Jun

18

Emanuel: Big dollars coming for community colleges

By Amy Griffith | Filed Under Miscellaneous | Leave a Comment 

As we in Nashville devote our energies to charter schools and No Child Left Behind, transformational changes are happening nationwide in higher education. President Obama’s chief of staff says increased funding is coming for community colleges.

Jun

3

Metro Council giving Mayor Dean a reason to smile

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Convention Center, Mayor Karl Dean, Metro Council | 2 Comments 

There’s a reason Mayor Karl Dean goes home happy 80 percent of the time. In his 23 months as the mayor of Nashville, Dean has pushed 100 percent of his legislation through Metro Council.

Even on controversial issues, like buying land for the convention center before a financing package is ready to be presented, Dean wins easily. Last night’s land acquisition bill passed with a 28-6 vote and no debate. The six losing Council members were withdrawn to their fate, even if their conviction that Metro is making a huge mistake runs deep. District 23 Councilwoman Emily Evans has earned a bit of a reputation as a numbers guru on Council. She took the time to crunch the numbers for Music City Center. They didn’t add up. But instead of speaking out in public, again, Evans merely posted the info on her blog site.

The only member with the intestinal fortitude to speak against the administration was District 33 Councilman Robert Duvall.

“I don’t believe we can move this thing forward and pay for itself,” Duvall said from the Council chamber floor last night. “I don’t see where the numbers have matched. I’ve done my research. If anybody was at the Sunday forum, I think they saw a lot of evidence according to that.”

District 4 Councilman Michael Craddock isn’t exactly one to bite his tongue. Yet in voting against the land acquisition on second reading, and again on third reading, Craddock didn’t stand and speak a single word against the project. Neither did District 24 Councilman Jason Holleman, who has stood up to the Dean administration before, and lost. Maybe the opposition knows resistance is futile. The vocal minority has been silenced.

That’s good for the Dean administration and its already-underway efforts to get re-elected in 2011. It’s not so good for public discourse on key policy decisions.

It wasn’t just the convention center land acquisition Dean was able to push through without much dissent. He was able to do the same on the Predators’ Sommet Center subsidy of $7.4 million. His first budget received virtually no alterations, although $1 million was scraped together to help MTA bus routes.

Then came the infamous debate on the stormwater fee structure, with Holleman deciding it would be his asphalt hill to die on. Holleman was able to find 13 Council members to vote with him on an alternate fee structure that would have done more to discourage paving by Nashville’s largest property owners like Vanderbilt and Gaylord.

In the days after the stormwater fight, the losing side took away a moral victory. If they had 14 Council members willing to stand up to the mayor, maybe they could actually make a difference going forward.

Then came the land acquisition legislation and only six Council members found the time to show up and vote no. It probably bears mentioning that many Council members supported the convention center when they ran for office in 2007. No matter what the financing looks like, they’ll be bound to support the convention center, even though the warnings that it could impact the general fund have been expressed loud and clear.

The next big initiatives for the Dean administration will be passing his new budget (the one with no tax increase, but 10 percent departmental cuts, layoffs and pay freezes to balance things out) along with pushing the final financing package for Music City Center through. Odds are, it’s going to happen no matter what, but at least one Council member is holding out hope.

“So I’m going to stand in opposition to this,” Duvall said. “I hope that many of you take a look deeply at this project as it goes forward. I expect the plan to pass tonight, but look inside your hearts, listen to the people in your districts, make sure you do what’s right. Because that’s all I care about in this city, is doing what’s right. Thank you.”

Jun

1

Convention Center: The Debate

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Convention Center | 9 Comments 

Nashville has seen its share of historic debates the past few years. There was Obama v. McCain at Belmont as part of the presidential debate series last year. There was the infamous Dean v. Clement debate where, depending on your perspective, Dean was either duped into promising never to raise property taxes, or he merely offered a vague, still-unclear stance on the issue.

Then there was Sunday’s debate on the merits of a new convention center, held at the Steve and Judy Turner Recital Hall on Vanderbilt’s campus. Packed into the room were a few dozen Metro Council members, elected officials like state Sen. Douglas Henry, Juvenile Court Clerk Vic Lineweaver and Public Defender Dawn Deaner.

On center stage were national convention center expert Dr. Heywood Sanders, from the University of Texas-San Antonio, and Butch Spyridon, the president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau.

