Metropolitan Council - Regular Meeting

Today is September the 1st, 2026, and I want to open by acknowledging that this meeting is being held on the unceded stolen land of the Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi people, and to remind everyone that no one is illegal on stolen land built by stolen labor. We're going to open up our announcement period first before we go into our presentations And at about 6.20, we're going to go into the presentations to give other council members that are still in committee opportunity to join us for their presentation. Today, we will be honoring the life and legacy of a giant Ms. Vonda McDaniel. And as we know, since our last council meeting, we lost another giant, the one and only Ms. Dolly Parton. We will have a late file resolution today that will be considered before the body. And while we all know those names, I want to lift up two additional names of community members that we lost since our last meeting. This is really serious. And I would really appreciate if people kind of locked in for this. We're talking about people's lives here. 16-year-old Cameron Pearson was... fatally shot on Herman Street near 25th Avenue on Friday, August the 21st, after walking home from a football game. No parent should have to bury their child when they are being out in the community. Anyone that has information about this murder is being asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Callers can remain anonymous and do qualify for a cash reward. Also on yesterday, the Nashville community lost a community leader, Mr. Jason Gooch, who was killed Monday in a motorcycle crash. Mr. Gooch worked for the Parks Department for 15 years as a recreational leader at the Hartman Community Center. And our hearts go out to their families. So I just wanted to take a moment to speak their names and to make sure that their memories are being honored. So thank you all so much for that moment. I'm going to go ahead and open up the floor for our announcement period. First in queue, we have Council Member Bradford. Council Member, you're recognized.

Thank you, Pro Tem. Just an announcement for Residence District 13. Because of an event happening the third Saturday of this month, I've bumped up office hours to the second Saturday. So that would be September the 12th from 9 to 11 at the Dunkin' Donuts on Bradley Parkway. So again, second Saturday is my office hours this month. I'll go ahead and announce, too, that next month I'm moving office hours to the second Saturday as well. So Residence District 13, who want to come to my office hours, they're going to be the second Saturday of September and October. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Bradford. Next we have Council Member Allen. Council Member Allen, you're recognized.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just want to make sure that everyone is aware of the Jan Bushing Bridged Education Ceremony this Saturday, September 5th at 1245. That will be enough time to wipe the sweat off your brow from the Labor Day Parade and head to my neighborhood to honor a longtime neighborhood leader and state representative. She was instrumental in making sure that the neighborhood was had full input into the building of I-440 and the bridge goes over I-440 at Woodlawn and we'll be standing there dedicating that bridge to her honor. So I hope that council members and neighbors will join me alike at 1245 on Saturday, September 5th. Thank you.

Thank you so very much.

Council Member Vo, you're recognized. Thank you so much, Pro Tem. There's a lot happening in District 17, and I just wanted to bring attention to next week on September 8th, the Chestnut Hill Neighborhood Association will be having their bimonthly meeting at 6.30 p.m. at Hall Pass Vintage. And then next Thursday, I'm going to be hosting a District 17 town hall. We have a new music venue opening, The Truth, So if people are interested in learning about what the neighborhood impact and traffic plan will be, that will be at Live Nation at 6.30 p.m. And I just want to invite everyone to the Nashville Fair. It starts next Friday, September 11th through the 20th at the fairgrounds. Everyone is invited in our community. And if you are an MNPS student, you get free tickets and that has already been worked through. So thank you all so much and I hope to see you next week.

Thank you, Council Member Vo. Next we have Council Member Quinn Evans-Segal. You're recognized.

Thank you. I just wanted to make sure that folks who are not Monday night folks, who are Tuesday night folks only, heard that we now have a new director at NDOT who has started this week, Director Lynch. So if you have not had a chance to introduce yourself, please reach out and welcome him to town.

Thank you so very much, Council Member Evan Segal, Council Member Soror, you're recognized.

Thank you, Pro Tem. I think somebody mentioned it slightly, but I wanted to lift it up that we will be having the Vonda McDaniel Labor Day Parade on Saturday, September 5th. The parade will start at 9.30, and there will be festivities at the end of the parade at the Walk of Fame Park. A lot is going to be said tonight when we honor Ms. Vonda, but I'm so glad that this parade is named after her, and so I'm inviting everybody to please come out and let's make it the largest one ever. and to honor and support the legacy of Ms. Vonda McDaniel. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Sora. I'm gonna piggyback on that one to give just a couple more things about it as well. In addition to Ms. Vonda being acknowledged today on September the 3rd, there was a Labor Day movie night that's gonna be at Necat Studio on White Bridge Road. And then on the 5th at 9.30 is where the Labor Day parade and celebration takes place. So we want to make sure that everyone comes out for that. The parade lineup is from 9.30 to 10 o'clock and it begins in front of the Estes, I don't know how to pronounce this, y'all. So Kiefervere, maybe, building at the corner of Rosa Parks and Broadway. I should have just said at the corner of Rosa Parks and Broadway. The parade is from 10 to 11, and we'll head east down Broadway. The route is approximately .7 miles long, and then the celebration will be from 11 to 1 at the Walk of Fame Park, located at 121 4th Avenue South. Food and drinks will be served, and there will be music games and a short awards program. Free parking will be available at the Music City Center parking garage, located at 1256 Avenue South, and you can register to receive a parking code, which will be sent out prior to the event. So thank you so much, Council Member Sorora, for lifting that up Next, we have Council Member Ravel, you're recognized.

