Downsizing the Council
🏛️ Council shrinkage · The race for Rose's seat · New Chief of Staff · Nashville's Pyramid · Much more!
Good afternoon, everyone. Today, we consider the impending council shrinkage, look at a new candidate for John Rose's old Congressional seat, examine Mayor O'Connell's new chief of staff, and learn about a historical figure from Nashville's past: the man who brought us the Parthenon. First time reading? Sign up here.
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🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.
🏛️ The Road To Shrinking Council During last night’s Metro Council Executive Committee meeting, members touched on the recent court ruling upholding a state law that cuts the council in half. This week, the Metro Legal Department will be appealing the Court of Appeals decision to the Supreme Court.
Once the appeal is filed, the state has 15 days to file a reply. At that point, it will be up to the Supreme Court to determine whether it will hear the case. For now, Metro Council will have to be restructured before the 2027 elections. Despite the urgency, the Supreme Court does not have a deadline, which puts the process in limbo.
“We are kind of prudently having conversations about what we might need to do and what that timeline might need to be,” said Vice Mayor Angie Henderson. “But we don't want to get ahead of ourselves because we want to let the…courts and the process run its course.”
During discussions, Councilmember Clay Capp mentioned that the Metro Charter Revision Committee is looking to gain a little extra help from Vanderbilt Law students. An externship for a law student to receive course credit working with Metro has been approved by the school. “That is a resource that could be available to us and I hope it is,” said Capp. “I hope we don't really need it, but I hope that we get some good applicants.”
🏁 The Race For Rose’s Seat Yesterday, Tennessee State Representative Johnny Garrett launched his campaign for Congressman John Rose’s 6th District seat. Rose will be stepping away from Congress in pursuit of the governorship, leaving the House position up for grabs.
In a campaign ad posted by Garrett on X yesterday, the representative says he plans to play hardball in DC. “Washington has been throwing curveballs at Tennessee for years: open borders, out of control spending, men in women’s sports, and zero accountability,” posted Garrett. “I'm not going to Washington to play nice, I’m going to win.”
Rose’s Chief of Staff, Van Hilleary, also plans to join the 2026 race for the 6th Congressional District. According to State Affairs, Hilleary will launch his campaign at an event in Gallatin this Friday.
🥸 O’Connell’s New Chief of Staff Yesterday, Mayor Freddie O’Connell named Masami Tyson his new Chief of Staff. Tyson is both an attorney and has previously worked as the Global Director of Foreign Direct Investment and Trade at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
She will be replacing Marjorie Pomeroy-Wallace, who will now serve the mayor as his first Chief Strategy Officer and Senior Advisor. In these new roles, Pomeroy-Wallace will make recommendations on how to deploy Metro resources to achieve the city’s long-term goals, will interface with Metro boards and commissions, and will also focus on coalition building.
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DEVELOPMENT
- Lodge2A to bring social club w/ shooting simulators to Cummins Station (NBJ)
- Fifth Third plans $20M investment in North Nashville (Post)
- Berry Hill commercial building listed for $1.6M (Post)
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✹ MAJOR LEWIS AND NASHVILLE'S PYRAMID
On the crest of a hill overlooking Lebanon Pike and the Cumberland River sits a mossy, weathered stone monument that could easily be mistaken for an ancient relic. Mt. Olivet Cemetery is the resting place of Nashville’s early patriarchs and pioneers of progress. One of those men lies in a tomb fit for a pharaoh, and his influence on Nashville justifies the elaborate marker. That man is Major Eugene Castner Lewis, the mind behind Nashville’s Parthenon, and he lies interred in Nashville’s very own pyramid.
Major Lewis was an engineer, businessman, and civic leader. Among his many accomplishments, Major Lewis’ most significant is his directorship over the celebrated Centennial Exposition in 1897 and his influence in the construction of Nashville’s Parthenon. He was also responsible for the development of Shelby Park, Centennial Park, and Union Station.
THINGS TO DO
View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.
📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.
🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.
👨🏻🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.
TONIGHT
🎸 The Psychedelic Furs @ Brooklyn Bowl Nashville, 8p, $52.40, Info
🎸 A Tribute To The Smiths @ City Winery, 7:30p, $20, Info
+ featuring Bob Nanna of Braid, Rodrigo Palma of Saves The Day, & more
🎸 White Denim with Tagua Tagua @ 3rd and Lindsley, 7p, $29.88, Info
💀 Tennessee Dead @ Tennessee Brew Works, 6p, Info
🪕 Bluegrass Night @ The American Legion Post 82, 7p, Free, Info
📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.
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Today's newsletter is brought to you by Megan Podsiedlik (Nashville), Jerod Hollyfield (Crowd Corner), Camelia Brennan (Local Noise), and Davis Hunt (everything else).