Nashville Mayor: Goal Is Not To Be ‘It City’ But ‘Most Equitable City’

Nashville is prospering, but the city could be doing more for the people who already live here. That was a key message from Nashville Mayor David Briley during his annual State of Metro speech on Tuesday morning.

“I have a spoiler alert for you: Nashville will keep growing,” the mayor said in his opening, drawing some murmurs and laughs.

But he quickly drew applause when he spelled out the 8,600 new jobs that companies added in Nashville in the past year, as well as a record-setting $1.4 billion in building permits.

“The challenge now is managing that growth and protecting this great city,” Briley said.

Briley says he wants all residents to benefit from the prosperity, and he spent about 40 minutes ticking through his agenda. He said he’ll spend more on public schools, affordable housing, public safety and Metro employee salaries.

The mayor did give several nods to tourism, like the
NFL Draft and the ‘It City’ label, but said Nashville doesn’t need others to define its future.

“It’s time for Nashville to earn a new label, a label we give ourselves: the most equitable city,” Briley said.

To that end, the mayor touted
more recruiting of women- and minority-owned businesses for city contracts and he asked state lawmakers to reject legislation that is unfriendly to the LGBT community.

“I hope they’re listening behind me,” said Briley, who spoke from the Grand Reading Room of the library, with the Tennessee State Capitol visible out the window over his shoulder.  

Mayor Previews Budget

The mayor’s proposed budget will be delivered to the Metro Council on Wednesday. But Briley previewed some of it in his speech, noting it would be a $2.33 billion package.

That will include a 3% pay bump for Metro employees,
which Briley announced last month.

And he added a new detail: a 6.4% proposed increase to the starting pay for Metro police officers.

Briley also shared nuts-and-bolts ideas aimed at neighborhoods, such as the new library being built in Donelson, the new regional park in Antioch and the more frequent curbside recycling that will begin in the coming months.

He said he’s proposing increased funding for
hubNashville, which responds to resident needs such as pothole repairs, and for Metro Codes inspectors so that they can enforce rules for short-term rentals.

Education Is No. 1

But the mayor spent the most time speaking about education.

He reiterated his promise to be more involved with the district than prior mayors, he again chastised in-fighting on the school board, and he highlighted the programs he sees as successful.

“But the truth is, we have a ways to go,” Briley said. “We have pockets of success across the county.”

The mayor recently vowed to increase funding to Metro Schools, and in his speech, he said he was “begging” leaders to get those dollars into the hands of teachers and support staff. While the city funds the school system, it cannot dictate how the money is spent.

The mayor said Metro Schools is lacking a multi-year strategic plan. He delved into the politics of the moment, saying the district has been “riddled with in-fighting,” before throwing his support behind interim schools director Adrienne Battle.

“You’ve taken on the hardest job in the city.  I hope you know we’re all rooting for you,” Briley said.