As two Music City Center supporters pointed out to me after the debate, it was actually pretty predictable. Sanders showed how convention center feasibility studies routinely overshoot in their projections how the projects will actually perform. He also showed that convention center supply has skyrocketed, while demand has remained pretty flat. Spyridon showed how the convention business in Nashville has [mostly] paid for itself and pointed out the new Music City Center, which has not even been approved yet, has already booked more than 200,000 hotel room nights.

What was unexpected was how Sanders and especially Spyridon lost all sense of decorum and at various points during the debate seemed like they might need to be separated.

Spyridon took the odd nativist debate approach of painting Sanders as an outsider who didn’t know Nashville and didn’t know what he was talking about. It would have been a borderline understandable debate approach, since the crowd was filled with tourism industry executives ready too whoop it up at whatever Spyridon said. When Sanders began one response with “I’m not from Nashville…” Spyridon cut him off and said, “We know,” which drew thunderous applause and laughter from the tourism industry folks.

The problem with the approach was the fact that Spyridon is the head of Nashville’s CVB. He’s supposed to be the face of a welcoming city and an industry dependent on outsiders like Sanders to travel here. Spyirdon did everything but bust out a powerpoint with the words, “You’re not welcome in Nashville” in a bold war font. Considering he’s the guy selling Music City to outsiders, it struck me as an especially odd debate tactic.

May

14

Crafton’s brilliant, never-gonna-happen idea

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Convention Center, Eric Crafton, Mayor Karl Dean, Metro Council | 4 Comments 

Councilman Eric Crafton has filed a resolution stating Council’s intention to fund the new Convention Center only with the tourism revenues created last year.

For reasons that are still unclear, Music City Center supporters are against Crafton’s resolution, even though they’re quick to point out the Dean administration’s promise to not use property taxes. Question: if the administration has filed state legislation promising not to use property taxes, then why can’t Council make a similar promise?

But Crafton is going one step further than last time. He is now requesting a transparency web site be created to show all the Tourism Development Zone taxes, and tourism tax revenues coming in, along with a line item on how the funds are spent.

The resolution requires “a website be created providing details regarding the amounts of tourist accommodation taxes collected for the convention center project and a line-item description of all project expenditures to provide transparency.”

Smart money says no such transparency web site is created.

Apr

22

Crafton’s full Convention Center diatribe

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Eric Crafton, Metro Council | 3 Comments 

Last night Councilman Eric Crafton pulled the Music City Center land acquisition bill when it was on first reading. Here is his entire five-minute speech on the topic, unedited, not fact-checked and complete with an inexplicable interruption from Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors. Not found in the transcript are the hilarious looks of, ‘Oh no, what’s he going to say,’ from the ardent Convention Center supporters.

At the beginning of the speech, Crafton is referring to his memorializing resolution, which was defeated at the April 7 meeting, when he was absent. Crafton had sent a letter requesting its deferral, but Councilman Jim Forkum pulled the resolution and it was unanimously defeated.

Crafton: “I had intended to talk about a couple of points on a resolution that I had filed to come at the end of this meeting, but for some unknown reason it wasn’t deferred so that we could talk about it tonight. I wanted to complete a little more research that I had done. So I will just use the opportunity that I have right now to offer some concerns and questions that I’d like answered as we move forward in this process. I saw a…”

Neighbors [interrupting]: “Councilman Crafton, you do know that this will be assigned to committee for discussion and then brought back to the floor?”

Crafton: “I am very well aware of that process. I’d like to have my comments, if I may…”

Neighbors: “You’ve got it. I just wanted you to be aware of that.”

Crafton: “I am very aware of that process, I appreciate that. I saw on Animal Planet the other night a presentation that kind of reminded me of the situation this Council is being put in. What it was was a buzzard, or a vulture, was put in a big cage. And the buzzard could fly out, there wasn’t a top in it. But as the cage got smaller and smaller, eventually the buzzard couldn’t fly out, because he didn’t have enough runway to get out. And so as we incrementally approach this Convention Center project, the Council is getting boxed in to a point where, you know, we spend $5 or 6 million to do a study, and then we approve $75 million to buy the property and before long we look like fools if we don’t approve the project.

“And so there are a couple of things I’d like to talk about. Number one, we asked for Goldman Sachs to do a statement of qualification for underwriting. I’ve read this, I don’t know how many people have read this. But one of the things that really stands out to me, it says two things always happen on these types of projects to get the financing done for these types of things, one of two things always happens. One, the project is backed by general obligation bonds, which means that you and I and other taxpayers, will back this project and if it doesn’t work we’ll be left holding the bag, and if it does work — great. The other thing that’s done is called an assumption pledge. An assumption pledge pledges all available revenues other than property taxes, which the biggest source would be sales tax. So let’s say the revenue projections aren’t met, well then what Metro will do is they’ll take sales tax and other taxes available, except for property taxes, and make up the difference. And then we’ll be left with one choice — raise property taxes to cover this deficit.

