on District 21 priorities and communicate with you as we move our neighborhoods forward.

What to expect tonight:

• There are two (2) full term vacancies and one (1) partial term vacancy on the Community Oversight Board - We will have an election tonight. Ten (10) candidates will be considered for the three (3) vacancies.
• BL2019 - 78 is one of two Short Term Rental items on Public Hearing - which allows you to share your thoughts with Council Members prior to the vote. This bill would require a minimum distance for non-owner occupied short term rental from schools, churches, daycares, and parks. 
• BL2019 - 111 - Introduced by CMs Parker, Toombs, and Sledge - This is a Short Term Rental Bill - This ordinance will create a new zoning code structure (NS - No STRP) that would be able to zone parcels with the NS designation to not allow for this zoning to be able to receive a Short Term Rental Permit.This bill is on Public Hearing.
• BL2020 - 117 is also on Public Hearing. If passed, this ordinance will not allow parking on Multi-Modal corridors as designated in the Major and Collector Street Plan.
• BL2020 - 162 would ban vaping on hospital grounds.
• BL2019 - 3 and BL2019 - 49 if passed, will establish a Historic Property Review Board empowered to abate property taxes relating to certain improvements or restorations made to historic properties and authorizing a property tax exemption for historic properties owned by charitable institutions  - I am in favor of these bills. This will be an incentive for property owners of historic buildings to maintain the character and tradition of these structures and communities.

Dates to remember:

• Tuesday, February 4 - Council Meeting 
• Thursday, February 13 - Joint Committee meeting re Private Detention Center Contracts - David Scobey Council Chambers - 4:00 PM
• Friday, February 14 - Valentine's Day
• Tuesday, February 18 - Hospitality Industry Job Fair - Hadley Park Community Center - 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
• Thursday, February 20 - 37208 Committee Meeting - McGruder Family Resource Center - 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Tuesday, February 25 - Rezoning Community Meeting - 35th Ave N and Felecia St properties - West Nashville Police Precinct - 6:00 PM -7:30 PM
• Thursday, February 27 - Monday, March 2 - Council Member Taylor will be Out of the Office
• Thursday, March 5 - Rezoning Community Meeting - 40th Ave N and Walter S. Davis - Hadley Park Community Center (Tentative) - 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
• Saturday, March 7 - Home Improvements Resources Fair - McGruder Center - 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
• Tuesday, March 10 - Rezoning Community Meeting - Clay St and 9th Ave N - Elizabeth Park Community Center - 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

Lets Connect:

I invite all District 21 residents to reach out to me directly with any information or concerns in our community. Email is the best form of communication, but invite you to call me as well. My contact information is below.

Contact information: Email - [email protected] / Phone: 615.946.9700