Budget
Hello, everyone! I hope you all enjoyed our budget talk last week with CM Toombs, where we broke down the initial budget. If you missed it, you can catch up here. This week, I’m thrilled to dive into a topic very dear to my heart – our children’s education. We had the pleasure of hosting the honorable Freda Player, Vice Chair and Budget Chair for the school board, along with Mr. Tosin Okunoren from Lotus…
Read MoreHello, everyone! Since this is my first post since my re-election, I want to thank you again through this medium for the opportunity to serve you for another term. Thanks to your vote, I became the first person of color to win first chair in Metro Nashville’s 60-year history (#1 vote getter). I am grateful for your continued support and confidence in me and for the opportunity to serve alongside some amazing people. Since re-election…
Read MoreI am pleased to present my fourth and final Budget Conversation for my first term in office. When I campaigned for this office four years ago, I promised to enhance communication and transparency regarding the city’s activities. These Facebook conversations, which were subsequently turned into blog posts and newsletters, have allowed me to fulfill that promise. Another benefit of this series is that it has enabled me to gather input from constituents, resulting in numerous…
Read MoreOn June 21, 2022, the Metro Council voted on the FY23 Metro budget, a process that started in April. The process began with introducing the mayor’s budget followed by meetings with department heads, community members, and council deliberations and workshops. Though the council has already passed the budget, I feel it is still important to highlight the differences between the mayor’s budget, the chair’s substitute budget, and the amended substitute budget, which eventually became the…
Read MoreHistorically, communities across the country use police and punitive approaches as the primary tools to address health and social issues. This results in the funneling of millions of people, especially black and brown communities, into jails and prisons. Nationwide protests over police accountability and racial justice have reenergized longstanding efforts to fundamentally change how police departments respond to social issues that include mental illness, substance use, homelessness, community violence, and poverty. There have been increased calls and efforts…
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