“So any way you go, the taxpayer is going to be on the hook, and that’s what Goldman Sachs says. This was done in February of this year. That’s the two scenarios that always happen. OK, so that’s one thing I want to talk about. Number two, we don’t have a financing package available. We don’t have a guaranteed maximum price. We have assumptions from two or three years ago on finances. I don’t understand why we’re rushing to get this done before we can have an actual financing package available for us to look at, have the public look at, be transparent. It may work out just fine, so that’s something I wanted to have everybody look at.

“Goldman Sachs’ own report shows that it’s going to take 23 years before this project ever breaks even. And now that’s using revenue models that they’ve done, very conservative now, compared to the past, because we all know the convention center business is down, so I’d like to make sure we look at that. Oh, KPMG, I’m sorry, not Goldman Sachs on that one.

“$73 a square foot is what it looks like we’re authorizing to pay. I hope we’re going to do three separate appraisals to make sure. And finally, I’d like to make sure the citizens, if they’re backed by GO bonds or assumption pledges, I’d like for us to have the first opportunity to buy these bonds because the lowest-taxed individuals would get an 8 percent return and the highest-taxed individuals would get a 10.5 percent return. Give me the chance to buy them. Thank you.”

Neighbors then called on Councilman Rip Ryman, who asked for previous question, cutting off debate, and the bill passed unanimously.

Apr

2

Convention Center chatter on Metro Council

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Convention Center, Metro Council | 5 Comments 

Here is what two other Council members had to say about Phil Ryan’s Music City Center e-mail and the eager anticipation as to how the center will be funded.

Also, entire email exchange with Ryan is below.

District 23 Councilwoman Emily Evans views Ryan’s answers to mean the new center will be funded the same as the current one, with general obligation bonds. While some, like Councilmen Eric Crafton and Michael Craddock, are nervous about GO bonds, Evans went on to point out the current center paid back its debt on time and without ever using tax payer money. She added using GO bonds did put the Metro budget at risk.

“I interpret what [Ryan is] saying in this Q and A to mean we are likely to finance this Convention Center in the same way we financed the old Convention Center which is using G.O. bonds which are secured by property taxes,” said Evans, whose professional career is in finance. “As with the old center, it could be the new center will not actually use property taxes but they have definitely been used in the past as a security and what he seems to be suggesting is they could be used in the future.”

Craddock said he sees an unfortunate order of events unfolding where Council is potentially taking more money out of the pockets of Nashville residents. Pointing to the recent water rate increase, combined with the potential for property taxes to go up, and now perhaps tax payer-backed bonds for the Convention Center, Craddock said the “perfect storm was brewing.”

“There is word that [the administration is] going to bring the Convention Center to the Council in either April or May,” Craddock said. “They’re going to bring the Convention Center with almost a $1 billion bill. We just voted for a water rate increase, times are tough and my God more people are out of work today than they’ve been in 40 years.

“How on earth can we justify a property tax increase? How on earth can we justify using tax payer money to build a Convention Center. I’d crawl under the table before I’d tell these people that I’m going to up and raise their taxes.”

HERE IS THE FULL EMAIL TO BE ATTACHED ON A SEPARATE PAGE WITH THE STORY.

To:          Members of the Metro Council and other interested parties

From:     Phil Ryan, Executive Director, Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA)

Date:      March 31, 2009

Re:          Information about Music City Center, Nashville’s new downtown convention center

In recent days, members of the Council and others have asked for information about our progress as we reach a critical point in the predevelopment phase of the Music City Center. Following are answers to many of the questions that we have received. Please share these with others, and let us know if you have additional questions. We look forward to meeting with the Council soon to discuss the next steps in the process. Thank you.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q:            These are difficult economic times. Why should Nashville make this investment in a new convention center?

A:            A new downtown convention center will have a huge economic impact on our local economy. More than 3,000 construction jobs will be created during the time it will take to build the center, and many thousands of additional workers will be required to support the project. Once the center is open and operating, it will be able to attract more than a million new visitors to Nashville each year, who are projected to pump $700 million into the Nashville economy, including $68 million a year in state and local taxes, which help keep Nashvillians’ taxes lower.  The bottom line is it will create jobs and generate new city revenue, and at the same time, it will be paid for entirely by visitors.

