Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County

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The Metropolitan Council is the legislative body of the consolidated city-county government of Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County.

The Council has 40 members, 35 of which are district council representatives, and five of which are council members at-large. If a member resigns or dies before serving a full four-year term, the member's seat remains vacant until the next election. At-large council members are elected by the entirety of the area the metropolitan government encompasses. One national survey of city councils lists Nashville's as the third largest, behind Chicago and New York City.[citation needed] [The Historic Metro Courthouse, 1 Public Square, is where the Council meets.

Under the Metropolitan Charter, members must be over the age of 25 and have lived within Davidson County for a year at the beginning of their terms. Members must also have lived in the district they represent for six months, and they must continue to reside in that district for the duration of their terms. By 2005, according to The Tennessean, members were being paid an annual salary of $15,000. The members elected by districts represent 15,000 to 17,000 residents each, and all Metro Council members serve part-time.

Two-thirds of the Metropolitan Council are required to constitute a quorum before the business of the council can be conducted. The council holds regular meetings each first and third Tuesday of each month, but may also have adjourned meetings of regular meetings on week day or hour it may fix. In addition, with 48 hours' written notice, a special meeting may be called by the mayor or the vice mayor. It may also be requested by the majority of the council, which would require 21 votes in favor of the meeting. Meetings are broadcast live on Metro 3 and are archived on the Nashville government website.

The mayor may veto resolutions and ordinances passed by the Metropolitan Council, but the veto can be overridden with a two-thirds majority of the Council. With three-fourths of the entire council in favor, and not subject to veto, investigations may be conducted by the whole council or its committees.

The popularly elected vice mayor is the President of the Metropolitan Council and serves as its presiding officer, but is not a member of the Metro Council and does not vote except to break ties. Members elect a president pro tempore to serve in the absence of the Vice Mayor, and a deputy president pro tempore once the president pro tempore becomes presiding officer due to the Vice Mayor's death or resignation.

Members of the Metro Council that act as presiding officer during the Vice Mayor's absence retain their right to vote on all resolutions and ordinances. Presidents of the Metropolitan Council receive the same annual salary as the Vice Mayor, $4,200. Diane Neighbors is the incumbent vice mayor.

In 2005, mayor Bill Purcell called for cutting the number of legislators in the council down to 20 in a proposal in which fifteen seats would be elected by districts and five seats would remain at-large. In 2006 the Metro Charter Review Commission scheduled a public hearing on the council's size. In a poll by The Tennessean, 21 councillors favored keeping the council as it is, and nine favored a reduction in the size of the council.

Dissidents said that if the size of the council were to be reduced, being elected could become a matter of who can raise the most money, and special interests may get involved. Other concerns voiced included council members not being able to get in contact with their constituents, the council becoming less ethnically diverse, and council membership changing from a part-time to a full-time job. Councilwoman Amanda McClendon said a reduction in size may make it easier to pass legislation.

In the 2015 municipal elections, two amendments to the Metropolitan Nashville Charter which increased term limits for members of the Council, both at large and district-wide, as well as reducing the size of the council, were proposed. Both amendments failed with Davidson County voters.

On September 10, 2015, Megan Barry, a Councilwoman At Large, was elected to serve as Mayor of the Metropolitan Government. Barry's election made history in that, one, she is the first woman to hold the office of mayor, and two, she is the first member of the Metropolitan Council to ascend to the office of Mayor. Mayor Barry was sworn in on September 25, 2015 along with the 2015-2019 members of the Metropolitan Council.


Current membership, 2015-2019

Council members

District Name
1st Loniel Greene
2nd DeCosta Hastings
3rd Brenda Haywood
4th Robert Swope
5th Scott Davis
6th Brett Withers
7th Anthony Davis
8th Nancy VanReece
9th Bill Pridemore
10th Doug Pardue
11th Larry Hagar
12th Steve Glover
13th Holly Huezo
14th Kevin Rhoten
15th Jeff Syracuse
16th Mike Freeman
17th Colby Sledge
18th Burkley Allen
19th Freddie O'Connell
20th Mary Carolyn Roberts
21st Ed Kindall
22nd Sheri Weiner
23rd Mina Johnson
24th Kathleen Murphy
25th Russ Pulley
26th Jeremy Elrod
27th Davette Blalock
28th Tanaka Vercher
29th Karen Johnson
30th Jason Potts
31st Fabien Bedne
32nd Jacobia Dowell
33rd Sam Coleman
34th Angie Henderson
35th Dave Rosenberg

Council members at large

  • John Cooper
  • Erica Gilmore
  • Bob Mendes
  • Sharon Hurt
  • Jim Shulman

Vice mayor

  • David Briley

Membership, 2011-2015

Council members

District Name
1st Lonnell Matthews, Jr
2nd Frank Harrison
3rd Walter Hunt
4th Brady Banks
5th Scott Davis
6th Peter Westerholm
7th Anthony Davis
8th Karen Bennett
9th Bill Pridemore
10th Doug Pardue
11th Darren Jernigan
12th Steve Glover
13th Josh Stites
14th Bruce Stanley
15th Phil Claiborne
16th Tony Tenpenny
17th Sandra Moore
18th Burkley Allen
19th Erica Gilmore
20th Buddy Baker
21st Edith Langster
22nd Sheri Weiner
23rd Emily Evans
24th Jason Holleman
25th Sean McGuire
26th Chris Harmon
27th Davette Blalock
28th Duane Dominy
29th Karen Johnson
30th Jason Potts
31st Fabien Bedne
32nd Jacobia Dowell
33rd Robert Duvall
34th Carter Todd
35th Bo Mitchell

