NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Nashville’s new mayor is ushering in a new era of transparency.
Freddie O’Connell is meeting with reporters weekly to answer questions and offer observations on what is happening in the city.
The mayor revealed Friday he is already under attack for his faith.
It’s not something I’ve talked about a great deal but I was honestly a little surprised, even alarmed, to be welcomed to office under a cloud of surprising antisemitism targeting me personally,” Mayor O’Connell said.
The mayor declined to offer specifics, but says the Israel and Hamas war may be responsible for wave of antisemitism and the his role in that is to keep the citizens of Nashville safe.
Connell also talked about meeting with transportation experts outside of Nashville to help him fulfill his campaign promise to improve public transit.
Plus, he offered his opinion on the relocation of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center to the East Bank saying he thinks TPAC and affordable housing can co-exist in the development project.
As the conversation shifted, when asked about the clean up taking place at several Nashville homeless camps, the mayor admitted he was short on the details.
I’ve had a brief conversation with council member Evans, but I’ve not gotten a direct report from the office of homeless services yet but that’s where I’d turn for a more involved answer,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of the state developing its own curriculum for schools, Mayor O’Connell says he would not want the state to do anything that would cost Nashville federal education dollars.