Q:            But why now?

A:            If we don’t act now, we will continue to lose conventions because of the inadequacy of our current downtown center, and we will lose this economic engine for our city.

Now is a good time to begin a construction project, because costs are low. In fact, many of the most expensive materials we will need are significantly below their costs a year ago. If we begin now - bringing jobs to the city at a time when we need them - the new center will open in 2013, at a time when the national economy could be coming out of the current economic cycle and Nashville would be even more perfectly positioned to take advantage of our strong brand to attract visitors to our city who will contribute to our local economy in multiple ways.

Q:            How will we pay for the Music City Center?

A:            All of the revenue sources are “visitor fees or taxes,” which the Metro Council and state legislature have already put in place. They include an increase in the hotel/motel tax; a hotel room/night charge; a rental car tax increase; an airport ground transportation fee; redirection of some taxes inside a newly created Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) and taxes collected on the convention center campus itself.

Q:            Can we finance a convention center from visitor taxes only, when the economy is hurting and fewer visitors are coming to Nashville?

A:            At this point, the revenue streams are clearly strong enough to support the project. The Metro Finance Department is watching those revenue collections very closely, and will report to the Council in detail about Metro’s ability to finance the bonds we will use to finance the center. The original revenue projections several years ago that anticipated how much money would be raised from the visitor taxes were very conservative. They were developed based on 10 years of experience; that included 1998, when the Opryland theme park closed, and 2001/2002, following 9/11. In both of those years, visitor taxes were down 19 percent to 20 percent.  At this point in the current recession, visitor taxes are down about 7 percent. In other words, we anticipated economic downturns when we projected how much revenue these taxes would generate.

Q:            Will Nashville taxpayers have to pay for any of the new center?

A:            No. The center will be paid for out of dedicated funding sources - visitor taxes - and will not require contributions from the general fund. Nashville has a 22-year track record of success in using this method to pay for the current convention center, which is now paid off.

Q:            How much has the old convention center cost Nashville taxpayers?

A:            Nothing. It was funded by the hotel/motel tax, which generated enough revenue to pay for the construction of the center. Those bonds were retired in 2007. Using that as a model, the Council has enacted funding streams - paid by visitors - that will cover the cost of the new convention center, so that Nashville taxpayers will not have to pay for it.

Q:            What kinds of bonds will be used to fund the new center?

A:            The Finance Department has committed to using the revenues generated by the visitor fees and taxes to pay the debt service for the facility. The Department is in constant contact with the bond market and will present recommendations to the Council for the best way to finance the center.

Q:           MDHA has a stated goal of at least 20 percent Diversity Business Enterprise (DBE) participation in the development of the Music City Center. Will you meet that goal?

A:            MDHA is very confident that the 20 percent goal will be met. Roxianne Bethune, an experienced professional in this area, has been hired to help oversee this effort. To date, MDHA has held three DBE “Job Fairs” that have been attended by more than 600 representatives of local small, minority and women-owned businesses. MDHA is also offering a surety assistance program to help DBE companies with insurance and bonding issues that are important in qualifying for large public projects such as this one. Ms. Bethune has spoken to numerous local organizations about the importance of DBE participation in the project, and is working with prime contractors to make sure they have a full list of the DBE subcontractors who qualify for participation. In addition, MDHA has created a Web site dedicated to DBE issues, at www.musiccitycenterdbe.com <http://www.musiccitycenterdbe.com/> .

Q:            What is a Tourism Development Zone (TDZ)?

A:            A TDZ is a defined geographic area around a public use facility - in this case a convention center - that is created to help a municipality pay for the construction and operation of the facility by allowing it to capture the incremental increase in sales taxes within the TDZ above the countywide average. In other words, if sales tax collections in Davidson County increase by 3 percent in a year, and sales tax collections within the TDZ increase by 5 percent, Metro would be able to use that 2 percent in incremental growth to help pay for the construction and operation of the convention center.

Q:            How big is the TDZ?

A:            The TDZ is less than three square miles in size, which is the maximum allowed by law, and covers the area that surrounds the designated site for the Music City Center.

Q:            Will the TDZ cause taxes to be higher downtown?

A:            No. The TDZ allows Metro to redirect portions of the sales tax to pay for the convention center, but it does not increase taxes. A Nashvillian visiting a restaurant located inside the TDZ will pay exactly the same tax rate as at a restaurant anywhere else in Nashville.

