Jun 24, 2025 - News

Republican scrutiny on Nashville mayor sidetracks city priorities

Nate Rau

Photo illustration of Freddie O'Connell with lines radiating from him. — Photo illustration: Axios Visuals. Photo: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Mayor Freddie O'Connell's administration has been absorbed in recent weeks by federal scrutiny over his response to ICE raids in May.

Why it matters: The Metro Council approved his $3.8 billion spending plan and its property tax increase last week. Instead of building off the momentum of that political win, O'Connell's team is sidelined by congressional investigations.

Economic development projects and affordable housing initiatives are among the issues that figured to top the mayor's to-do list.

Zoom in: O'Connell's administration has already supplied U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles with a trove of documents detailing the city's response to the ICE raids.

Ogles says he was troubled by what those documents showed, and indicated there are more questions for O'Connell to answer.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn called for the Department of Justice to investigate O'Connell.

The bottom line: After winning election in 2023, O'Connell made improving relations with Republicans in Tennessee a priority, and there are indications he made inroads.

But the onslaught of Republican attacks could put his new relationships on the hill to the test.

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Republican scrutiny on Nashville mayor sidetracks city priorities

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