Nashville councilman pitches renaming airport for Dolly Parton
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Nashville International Airport would be renamed for Dolly Parton under a push that was revived this week following the country icon's death.
Why it matters: Parton played an integral role in exporting Nashville to the rest of the country and the world, making her name a fitting welcome sign for visitors, Metro Councilmember Russ Bradford argues.
- She's also the template for aspiring songwriters who sojourn here to carve out their own niche in Music City, as she did immediately after graduating high school.
Driving the news: Bradford tells Axios that he reached out to Airport Authority board members to ask them to begin pursuing the name change for BNA.
- Bradford also is preparing a memorializing resolution for council to vote on renaming the airport for Parton. Such a vote is symbolic, but would make clear the idea has support from the city's legislative body.
- The final decision to change the name must come from the board, and would need Federal Aviation Administration approval, Bradford says.
- In a show of bipartisan support for the idea, state Rep. Todd Warner, a Republican, also said he supports renaming the airport.
What he's saying: "She is the quintessential ambassador for Tennessee," Bradford tells Axios.
- "I think it's a no-brainer. Dolly helped put Nashville and Tennessee on the map, and she's so integral to who we are as a state and a city that I think it's the least we can do to recognize and honor that contribution."
By the numbers: A Change.org petition had over 89,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.
Zoom out: State Sen. Jessie Seal filed legislation to declare Sept. 25 as "9 to 5 Day" in Tennessee, in honor of Parton's smash hit song and movie.
- Additional plans for the state government to honor Parton are in the works.
- "Without question, the General Assembly will find a lasting and meaningful way to honor her legacy and significant contributions to our state," state. Rep. Jason Zachary, a Knoxville Republican, said in a statement.
Reality check: The proposal faces some bureaucratic complications. Metro is in the middle of a lawsuit against the state over control of the airport's board of directors.
- The plan would also have to overcome a 2010 policy that prohibits renaming the airport for someone until two years after their death, per board member Bobby Joslin.
- The policy also says the person must have made a significant impact on aviation in Tennessee, according to Joslin.
Flashback: Parton declined to have a statue of her installed at the state capitol in 2021.
- Earlier this year, the Dolly Parton Children's Hospital in Knoxville was named in her honor.
The bottom line: Bradford believes the idea will be popular among Republicans, Democrats and the public.
- "When you think of how divisive things have become in our state, there's really one thing that brings everybody together and that was Dolly," Bradford says.