Barry Keeps Busy Schedule On First Weekend As Nashville’s Mayor

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry says she will act as “the closer” when the school board finds its new superintendent.

During her first weekend in office,  she attended the board’s retreat and applauded them for a decision to actively recruit candidates instead of waiting for the right person to turn in a resume.

“They may be doing some amazing things in their district. They may not have even thought about a Nashville directorship, but you have thought about them,” Barry said. 

Barry also said she wants to be more involved, generally. She told board members that they don’t need an intermediary and should call or text her anytime. She also asked for a “comprehensive inventory” on the state of schools.

Board members wanted to know Mayor Barry’s thoughts on whether to join a court case in which other districts are suing the state for more funding. She was hesitant to comment, but said she would speak with her legal team “on Monday,” which she explained later.   

“Monday was a euphemism for: ‘Give me a minute,’ ” Barry said. “So yes, I will actively be partnering with them to do what we need to do.”

Legal action seeking increased state funding has been led by districts in Chattanooga and Memphis. 

Coming Full Circle

Also Saturday, Barry attended an anti-crime walk with survivors of violence and then spoke
 about affordable housing at the Celebration of Neighborhoods in East Nashville. She said she felt she’d come full circle. One year before — in the same community center gym — she discussed gentrification.

“And we were talking about the challenge of keeping neighborhoods affordable and making sure neighbors who have lived in their neighborhoods for a really long time have an opportunity to stay. Either to age-in-place or to be part of the community they’ve always been a part of when the rest of the community is changing,” she said.

Barry promised to make housing affordability the top priority as her term begins, saying the Metro Council will soon finalize new housing policies that she worked on as a councilwoman.