Council members at large

Vice mayor

Membership, 2007-2011

Council members

District Name
1st Lonnell Matthews, Jr
2nd Frank Harrison
3rd Walter Hunt
4th Michael Craddock
5th Jamie Hollin
6th Mike Jameson
7th Erik Cole
8th Jason Hart
9th Jim Forkum
10th Rip Ryman
11th Darren Jernigan
12th Jim Gotto
13th Carl Burch
14th Bruce Stanley
15th Phil Claiborne
16th Anna Page
17th Sandra Moore
18th Kristine LaLonde
19th Erica Gilmore
20th Buddy Baker
21st Edith Langman
22nd Eric Crafton
23rd Emily Evans
24th Jason Holleman
25th Sean McGuire
26th Greg Adkins
27th Randy Foster
28th Duane Dominy
29th Vivian Wilhoite
30th Jim Hodge
31st Parker Toler
32nd Sam Coleman
33rd Robert Duvall
34th Carter Todd
35th Bo Mitchell

Council members at large

Vice mayor

Membership, 2003-2007

Council members

District Name
1st Brenda Gilmore
2nd Jamie Isabel
3rd Chester Hughes*
4th Michael Craddock
5th Pam Murray
6th Mike Jameson
7th Erik Cole
8th Jason Hart
9th Jim Forkum
10th Rip Ryman
11th Feller Brown
12th Jim Gotto
13th Carl Burch
14th Harold White
15th J.B. Loring
16th Amanda McClendon*
17th Ronnie Greer
18th Ginger Hausser
19th Ludye Wallace
20th Billy Joe Walls
21st Edward Whitmore
22nd Eric Crafton
23rd C. Whitson*
24th John Summers
25th Jim Shulman
26th Greg Adkins
27th Randy Foster
28th Jason Alexander
29th Vivian Wilhoite
30th Michael Kerstetter*
31st Parker Toler
32nd Sam Coleman
33rd Tommy Bradley*
34th Lynn Williams
35th Charles Tygard

Council members at large

Vice mayor

* Member resigned or died before the next election date. On December 18, 2004, Chester Hughes died from brain cancer. C. Whitson and Tommy Bradley resigned on September 20, 2005 and March 16, 2006, respectively. Michael Kersetter resigned April 5, 2006 to run for a seat on the Metro school board. Chester Hughes was replaced by Walter Hunt. Jim Hodge replaced Michael Kerstetter. Robert Duvall replaced Tommy Bradley. Emily Evans replaced C. Whitson. On September 1, 2006, Amanda McClendon became a Judge of the Second Circuit Court for the 20th Judicial District and was replaced by Anna Page.

Membership, 1999-2003

Council members

District Name
1st Brenda Gilmore
2nd Melvin Black
3rd Ron Nollner
4th Don Majors
5th Lawrence Hall, Jr.
6th Eileen Beehan
7th Earl Campbell
8th Lawrence Hart
9th James Dillard
10th Bettye Balthrop
11th Phil Ponder
12th Tony Derryberry
13th Bruce Stanley
14th Harold White
15th J.B. Loring
16th Amanda McClendon
17th Ronnie Greer
18th Ginger Hausser
19th Ludye Wallace
20th Morris Haddox
21st Edward Whitmore
22nd Norma Hand
23rd Bob Bogen
24th John Summers
25th Jim Shulman
26th Michelle Arriola
27th Janis Sontany
28th Jason Alexander
29th Saletta Holloway
30th Michael Kerstetter
31st Don Knoch
32nd Craig Jenkins
33rd Ron Turner
34th Lynn Williams
35th Vic Lineweaver

Council members at large

Vice mayor

**Ronnie Steine resigned in 2002, and Howard Gentry became the interim vice mayor until later being elected vice mayor in 2003.

Membership, 1995-1999

Council members

District Name
1st Regina Patton
2nd Melvin Black
3rd Ron Nollner
4th Don Majors
5th Frank Harrison
6th Eileen Beehan
7th Earl Campbell
8th Lawrence Hart
9th James Dillard
10th Tim Garrett
11th Mike Wooden
12th Phil Ponder
13th Charles O. French
14th James Bruce Stanley
15th Roy Dale
16th Jerry Wayne Graves
17th Mansfield Douglas
18th Stewart Clifton
19th Julius Sloss
20th Morris Haddox
21st Willis McCallister
22nd John Aaron Holt
23rd Eric Crafton
24th Horace Johns
25th David Kleinfelter
26th Michelle Arriola
27th Janis Sontany
28th Durward Hall
29th Saletta Holloway
30th Leroy Hollis
31st Tom Alexander
32nd Craig Jenkins
33rd Ron Turner
34th Charles Fentress
35th Vic Lineweaver

Council members at large

Vice mayor

External links