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A right-leaning disgruntled Republican comments on the news of the day and any other thing he damn-well pleases.
I have reviewed the campaign financial disclosure reports of candidates for Metro Council for districts one through 23. I previously reported on what I found of interest in districts 1-12 and you can find that report at this link.
One thing I found that is very interesting is that there are a lot of progressives running for Metro Council. Nashville has always been a Democrat town. Years ago, when I served on the Council, I had to keep my Republican identity a secret. So, on the one hand, things are better than then; a few Republicans can get elected. On the other hand, some of the Democrat's of that day were conservative Democrats. Most people may have been Democrats but they were not very ideological. The Council is a non-partisan body and although almost all members of the Council may have identified themselves as Democrats, they were not very partisan. Now, I see lots of people running for office who are being supported, not by friends and neighbors, but by individuals and organizations with a very progressive agenda. Several of the candidates are supported by the GLBT (gay) movement. Several of the candidates are having lots of money funneled into their campaign by state-wide Democrat PAC's. Apparently the State Democrat establishment is determined to keep their stronghold of Nashville.
Another interesting thing is that their are lots of real estate agents, developers, lobbyist and attorney's contributing to candidates. I don't know that that is new, but it is very obvious. What are the contributors expecting to get for their money?
Another thing I find interesting is that Republican PAC's and Republican activist are not funding hardly anyone. Republicans are not taking this Council race seriously. I feel that Nashville is destined to become the "San Francisco of the South" unless Republicans get in the the game. We can expect more and more public policy that is politically correct and more and more reckless spending unless conservatives and moderates engage. We are on the verge of having the most progressive, ideologically liberal council in our city's history. It is not too late for people to still get in the race. In fact, the race has hardly begun. There are lots of State Republican senators and State Representatives with their own PAC's. Republican activist and the Party needs to quickly recruit some good candidates and those with money, need to fund those candidates.
What I found that is of interest to me in districts 13- 23 is reported below. Please know that I do not know everyone who is significant and do not know all of the political connections. I encourage you to review the reports for yourself if you are interested. You can find the reports at this link. If you find a connection that you think is noteworthy, please leave a comment.
Also, some people share the same name. If I listed a John Doe as contributing to a candidate and assumed it was a particular John Doe but got it wrong, please correct me.
The "initial" report is for the period prior to January 16 and that report was to be filed by February 10. If a candidate had raised any money prior to January 16th they were supposed to file an initial report. No candidate was permitted to raise money prior to the appointment of a campaign treasurer. The "First quarter" is the period January 16th through March 31st and that report was to be filed by April 10th.
Please check back. I will be reporting on the rest of the district campaigns shortly.
District 13
Final public meetings for NashvilleNext to be held Monday #Nashville
I have reviewed the campaign financial disclosure reports of candidates for Metro Council for districts one through 12 and what I found that is of interest to me is reported below. Please know that I do not know everyone who is significant and do not know all of the political connections. I encourage you to review the reports for yourself if you are interested. You can find the reports at this link. If you find a connection that you think is noteworthy, please leave a comment.
Also, some people share the same name. If I listed a John Doe as contributing to a candidate and assumed it was a particular John Doe but got it wrong, please correct me.
The "initial" report is for the period prior to January 16 and that report was to be filed by February 10. If a candidate had raised any money prior to January 16th they were supposed to file an initial report. No candidate was permitted to raise money prior to the appointment of a campaign treasurer. The "First quarter" is the period January 16th through March 31st and that report was to be filed by April 10th.
Please check back. I will be reporting on the rest of the district campaigns shortly.
District 1
Bill Freeman just lost another point with me today with a Facebook post in which he says he would use eminent domain to take PSC Metals property for redevelopment.
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David Fox |
From TN-Edu Independent - "Pushing young children to read is not good for them."
This comment was made recently by a school board member in Nashville. This comment reflects a policy view that would be detrimental to students across the MNPS system.
If anything, we have the exact opposite problem. We don't have the right policies and the appropriate execution of practices that foster the early literacy skills that so many Nashville students need.
Way too many young students in Nashville don't have adequate early literacy skills, and this deficit continues to hurt them in a big way throughout their K-12 learning years (if you can't read, it is hard to learn in other subjects or from other texts).
The American Academy of Pediatrics advocates for reading out loud to children (and is pushing their pediatric members to communicate that to parents).
