Rules, Confirmations & Public Elections Committee approves consent resolutions, confirms several commission appointments and defers one MDHA nominee

The Rules, Confirmations & Public Elections Committee approved eight resolutions on its consent agenda and confirmed multiple board and commission appointments during its meeting, the committee chair announced.

The consent agenda, containing eight items labeled RS 202495058 and RS 2025-998 through RS 2025-1004, passed unanimously by voice vote. The committee then considered board and commission nominees: it reappointed Demita Beck Taylor to the Solid Waste Region Board, confirmed Cara Ince to the Human Relations Commission, confirmed William Allen Stone to the Transportation and Licensing Commission and confirmed Dacianne Cole to the Auditorium Commission. The Metro Development and Housing Authority nominee, Frank Stephenson, was deferred to the next meeting because he was unable to attend.

Why it matters: these confirmations fill advisory and regulatory posts that advise Metro government on waste management, human-relations work, housing authority oversight, transportation and licensing rules, and auditorium operations. Appointees and reappointments set who will help review policies or represent community perspectives in those areas.

The consent package included: RS 202495058 (election of certain notaries public for Davidson County); RS 2025-998 (a resolution opposing expansion of the Education Savings Act program in Tennessee); RS 2025-999 (support for the Tennessee Waste to Jobs Act pending before the Tennessee General Assembly); RS 2025-1000 (honoring the life and legacy of Vincent Horsley); RS 2025-1001 (recognizing Russ Pulley on his retirement as an NCAA football official); RS 2025-1002 (recognizing the newly named Quaseito Park and acknowledging Indigenous contributions); RS 2025-1003 (recognizing Lunar New Year 2025); and RS 2025-1004 (recognizing January 2025 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Nashville and Davidson County). The committee chair read the items into the record before the consent vote.

On appointments and reappointments, Demita Beck Taylor, the Solid Waste Region Board reappointment nominee, said her background in public health and experience as board chair inform her approach to waste management policy and its long-term environmental and health effects. She said she aims to "advocate for members of the community, specifically within policies that are presented" and to amplify voices from underserved populations when waste-management decisions are made.

Cara Ince, nominee to the Human Relations Commission, described a career in constituent outreach and communications at Vanderbilt University and in public service that she said prepared her for the commission’s "One City for All" mission. She said increasing awareness of commission services and helping residents access those services would be among her priorities. She noted collaboration between Vanderbilt research teams and Metro on recent projects.

William Allen Stone, appointed to the Transportation and Licensing Commission, described legal experience as a former criminal-defense attorney and work with small-business clients in areas such as towing, livery and cab operations. He said those experiences inform his view that the commission "plugs into just about every sector" and that licensing helps ensure vehicles and drivers meet safety and inspection standards.

Dacianne Cole’s confirmation to the Auditorium Commission was taken up without further discussion; the committee had interviewed her at an earlier meeting in December.

Frank Stephenson’s Metro Development and Housing Authority nomination was deferred for one meeting after Stephenson reported he was delayed in Memphis and could not attend.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (RS 202495058; RS 2025-998; RS 2025-999; RS 2025-1000; RS 2025-1001; RS 2025-1002; RS 2025-1003; RS 2025-1004): motion to approve read into the record, moved and seconded (movers not specified in transcript); outcome: approved by voice vote; tally recorded as 5 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 not voting.

- Reappointment: Demita Beck Taylor to Solid Waste Region Board (term expiring December 15, 2030): motion and vote; outcome: approved; tally recorded as 5 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 not voting.

- Appointment: Cara Ince to Human Relations Commission (term expiring July 21, 2025): motion and vote; outcome: approved; tally recorded as 5 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 not voting.

- Nomination deferred: Frank Stephenson to Metro Development and Housing Authority (term expiring February 4, 2030): motion for one-meeting deferral; outcome: approved; tally recorded as 5 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 not voting. Reason recorded in the meeting: nominee was delayed in Memphis and could not attend.

- Appointment: William Allen Stone to Transportation and Licensing Commission (term expiring October 10, 2026): motion and vote; outcome: approved; tally recorded as 6 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 not voting.

- Confirmation: Dacianne Cole to Auditorium Commission (term expiring July 1, 2027): motion and vote; outcome: approved; tally recorded as 6 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 not voting.

Discussion and committee context

Committee members asked nominees about experience and priorities. Demita Beck Taylor emphasized connections between waste siting, recycling access and long-term public-health effects. Cara Ince emphasized outreach and using research partnerships to inform locally applied solutions. William Allen Stone described regulatory and small-business impacts tied to transportation licensing. The meeting included brief procedural exchanges about name pronunciation and a request for parking validation for nominees.

The committee chair announced a specially called rules meeting set for Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. to consider proposed rule changes previously deferred and new proposals that may be filed with the council office.

Ending

The committee adjourned after a final motion approved without objection.