Thank you, Pro Tem. I also wanted to recognize that Dr. Sarah Childress started as the new Executive Director of the National Office of Entertainment. And so that is underway and we look forward to working with her as well. So thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Vo. I would like to take a quick moment of personal privilege to wish a happy upcoming birthday to Ms. Beverly Inslee-Williams, who will be celebrating her birthday on tomorrow. So happy birthday, Grandma Beverly. Colleagues, do we have anyone else that would like to make an announcement? Council Member Soror, you're recognized.

Thank you. I thought it was on my desk. And because of this election season, we want people to go ahead and vote. We want to remind everyone that September 15th is National Voter Registration Day. And the Davidson County Election Commission is having an open house on September 4th from 2 to 3 at the Murfreesboro Pike office. And then there will be a demonstration of the new registration kiosk at the Howard office building on September 9th, Wednesday evening. from 2 to 3 p.m. We're encouraging everybody to please register and of course to please vote. Thank you.

Thank you so very much, Council Member Storer. Do we have any other colleagues that would like to be recognized? All right, seeing none, I'm going to go ahead and close the announcement period and we will open it back up at 6.20 to do the honoring of Ms. McDaniel.

Yeah, and hear about...

to open the announcements back up so that we could do the presentation in five, four, three, two, one. We are opening the announcement period back up so that we can do our honorary presentation for Ms. Vonda McDaniel. I would like to ask any council members who would like to be a part of the presentation to join me in the back. And we do have representatives from her family, from labor, from the church, from her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and from the NAACP. So if we have anyone who came here to honor Ms. Vonda today, if you all would like to stand with us, it's gonna be crowded, but we would love for you to join us up there at the podium. It's good. A proclamation recognizing Vonda McDaniel, whereas Vonda McDaniel served as president of the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, beginning in 2013, leading a federation of more than 40 unions representing over 20,000 working families across Nashville and Middle Tennessee and

Whereas Ms. Daniels dedicated more than 30 years to the labor movement, beginning her service in 1992 with the United Rubber Workers at the Bridgestone Firestone Laverne Plant and later continued her work through the United Steel Workers and the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 182 and

Whereas during her career, she held numerous leadership roles, including shop steward, union pension and insurance representative for USW Local 1055L, president of the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, and vice president of the AFL-CIO Executive Council from 2017 until 2026, and

Whereas Ms. McDaniel contributed to the development of multiple community-based initiatives, including Stand Up Nashville, the Nashville Justice League, Music City Construction Careers, and Tennessee For All, and consistently invested in cultivating leadership among a broad and diverse group of union members and,

where she played a significant role in strengthening labor and community infrastructure in Nashville and across Tennessee, and was recognized for her commitment to expanding opportunities for workers, mentoring emerging leaders, and engaging faith communities through her involvement with First Baptist Church Capitol Hill and

Whereas Ms. McDaniel was preparing to conclude her tenure with the Central Labor Council at the end of 2026 and begin a new role as co-executive director of the Highlander Center, reflecting her continued commitment to community and organizational development and,

Now, therefore, I, Delishia Porterfield, council member at large of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, along with all of the undersigned council members, do hereby recognize the life and service of Bunda McDaniel and acknowledge her contributions to the labor movement and the Nashville community signed on this eighth day of July, 2026. And we would like to present this to her family.

and Vonda's dad. And I just want to thank all of you for taking the time. One special thing that this did for me right now was to see Vonda elevated to one of the leading women in this town. I read an article today, a woman in Washington called a bunch of black women a bunch of bitches. But today, when I saw these lovely ladies cherish my daughter, it let me know that women in Nashville are special and they have a leadership role in this town. I have a bunch of daughters and granddaughters So I am very hurt when I hear people talking about women. In my church, women has a leadership role. In our lives, women have a leadership role. So today, I take this piece of paper here and I cherish it for my daughter. The other thing I'd like to say, as I come in this political body, And I see every time I come in here, it makes me feel. But I think as political leaders, we need to slow down and start seriously talking and listening to each other. If we don't start talking and listening to each other, we're going to lose a good country. I was born in hard times in Alabama, been through some rough ones. But right now, when I hear the hollering and screaming in these kind of chambers, it make me feel sad. All we got to do to start off is to say, good morning. How are you feeling? How's your children? How's your granddaddy? Say something very gentle and the rest of the day. But the hollering and screaming and calling each other names are not gonna get us too far down the road. So cherish this chamber like I'm going to cherish this document. Have respect for each other like my darling daughter did. She had a Mr. Lou. Mr. Lou lived on 109. Father could talk to people softly and gently and get things done. So as we take this, me and my other lovely daughter, y'all stop and talk to each other. And sometimes you might have to stop and ask the Lord to help you through the day. Because if we don't, folks, if we don't, All this stuff about I'm a socialist, I'm a progressive, I'm just an old colored boy from Alabama that believes that if people do right by each other, this world is sealed. The Lord is sending us, look what happened over there when all those people died in that flood. We are getting ready to go to Gary, Indiana, me and some men from my church, and take a few dollars to help those people in Gary survive. I remember when my mama used to get a cup of sugar from down the road to help somebody make a day. So I'm saying all this to take my daughter from having to say something. But y'all cherish this body. Do things in this room that make sense. And for God's sake, don't holler and scream at each other. You can be a Republican, you can be a Democrat, you can be an independent. But God knows you ought to talk to each other in a civil way. And I'm so proud that my daughter, I went and had a colonoscopy. And I looked down the room, and I'm going to say this and shut up. But I looked down the room, in that room, And I was two men in there, me and a doctor. And the rest of them were women in that room. And I said, the Lord bring you, women bring you in this world, and women keep you alive. So I don't want to hear any more of what I heard today about that lady in Washington calling my daughter a bitch and a black woman. Thank you.

Thank you all. Thank you all so much. And this will conclude the presentation. And we're gonna take a picture with the family.

No, no, no.