It's somewhat shocking to me for a school board member to advocate for not pushing young children to read. While advocating for developmentally appropriate policies for children, which has merit and makes sense, this statement is irresponsible. If this was about making a political statement, related to the video below, and tied into the very skewed Diane Ravitch education policies (that is more about test opt-outs, everything should be play for children, etc), it's still irresponsible, and shows how allegiance to adult politics can trump rational and sensible policies for educating children.
A couple of thoughts stand out.
I generally favor developments that promote greater density because I believe we must have greater density to curtail urban sprawl, have good mass transit, and to grow the tax base so we can meet the city's unfunded obligations and future needs without massive tax increases. However, specific rezoning must be evaluated on some adopted criteria. The planning commission should not be allowed to base a rezoning decision on a plan that has not yet been adopted, but that appears what is happening. NasvhilleNext has not yet been adopted. It is arrogance, if not illegal to be using an unadopted plan to approve zoning request.
I don't know Margo Chambers but she is a leader of the Richland Westend community organization and often post thoughtful comments and essays on neighborhood-type websites. The below essay from Ms Chambers is reposted from the Nashville District 17 Google Group.
I realize traffic is a problem on 12th Ave South, but I would not want to stifle the growth occurring along that corridor. My concern is less about the outcome of this specific rezoning request and more about the process. This is in formative:
From: Margo Chambers
Regarding the two messages for the proposed Bristol 12
South development (Public Hearing today at 4pm – Metro
The last sentence in Mr. Hammond’s document (titled
“Tabernacle Post.docx”), directs the reader to the March 26,
2015 Metro Planning Staff Report for the Metro Planning
Commission. It states:
“This recommended approval from Planning hopefully speak to the level of impact this project will have on the community and how well it fits into the planned context of 12th South. The details of the Planning Staffs comments are provided in the link below. http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/ Planning/docs/MPCMeetings/ 2015/032615%20with%20exhibit% 20AUpdatedMarch23.pdf”
“STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the plan amendment, including retaining and amending the special policy, as it reflects the area’s recommended policy change as part of NashvilleNext .”
Consistent with Policy?The request is not consistent with the existing CO policy; however, it is consistent with the draft preferred future policy. As proposed the SP would permit a variety of residential, office and commercial uses that are urban in form and in keeping with the existing Harding Town Center UDO. Since this site is already developed and already zoned for additional development, including the Harding Town Center UDO, rezoning this site to SP is not inconsistent with what is already planned for this area and provides a balance in terms floodplain/floodway protection and development.
Consistent with Policy?Yes. The request is consistent with the existing (Mixed Use) and draft preferred future policy (Regional Center). As proposed the SP would permit a variety of residential, office and commercial uses that are urban in form and in keeping with the existing Harding Town Center UDO. While the SP would not necessarily be consistent with the Conservation policy, it does bring the site closer to conformance with the policy as it limits development in areas that could be developed today. Since the site has been previously disturbed then it is exempt from certain stormwater requirements. The proposed SP would provide a better balance in terms floodplain/floodway protection and development.
If anyone has a list of Mayoral candidate(s ) and/or Metro Council Member candidates who approve this type of unapproved activity by a Metro Commission, I’d appreciate it. I could use it at the voting booth in a few months.
1. Real estate trends in Miami track the new demand for larger units able to accommodate several generations of a family/lots of bedrooms (April 17, 2015): http://www.globest.com/news/12_1091/miami/development/ Will-This-New-Condo-Trend- Take-Off-357137-1.html?ET= globest:e46179:848421a:&st= email&s=&cmp=gst:Florida_AM_ 20150420:editorial 2. Comments by a large Miami developer on what is the ‘big picture’ driving the MulitFamily market (April 20, 2015): http://www.globest.com/news/12_1092/miami/multifamily/ Whats-Really-Driving-Miamis- Multifamily-Market-357184-1. html?ET=globest:e46179: 848421a:&st=email&s=&cmp=gst: Florida_AM_20150420:editorial (Hint: it’s based on future growth projections, not current growth). Does the developer believe that buyers, sellers, and lenders are all ‘on the same page’? It’s too soon to tell and he thinks it’s getting harder to make a profit (aggressively seeks out low property acquisitions). The article ends with “...it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are moving in the right direction.”3. Atlanta Developer says MultiFamily is not where the profit is anymore, but it can be found in their local Office space development. However, he cautions that Office development is not for the faint of heart due to high rents required plus the necessity of a very robust job market (to support the high rent rates). April 23, 2015: http://www.globest.com/news/12_1095/atlanta/multifamily/ Atlanta-Office-Developers- Take-Caution-357255-1.html
Note: whenever a Planning Department breaks their own zoning rules in order to encourage development, this creates an artificial housing ‘demand’. When somebody artificially creates any market commodity, this makes recovery from the inevitable down cycle worse than necessary.