Q:            Has there been adequate public and Council discussion of this project?

A:           A commitment to transparency has been a key part of this process. Public discussions about a new downtown convention center began in 1999. Multiple studies have been conducted, including a 16-month study by the Music City Center Commission, which made many of the recommendations we are now acting on. The new center was a major issue in the 2007 elections, and all five mayoral candidates and most Council candidates endorsed the project. More than 100 speeches have been given over the last three years by proponents, who explained the need and answered questions for civic organizations, neighborhood associations and members of the public. During the pre-development phase, which began in February 2008, MDHA has held seven, well-attended public meetings, including four meetings to discuss the community master plan and design for the new center - a fifth public meeting is being scheduled - and three meetings with small-, minority and women business owners to discuss the project. More than 1,300 people have attended the meetings. Members of the Council have received several direct briefings on the project and have been invited to all public meetings. Council members receive a quarterly written report from MDHA. And there have been numerous individual briefings with Council members.

Q:            What will happen to the old convention center?

A:            Until the new center is complete, the existing center will operate as it always has. When the new center opens, the old center will occupy very valuable real estate in Nashville, and there will be tremendous opportunity to develop something for that site that is great for Nashville and further contributes to the local tax base. An important factor is that the Renaissance Hotel has a contract which ensures that a convention facility will continue to operate on that site for some time to come.

Q:            How will adding a headquarters hotel affect the estimated cost?

A:            MDHA and the city have always considered the headquarters hotel as an essential but separate project from the Music City Center. We expect that the hotel will be handled through a public/private partnership through MDHA.

Q:            How will the hotel be funded? What exposure will Metro taxpayers have?

A:            Hotel funding will involve some type of public/private partnership. We are exploring various ways to structure the financing of the hotel that will be in the best interest of the city and its taxpayers.

Q:            If the Council authorizes funding for the new project, how long would it be before construction would begin?

A:            Once the Council approves funding, work would begin immediately to acquire the land and prepare the site to begin building. Work would also begin to relocate some utilities. It will be important to communicate with the public about all of the changes that will occur, not only as the project begins but throughout the process.

Q:            What is the projected timeline of the project, from now until completion?

A:            Completion of the design and preparation of the site are expected to take until the end of this year, at which time construction will get under way, and we project a 36-month construction timeline. The new center should open at the end of 2012 or the beginning of 2013.

Q:            What will the impact be if the Council votes not to move forward with a new convention center at this time?

A:            It will not change the fact that we need a new center; but it will delay the project, and that will have serious ramifications for the cost and efficiency of the project and the speed with which we can begin generating new visitor revenues.

Q:            There is an effort to create a new Convention Center Authority. Why do we need that, and what would it do?

A:            A new Convention Center Authority would be entrusted with the fiduciary responsibility, as well as day-to-day management responsibilities, for the new center. Given the importance of the new center as an economic engine for our city, it will be important to place responsibility for it in the hands of a group that is dedicated to that purpose. The Council would still approve funding and have oversight duties, but the Authority would be responsible for day-to-day decision-making.

Q:            If we build it, how do we know that “they will come”?

A:            The convention market is excited about the development of the new center. Nashville’s “Music City” brand and the many downtown attractions of Lower Broadway and Second Avenue make Nashville a top choice of meeting planners, who report that the conventions they hold in Nashville consistently draw more participants than conventions in other cities. The Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau has already secured letters of commitment from several national conventions for events in the new center. More than 100,000 hotel room-nights have already been booked, and more are in negotiation at this time.

Among the conventions already scheduled into the new center are the Academy of General Dentistry in 2013; the American Alliance for Health, PE, Recreation and Dance in 2018; the American Association of School Administrators in 2014; the Minerals Metals and Materials, Society in 2016; the Southern Baptist Convention in 2013 and 2019, and the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2014.

Q:           How will parking around the Sommet Center and other venues in the area of the new convention center site be affected during and after construction?

A:            MDHA is working in conjunction with property owners, businesses, the Downtown Partnership and others to develop a traffic and parking plan that will be used once construction is under way. MDHA is also working with stakeholders to come up with parking solutions for events at the Sommet Center and other venues downtown that might be affected by construction.

Q:            Will the convention center be a “green” or LEED-certified building?

A:            The development team is committed to achieving LEED certification for the Music City Center. It will operate as a high-performing, sustainable building. Plans also call for the building to have a “green” roof.

Q:            Why can’t we use this money for something else?

