Nashville MSD advisory board presses town council for face-to-face meeting after appointment disputes

Members of the Town of Nashville’s Downtown Municipal Service District advisory board pressed for a direct meeting with the Town Council after several board members said the council altered their nominations and other decisions without notifying the board.

At the board’s January meeting, several members said they spent time ranking and discussing applicants for board openings and expected the council to respect those recommendations. One board member said in public comment that the council “changed” nominations and that the advisory board “is owed an apology.” The board voted to request a face-to-face meeting with council members to discuss the matter.

The board’s concern centered on a set of appointments the advisory board had recommended and later saw altered at council. Board members said their recommendations were prepared and presented but that council moved to substitute other candidates without returning to the advisory board with an explanation. Several members asked how the selection materials had been transmitted to council and whether the board’s numbered ranking had been included in the council packet.

Sean (town staff) said he had reflected the board’s recommendations in the minutes after the meeting and that records of the council agenda are public. He offered to send copies of the materials and pointed board members to the video recording of the council meeting so they could see how the recommendations appeared to council.

Board members urged better communication between the advisory board and council going forward. Luke (board member) said accusations made in public had eroded trust and that “the cleanup can be quite extensive,” adding he wanted follow-up conversations to occur face to face. The board later passed a motion to extend an invitation to the Town Council to attend a future MSD meeting or workshop to discuss appointments, process, and roles; the board chair asked staff to submit a formal request to schedule the council’s attendance.

Several newer board members said the dispute had been discouraging. New members from the downtown business community — including Bethany Lewis and Britney Young — said they had joined expecting an active voice on how MSD funds are spent and that the episode made them worry their input would be overridden.

The board also discussed options for greater clarity about how staff presents advisory recommendations to council and whether an orientation for new members would help. One board member suggested that councilors attend the advisory board’s February meeting or that the board host an orientation to review MSD history, current work plans and expectations for communication between board and council.

The board did not adopt any changes to the formal appointment process at the meeting; instead it voted to seek a face-to-face discussion with the Town Council so both bodies could talk through concerns.