“Want of foresight, unwillingness to act when action would be simple and effective, lack of clear thinking, confusion of counsel until the emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong – these are the features which constitute the endless repetition of history.” – Churchill 1935Primer: a short video from Khan Academy that nicely explains housing Supply and Demand: https://www.khanacademy.org/economics-finance-domain/core- finance/current-economics/ credit-crisis/v/the-housing- price-conundrum
TN GOP Press Release, NASHVILLE, Tenn.—With the final debate over, the 109th General Assembly has concluded its work for the first regular session. The closing comes with a number of legislative victories Republicans can be proud of.
“We’ve just witnessed a session of success,” stated Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes. “Whether it is the conservative fiscal stewardship of our state, educational reforms that keep us on the path of achievement, or a number of bills to enhance the freedom Tennesseans expect—our state is moving ahead. Governor Haslam continues to show why he’s garnered the reputation of a dynamic reformer-in-chief and together, with Lieutenant Governor Ramsey and Speaker Harwell, the leadership of our state has never been stronger.”
Lakeshore Christian Church,
5434 Bell Forge Lane, East
Antioch, TN 37013.
YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee and Lipscomb University
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (CDT)
Yesterday the Senate confirmed Loretta Lynch for attorney general. Opposition to her appointment came from conservatives because she supported President Obama's executive action granting amnesty to illegal immigrants.
Ten Republican senators sided with Democrats to confirm
Lynch's nomination. Neither of Tennessee's senators were among the ten. Those Republicans voting for her confirmation were: Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), Orrin Hatch
(Utah), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Susan Collins (Maine), Jeff Flake
(Ariz.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Ron
Johnson (Wis.) and Mitch McConnell (Ky.).
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Jeremy Kane |
I just got this communications from Uber:
Thanks to your support, uberX is now a permanent option for riders and drivers across Tennessee.
This week, the Tennessee General Assembly passed smart legislation that truly embraces innovation, clearly signaling that The Volunteer State stands for added choice and greater opportunity for its residents and visitors. It affirms Uber’s commitment to safety, and ensures we can continue to provide safe, reliable rides at the touch of a button, and extend economic opportunity to thousands of local drivers.
What’s In The Bill:
- Mandatory federal, state and local background checks and a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol for all drivers
- $1 million primary insurance coverage for all rides
- Reinforces consumer protection and safety features within ridesharing applications
Special thanks to our bill sponsors Senator Bo Watson and Representative Cameron Sexton, along with key supporters Senator Jack Johnson and Representative Kevin Brooks, who displayed tremendous leadership in pushing forward this bill.
We are proud that Uber’s safety standards have set the bar for ridesharing in Tennessee.I am pleased to see this happen! Next session, I hope the Legislature takes more action like this, ending unnecessary regulations, price-fixing and the ability of local governments to fix prices and protect their friends from competition. Congratulations to the State Legislature for passing a good piece of pro-market legislation.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A proposal that would let parents move a child
from a failing public school in Tennessee to a private school with
funding from the state has failed this year — for the third consecutive
Tennessee General Assembly session.
House sponsor Bill Dunn withdrew the school voucher proposal, or
“opportunity scholarship,” from the House Finance subcommittee on
Tuesday and said he will likely try again next year.
“The votes just aren’t there,” said Dunn, R-Knoxville. (link)
Here is the Tennessean's report of the April 21st Council meeting: Old Nashville Convention Center sale advances.
As soon as I watch it, I will tell you if there is anything worth watching in the video and if anything else important happened. Look for an update.
John Cooper, brother of Representative Jim Cooper is joining the long list of people running for an at-large seat on the Metro Council. Here is a link to the Tennessean's report on the story.