A:            Money for the project comes from dedicated sources, enacted by the state legislature and approved by Metro Council, and can be used only for the convention center.

Q:            Gaylord Opryland has delayed its convention center expansion during these tough economic times. Doesn’t that suggest that we should consider delaying as well?

A:            The decision to move forward with a downtown convention center is based on a thorough and ongoing review of need, market conditions and funding options. We know that Gaylord is engaged in a similar review in Nashville and other cities. We don’t know all of the business factors they are considering, but we are confident that now is the time to begin work on a new downtown center.

Q:            Why do we need a new convention center downtown when we have the convention facility at Gaylord Opryland Hotel?

A:            Nashville’s success as a tourist/convention destination is due in no small part to the fact that we have two convention facilities that serve two different markets. Gaylord serves the resort-type market in which everything is under one roof.  The downtown facility serves conventions that seek to add value for attendees by giving them easy access to the attractions of a central tourist district.  Interviews by the Convention and Visitors Bureau with dozens of meeting planners over the last five years have made clear that there is much demand for both types of convention facilities, and our two convention facilities complement each other very well.

Q:            What if we have additional questions?

A:            Many answers to these questions and others can be found on the Web site, www.NashvilleMusicCityCenter.com <http://www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com/> , or the site dedicated to Diversity Business Enterprise, www.musiccitycenterdbe.com <http://www.musiccitycenterdbe.com/> .  We would encourage you to visit these sites, or contact MDHA.

Mar

26

San Diego joins Convention Center arms race

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Convention Center | Leave a Comment 

In a matter of mere weeks, Nashville will have a firm proposal on how to finance a 1 million square foot convention center and attached hotel. Observers conservatively estimate the combined cost of the two projects will be $800 million.

Joining Nashville in considering an expensive upgrade to its Convention Center is San Diego, already one of the top convention markets in the nation.

It bears mentioning that Convention Center proponents in San Diego sound a lot like those in Nashville. When business travel was high a few years ago, it was pointed out how strong the market was. When business travel took a nosedive (San Diego’s is down 15 percent), backers say a downturn is the right time to plan.

Read about San Diego’s venture into the Convention Center arms race right here.

Mar

25

A future proponent of the ERU stormwater fee structure?

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Metro Council | Leave a Comment 

Margaret Holleman, a Metro attorney for the Airport Authority and wife of Councilman Jason Holleman, gave birth to the couple’s second child, Walter Daniel Carr Holleman, on Tuesday evening.

The couple’s arrival at Vanderbilt University Medical Center only beat Walter’s debut by six minutes, a close call. Mom and baby are doing well, sources say.

It’s still too soon to know, however, where Walter stands on the appropriate way to fund stormwater.

Mar

20

Analysis of water rate increases, stormwater fee

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Metro Council | Leave a Comment 

With rate increases for Metro Water customers about six weeks away, here is the Council analysis of the legislation for those who are interested.

The analysis includes the stormwater fee structure, although customers won’t see the new fee on their bill until July 1.

Mar

20

Gotto v. Holleman

By Nate Rau | Filed Under Metro Council | Leave a Comment 

For whatever reason, District 24 Councilman Jason Holleman continues finding himself at the center of awkward exchanges during Metro Council meetings. The latest came during Tuesday’s meeting and the debate on whether Council should strike down menu labeling.

District 12 Councilman Jim Gotto took the floor and, taking an uncharacteristic turn towards being cryptic, asked Council attorney Jon Cooper whether it was a conflict of interest if a member’s wife helped draft the menu labeling regulation for the Health Department. Gotto didn’t waste his breath naming names, but he was referring to Holleman, whose wife Margaret worked for the Health Department when the regulation was created.

Pretending he didn’t know whom Gotto was talking about, Cooper still managed to absolve Holleman of any conflict, followed by a long monologue from the Sylvan Park Councilman where he insisted the only effect of having his wife work on menu labeling was that it gave him special insight into the regulation. Holleman, who was recently the center of attention on the stormwater fee structure debate, has squared off with Gotto on other issues like the The Charlotte Avenue Rite-Aid Church of Christ.

[It probably bears mentioning that minutes after bringing Holleman's wife into the menu labeling debate, Gotto offered praise for the way Holleman passed the Whitlaned Avenue conservation overlay]

The whole exchange was forgotten minutes later when Michael Craddock stood up and, after admitting to being fat, said it was no one’s fault but his own. Eventually the Council bill to kill menu labeling passed 15-14, with a clear subtext that many who voted it through on first reading would ultimately likely not support the legislation.