Mayor O'Connell proposes moving top entertainment post under his office
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Mayor Freddie O'Connell wants to move the city's top entertainment official under his office in the latest chapter of what has been a bureaucratic odyssey for Metro.
Why it matters: The city created the Nashville Entertainment Commission three years ago, but the agency in charge of recruiting more film and music projects to Nashville still doesn't have an executive director.
- The situation creates a political showdown with Metro Councilmember Joy Styles, who wants the Entertainment Commission — not the mayor — in charge of hiring the job.
Between the lines: Metro Council approved the new commission in hopes of expanding creative industry jobs, increasing educational initiatives and supporting small and independent businesses.
- After the commission's creation, there was debate about whether it should be housed under the mayor's office or work as a standalone agency.
- Most recently, the commission's board referred two executive director candidates for the mayor to choose from. O'Connell has not made a selection.
- In his most recent budget, he proposed defunding the position.
The latest: O'Connell told reporters on Friday he planned to introduce legislation to move the role under his office.
What he's saying: "We're working with the Metro Council on funding to support the office and set it on a path to success in partnership with the Nashville Entertainment Commission," O'Connell said.
- O'Connell added that as he got into the interview process, "it was clear that creating a department of one was not a pathway to success."
The other side: Styles was the lead sponsor of the original legislation to create the Entertainment Commission.
- She introduced dueling legislation on Friday to put funding for the executive director back in the budget and to give the commission's board of directors hiring power.
- "The Mayor is yet AGAIN attempting to arrest power from the experts (entertainment commissioners) in order to satisfy a petulant desire to control the office, despite the fact that there is NO ONE in the Mayor's Office with any expertise to do this work better than they can," Styles, who is running for mayor, told Axios over text.
- "Let the commission make the choice on the executive director. They are the qualified experts. My bill will let them complete the selection process the way it was originally intended to.