Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Appointments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee confirms multiple board and commission nominees, including reappointments to MEP and Metro Action Commission
Summary
The committee conducted interviews and approved a slate of appointments and reappointments to city boards and commissions, including Morgan Miller Wallace and Western Eiler to the Board of Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Examiners and Appeals; Michael Cousin and Megan Godby to the Metro Action Commission; Van Pennock to the Auditorium
The Rules, Confirmations and Public Elections Committee interviewed nominees and approved multiple appointments and reappointments to city boards and commissions, forwarding the slate to the full council with unanimous committee votes.
Notable confirmations included the reappointment of Morgan Miller Wallace to the Board of Mechanical, Plumbing and Electrical Examiners and Appeals for a term expiring Sept. 21, 2029; Wallace said she has served on the board (previously the plumbing board) and that the board applies the MEP code as written in appeals. The committee also reappointed Western Eiler to the same board for a term expiring Sept. 21, 2029; Eiler described his decade-long experience with Nashville Machine and noted recurring variance requests related to drinking fountain requirements in plumbing code.
On the Metro Action Commission (MAC), the committee reappointed Michael Cousin for a term expiring Nov. 15, 2028. Cousin said he is a native Nashvillian who pastors a church and has previously worked with Metro Action Commission programs; he said continuity with the new executive director and securing partnerships following recent budget cuts will be important challenges. The committee also appointed Megan Godby to MAC for a term expiring July 1, 2028; Godby described two decades in Nashville education, work with the public library on adult-literacy referrals, and recent United Way work on early literacy and childcare seat capacity.
The committee appointed Van Pennock to the Auditorium Commission for a term expiring June 30, 2028. The committee also appointed Caitlin Jones to the Historical Commission (term expiring Aug. 10, 2026) and to the Historic Zoning Commission (term expiring June 30, 2030); Jones said she previously served on the Historic Zoning Commission from 2017 to 2022 and that her construction and historic-renovation background would inform the liaison role between the two commissions.
Committee members discussed language access and precedent concerns during Jones’s interview. Council member Sepulveda asked whether historic designations could be used to block new housing; Jones said she did not recall the specific Marlin Meadows case and said she would research precedent and rely on documentation and commission rules to guide decisions. Jones also said she would advocate for language access and described limited instances where she relied on Spanish in hearings but noted she was not sure of formal translation procedures in commission meetings.
Why it matters: Boards and commissions make regulatory and programmatic decisions at the city level — from code appeals to historic overlays and social-service delivery — and the confirmed nominees bring technical experience in construction, literacy and community services that committee members cited as relevant to their roles.
Next steps: The committee approved these nominations by voice votes (most recorded as 6-0-0). The full council will consider the confirmed nominees at its next meeting for final appointment.
