What we can learn from 8 years of Freddie O’Connell comments to WPLN News

Tony GonzalezWPLN News (File)

It’s possible that WPLN News has talked to Freddie O’Connell too often over the years. But now that he’s mayor, what can we learn from the last 8 years of his policy stances, quips and quotes?

For one — and there’s no disputing it — O’Connell was an exceptionally involved and responsive member of the Metro Council. The proof is in the sheer quantity of measures he pursued and opinions he offered.

WPLN asked O’Connell how many stories he thought he had been mentioned in over the last eight years. His guess — 37 — was merely half of the actual total. That’s right: O’Connell has appeared in about 74 stories since 2015, when he was elected as the District 19 Metro Council member.

“I was 50% right,” he said.

He says serving in elected office comes with the responsibility of communicating with the press.

“I opted into the role of being a decision maker. And so my obligation isn’t just to my constituents, it’s to be able to talk about the decision making and the reasons why we are making them.”

He’s dealt with bus service and dockless e-scooters; historic preservation and panhandling; the complicated depths of solar infrastructure and the Metro budget … and what really went down when the city hosted a naming contest for its new street sweeper.

It’s a lot.

But we sifted through the archives and unearthed these key takeaways.

Freddie walks the walk — literally.

O’Connell is a Nashville native — and there’s no denying that he is out and about in his city. From his days as the Salemtown Neighbors Neighborhood Association president to his eight years as the District 19 Metro Council member, O’Connell makes it a point to show up for the community. He appears often at events — big or small — and makes a point of working alongside his neighbors.

Two years ago, when curbside recycling was put on hold, O’Connell became his district’s resident recycler: he used campaign money to rent a box truck and offered curbside pickup to his constituents upon request.

Back in 2015, he helped lead a pedestrian safety walk throughout downtown — pushing one of his daughters in her stroller all along the way.

O’Connell was also heavily involved in the quest to name Nashville’s bike lane sweeper (now known as “Demonbroomin”) — and was vocal about his disappointment when “Sweepy McSweepface” did not make the short list.

And, on the eve of the mayoral runoff election, O’Connell made an appearance at a local nonprofit’s fundraiser, even bidding (and winning) an item in their silent auction. He walked out of the Wedgewood-Houston venue, with a large table in his arms — victorious in his silent auction battle, and less than 24 hours away from his next victory.

Freddie is not afraid to change his mind.

Across eight years of Metro Council issues, O’Connell has dealt with a range of controversial topics. And, at times, his ideas have been met with frustration and backlash from his constituents — which he has responded to, in some cases, by changing his mind.

Take his 2019 proposal to toughen downtown Nashville’s rules against panhandling. O’Connell said he was hearing from residents and employees about a rise in in-your-face panhandling, tourists being berated or intimidated, and material being shoved into people’s hands.

So, he introduced a bill that prohibited panhandling in certain locations. The rules also could have applied to solicitation — like passing out flyers — to help people walk around without being bombarded. O’Connell said it was born out of a desire to help people feel safe.

But, the proposal was met with pushback — from accusations that he was targeting the homeless community to potentially infringing on free speech rights. And, so, two months later, he walked back the bill. And, he didn’t stop there: O’Connell then moved to delete Metro’s code pertaining to panhandling.

Around the same time, O’Connell entered into a debate over historic preservation, initially taking an anti-demolition stance … but, eventually coming out on the other side. In 2018, the city planned to purchase the historic Tennessee School for the Blind to build a new campus for the Nashville School of the Arts. The proposal included the demolition of a 1942 building with historical significance: it was used for the school’s Black children before integration.

The campus fell within O’Connell’s district. Early on, O’Connell noted the “richness of heritage” at the site, and said he would resist demolition plans.

Five months later, O’Connell said that meetings and a tour of the building led him to a different conclusion: a belief that the School of the Arts should be allowed to build anew, rather than jeopardize the entire deal.

“I think rigidity actually can impede progress if other perspectives are not even entertained,” O’Connell says. “I have found that being curious and being solicitous and being very community oriented has generally led to me drawing the best conclusions possible.”

Freddie will take a stand.

While O’Connell has demonstrated his ability to have a change of heart, he’s also maintained unwavering positions on certain issues.

O’Connell told WPLN News that he believes it is possible to do both — be open to change and stand by his beliefs.

“I don’t think a lack of rigidity is the same thing as a lack of principles,” O’Connell said. “And I think it is also important for moments when you have made a decision, when you have seen a collection of evidence, when you have seen systemic impact to be very principled in stances you take on significant issues of the day.”

O’Connell worked under three different mayors: Megan Barry, David Briley and John Cooper.

He aligned with Barry often — even on divisive topics, like supporting her effort to decriminalize marijuana and the proposed 2018 transit referendum.

But O’Connell was also not afraid to criticize the city’s top elected official. In 2020, he spoke out against Cooper’s statements about the city’s fiscal condition, calling them “plainly untrue.”

He helped lead the effort to end Nashville’s relationship with CoreCivic, a private corrections company — a relationship he still remembers as “one of the most perverse incentives that exists in a complicated public policy area.” He asked tough questions about the multi-million-dollar Global Mall site purchase. And, as those familiar with his campaign will note, he voted against the $2 billion Titans stadium deal.

Part of what makes O’Connell’s strong stances stand out is his delivery. O’Connell has never been afraid of speaking frankly about his opinions.

Back in 2020, when thousands of Nashvillians marched through downtown to protest police brutality, many activists also called upon the Metro Council to defund the police. Several councilmembers suggested cuts to the police department’s budget — O’Connell included. But maybe even as notable as his suggestion was his candid statement about the reality of significant change at that time.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see how many young people stay engaged in this conversation for a full year,” O’Connell said. “Or are they going to feel like … everybody’s disillusioned and hates politics and politicians because they didn’t get even close to what they asked for?”

Freddie digs into the wonky details.

Throughout countless debates in the leadup to O’Connell’s mayoral win, he proved his grasp of myriad aspects of city infrastructure.

When WPLN posed questions on transit to O’Connell during his campaign, he responded with a detailed rundown of an existing plan — the 3-year WeGo Public Transit work plan — and his intentions to implement it.

And that wonky insight didn’t just appear in his race for the city’s top position. Rather it was demonstrated — and likely accrued — over his eight years on the council. While O’Connell has made his focus on Nashville’s transit system clear, his “wonky” interests don’t end there.

In 2018, O’Connell dove into the city’s 600-page, 5-year housing plan. The next year, he tried to tackle renewable energy and increase NES’ solar capacity.

And on more than one occasion, he’s plunged into intricate affairs like zoning codes and city budget proposals.

Freddie wants you to talk.

“This is a community conversation that we probably should have had several months ago…”

“… you’d almost have to have a multi-neighborhood conversation …”

“… I would expect to be very intentional about having the community conversation about when and whether we should do this, starting on day one.”

“Conversation” may be the most frequently-used word by O’Connell in his eight years of statements to WPLN.

It’s a common thread across issues that span from dockless scooters to neighborhood gentrification. Across his years on the Metro Council, he’s often admitted that there’s not an easy answer to most issues.

That might be why he’s encouraged conversations as a jumping off point. This might be a multi-neighborhood conversation (like in the case of Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School’s declining enrollment amidst a gentrifying community) or speaking directly to the Boyd family to try to preserve a historic house on Fisk University’s campus from a looming-demolition.

Even in his mayoral election night victory speech, community dialogue played a role.

“There were other key participants in this conversation,” O’Connell told the crowd, “That’s what we do, that’s what a democracy does. We have tough conversations to make decisions.”