STATE COMMISSION
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HEIDI CAMPBELL
OCTOBER 27, 2022 | VOLUME 34 | NUMBER 40
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Titans, mayor agree to terms on new stadium BY STEPHEN ELLIOT
Tenn. State House District 59 candidates Democrat Caleb Hemmer and Republican Michelle Foreman.
Foreman and Hemmer face off in the newly redistricted State House District 59
Both candidates cite education, the economy and law enforcement as top priorities in race for the Davidson County seat BY MATT MASTERS
Tennesseeâs state House District 59 will soon have new representation. Democratic Rep. Jason Potts, who won the seat in 2018 and was reelected in 2020, decided last year not to seek a third term, citing a demanding work schedule and an inability to pass legislation as part of the stateâs small Democratic caucus. Following the Republican supermajorityâs extensive redistricting efforts, District 59 now contains Belle Meade and Green Hills, with Democrat Caleb Hemmer and Republican Michelle Foreman facing off for the seat in the Nov. 8 election. Foreman earned 62 percent of votes in the August Republican primary, while Hemmer ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Foreman is a registered nurse and
a Brentwood Academy and Lipscomb University graduate. According to her website, her primary focuses are on education, âresponsible government,â low taxes, access to affordable insurance and supporting law enforcement. Sheâs been endorsed by the Tennessee Right to Life PAC, The Tennessee Conservative, Americans for Prosperity PAC, the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police and Latinos for Tennessee. Foreman did not return several requests for comment from the Scene. âNo one likes politicians who divide us and turn neighbors against each other,â reads a statement on Foremanâs website. âThatâs not how I was raised growing up in Nashville. Itâs not the Nashville Way.â
But Foreman appears to take a different approach on social media. âNo matter what a democrat calls themselves, we can call them wrong for us!â reads a recent post. And another: âDemocrat politicians have defunded our police departments so many times that there are not enough officers to handle the situation. Crime has escalated to the point that it is literally in our backyards, so my question to voters is this: why in the world would you ever vote Democrat on November 8?âIn a conversation with the Scene, Hemmer discusses how to address the countryâs widening political divisions. âI think it starts by electing serious people who have a background of experience of working in government and working across the aisle and getting >> PAGE 5
Mayor John Cooper and Tennessee Titans leadership on Monday announced they have agreed to terms on the financing package for a new domed stadium they hope to have constructed on the East Bank adjacent to Nissan Stadium. Negotiations have been ongoing for months, and the Metro Council still must approve the deal and other aspects of a new stadiumâs construction. According to the announcement, the Titans and the NFL will put up $840 million for the project, with $500 million from the state and $760 million in Metro revenue bonds contributing to a project that is expected to carry a price tag of more than $2 billion. The Metro portion would be made up of a new 1 percent hotel room sales tax and a sales tax redirect for transactions conducted in the stadium and on a 130-acre tract surrounding it. Cooper called the agreement a win, as it lets Metro off the hook for a provision in the 1996 Nissan Stadium lease, which obligates the city to provide a âfirst-classâ stadium for the Titans. Venue Solutions Group, a consulting firm hired by Metro, estimated maintaining Nissan Stadium as a âfirst-classâ stadium would cost between $1.75 billion and $1.95 billion through the life of the lease. The same company estimated in 2017 that Nissan Stadium would need less than $300 million in upgrades. Venue Solutions Groupâs full report is not yet complete, but Managing Partner Russ Simons wrote in a letter to Metro that the companyâs estimate is âin the order of magnitude of the Tennessee Titansâ consultantâs report.â Cooper initially declined to ask for a second opinion, but the Metro Council pressed the issue. The deal would have the Titans franchise assume approximately $62 million owed by the city for outstanding maintenance obligations and remaining bond debt under the current stadium lease. Nissan Stadium demolition costs and the completion of any future >> PAGE 6
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