Committee defers overhaul of Music, Entertainment and Film Commission after hours of debate

On March 18, 2025, the Rules, Confirmations & Public Elections Committee voted to defer consideration of proposed changes to the Nashville Music, Entertainment and Film Commission after several hours of debate about who should hire the commission’s executive director and how large the commission should be.

The committee voted 4 in favor, 1 against and 3 abstentions on a motion to defer the measure for one meeting — a procedural result that, under committee rules, converted into an indefinite deferral. The ordinance at issue had been filed as BL2025-688.

Councilmember Sepulveda, the sponsor of the original legislation, told the committee the measure grew from a working group intended to improve boards and commissions and that the commission itself had asked to be renamed and its rules clarified. Sepulveda said the bill aimed to “make this process better for commissioners, for staff” and to align the local body more closely with state practice.

Councilmember Stiles, who offered a substitute to the original bill, argued the commission needed independent hiring authority to ensure continuity across administrations. “The substitute allows them to retain hiring power,” Stiles said, adding that the commission had received 117 applications for the executive director post and had already begun screening candidates.

Representing the mayor’s office, Dave Rosenberg said the draft legislation left unclear whether supervision of the commission’s director would rest with the mayor’s office or with the commission itself. “Right now, the language around appointing authority is absolutely untenable,” Rosenberg said, arguing that the ordinance either had to create a standalone department with full administrative support or put the commission’s hiring under the mayor while preserving commission input on hiring.

Max Butler, chair of the commission, told the committee the commission had met regularly and that the body had been working through bylaws and job descriptions. Butler said the commission was on its fourteenth meeting and disputed characterizations that it had poor attendance.

Jamari Brown, senior director in the mayor’s office, told the committee legal viewed the current draft as creating a “dual hiring process” — a condition the administration said would be difficult to implement because it could leave a director with conflicting managerial directions.

Committee members split over other elements of the proposed change, including a recommendation by a working group to reduce the commission’s membership from 19 to 15 voting seats and a provision that would permit advisory subcommittees for theater, fashion and other creative industries. Supporters said smaller boards are a best practice and that advisory committees would allow more industries a voice; opponents warned smaller boards would shift work onto fewer volunteers and that allowing subcommittees without council confirmation could create accountability gaps.

After the vote to defer, committee members and mayoral staff said the proposal could be refiled in amended form. Under the committee’s explanation, a further substantially different bill could be brought back sooner, but a simple one-meeting deferral automatically converted the measure into an indefinite hold under committee rules.