Nashville Mayor Megan Barry says her first 100 days in office rushed by — like the phrase, “fly in an airplane while you’re still building it.” While speaking to hundreds of city leaders at Lipscomb University on Thursday, Barry talked mostly of her work so far. But she also laid out a vision for dealing with controversies.
The mayor has gone out of her way this week to publicly diffuse conflicts. First,
she promised to get community input before choosing where to build a new police headquarters.
And now she’s declared that open conversations will be her standard.
“For my administration, it’s about taking controversy, turning it into conversation, and then turning those conversations into action,” Barry said.
Barry’s team is navigating a delicate new affordable housing policy (
coverage here) and implementation of a local hiring rule that’s on shaky legal ground despite voter support (
coverage here).
On local hiring — Amendment 3 — she said she’s brought together contractors, business leaders and organized labor leaders together for the first time in about a decade to discuss workforce training.
“The one thing that everybody agrees on: We need more training so that Nashville residents, especially in the construction industry, are qualified to do the work that’s out there,” Barry said.
After touting openness, the mayor couldn’t sidestep an audience question about the future of PSC
Metals — the scrap recycling plant on the east bank of the Cumberland River and within sight of downtown.
Turney Stevens, the Lipscomb College of Business dean emeritus, made sure she answered by restating the question, which had arrived bundled together with The Fairgrounds and other properties.
“PSC, really? We’re going to that one?” Barry asked, drawing laughs.
“You know, I drive by that thing every day and I look at it and I say, ‘How do we make that thing go away?’ “
She calls it an “eyesore.” But whether the city can do anything is complicated.
More:
Should Next Mayor Try To Force PSC Metals Out?
“I am not the first mayor to struggle with this issue, and if it were easy, we would have already done it. But it doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try.”
One question did get lost in the mix — Barry didn’t share ideas for the future of the Greer Stadium property.
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