Nashville fairgrounds will get two people of color as board members, after a yearlong political stalemate

After almost a yearlong stalemate, Nashville is getting two new board members for the fairgrounds.

This week the Metro council gave the green light to appoint Mario Avila and Jasper Hendricks to the board.

Avila has experience with finance and has served on various boards throughout Nashville including Conexion Americas and the city’s special bombing review commission. While Hendricks, has experience with public policy, advocacy and consulting with nonprofits.

This comes as an independent sports finance consultant will review the financial framework for the city’s proposed deal with NASCAR. The fair board will have to approve the deal before it heads to the Sports Authority and Metro Council.

Since last February, Nashville elected officials have been deadlocked on who should have the power to oversee the fairgrounds.

The Vice Mayor Jim Shulman was put in the hot seat to choose a candidate that could handle the job as well as the political backlash. It’s typically the mayor’s job but he missed deadlines on at least 17 appointments. Cooper’s office says that’s because of COVID, threat of state financial takeover, the tornado and Christmas Day bombing.

Multiple sources tell WPLN News that a councilmember and the mayor were battling over how a potential candidate could vote on the speedway deal. At the same time, councilmember Sandra Sepulveda and others wanted to make sure a Latino was on the board.

Shulman wanted to avoid political conflict so on two occasions he nominated two Black women for the position. Instead, this caused more tension and raised questions about his motives in pitting Black and Brown communities against each other.

In a plot twist, the chair of the fairgrounds stepped down in December for personal reasons. And this week, that opening allowed the council to approve two new fair board members. Both the mayor and vice mayor were in favor of the appointees.

A Latino and Black man will now join what was an all-white decision-making body.

Nashville officials have fallen shorten in matching board representation to the city’s Latino population.