Thread by @DaveRosenbergTN

🧵The bill cutting the size of Nashville's Metro Council was filed in the #TNleg house today.

wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/…

For the purposes of this thread, let's stipulate that it's better to have a smaller Council (it might be) and that it's appropriate for the state to make that change (it's not). 2/

The bill makes the change from 40 members to 20. It does not dictate the number of district members and at-large members. So how is that determined? The Nashville charter says it's 35 districts and 5 at-large members. That can only be modified by charter amendment. 3/

Charter amendments can be put on the ballot a) by petition or b) by 27 votes in the Council. A campaign to write this amendment by petition won't gain steam, so that means 27 CMs will need to agree on the district/at-large breakdown. That's a tall order. But that's not all. 4/

Once the Council puts it on the ballot, 50% of voters will need to approve it. If it fails, the Council elected in August 2023 will need to immediately agree on a new breakdown and bring it to the voters again. There's no guarantee anything passes both Council and the voters). 5/

As for the August 2023 election, there are two intepretations of what happens thanks to poor drafting..... 6/

Theory A: August 2023 elections happen but are for one-year terms... for districts that have never existed before and will never exist again. As if it isn't hard enough to get qualified candidates to run already. 7/

Theory B: The current terms are extended a year, keeping the current Council til August 2024. And Councilmembers who don't want to serve a fifth year? A rash of resignations and special elections will follow, 8/

and those special elections will be held in the new legislative districts that were passed last year and will never be used again. 9/

https://twitter.com/DaveRosenbergTN/status/1612585658203394059

Under either scenario, many Nashvillians in many areas may have three district Councilmembers in a period of a year. Additionally, the winners of the mayoral and vice mayor elections will be left to forge relationships and set agendas 10/

with a council that will only last a year, then turn over nearly the entire legislative branch the year after? That's asburd, chaotic, and terribly inefficient. 11/

https://twitter.com/DaveRosenbergTN/status/1612585956204224515

There are also a variety of legislative actions that require 27 votes, including any demolitions at the fairgrounds. That would need a new charter amendment to change as well since there won't even be 27 members, and it's safe to assume that would be messy. 12/

We haven't even gotten to the incredibly important issue of voting precincts! Everything we went through last year with new voting cards, people showing up at at the wrong precincts, ballot problems, etc.? 13/

Those problems will return next year with a vengeance as folks get assigned to new precincts AGAIN. 14/

https://twitter.com/DaveRosenbergTN/status/1612586816699252736

Now, I'm sympathetic to the notion that a smaller Council will better serve the city. It's hard to find 35 qualified people willing to run in 35 distinct areas, & a large Council concentrates power in the mayor's office. But let's look at its comparative size/representation: 15/

Nashville/Davidson: 40 CMs/commissioners / 692,587 residents=1 per 17,314
Chattanooga: 20 / 182,113=1 per 9,106
Knoxville: 20 / 192,648=1 per 9,632

We have a conslidated government so only one legislative body. Chatt/Knox have two so you have to take both into account. 16/

But want to look at consolidated governments only? Here are all of TN's:

Nashville/Davidson: 40 / 692,587 =1 per 17,314
Hartsville/Trousdale: 20 / 12,035=1 per 602
Moore/Lynchburg: 15 / 6644=1 per 443

In other words, 1 Nashville Councilmember represents 3 Moore Counties. 17/

Even if you generally accept that the Council should be smaller and the state should mandate it, this is a poorly conceived bill that will bring chaos to the state's capital city, its economic engine, and a key cultural center. Maybe that's the point. 18/

Oh by the way, if the goal of this legislation is partisan in nature as it appears to be, the majority is shooting itself in the foot: the larger the district in blue Davidson County, the harder it is to draw a red district. This bill will reduce conservative representation. ###

I almost forgot Sumner County, home to the House sponsor, only 200,000 people, countless city councils, and 24 county commissioners (including a relative of the House sponsor). As @Bradford4D13 points out, they’re exempted from the bill.

https://twitter.com/bradford4d13/status/1612839300651008001