Joey Garrison | The Tennessean

Tennessean

Alan Poizner/USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified WSMV news anchor Tracy Kornet.

On the eve of early voting, representatives for Nashville’s transit supporters and foes debated the city’s controversial transit referendum Tuesday in an exchange that was lively from the start, at times heated and even personal.

The one-hour televised debate, co-hosted by The Tennessean and WSMV-TV, came as Nashvillians head to the polls beginning Wednesday to vote on a $5.4 billion transit plan anchored by light rail on five major corridors. The project would cost $8.95 billion when factoring in inflation, operation costs and maintenance.

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Other components include rapid bus on four other roads and improvements to the city's bus system. The election is May 1.

The action, although civil, was intense from the beginning as the two sides took turns arguing over what would be the the most expensive infrastructure project in Nashville history.

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Nashville transit debate filled with fiery exchanges

Representing the opposition group NoTax4Track was jeff obafemi carr, a community activist who is a paid organizer for the anti-referendum group and who has qualified to run for mayor.

He was countered by Charles Robert Bone, a Nashville attorney and former 2015 mayoral candidate who was speaking on behalf of the pro-referendum Nashville for Transit Coalition.

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"Not one penny of that money will go towards improving existing bottlenecks, potholes, bridges or overpasses," carr said in his opening remarks, later citing dwindling transit ridership in other cities and Nashville. "Over 70 percent of this money will go towards light rail that focuses on density downtown.

"The rest of us, in the most congested areas, well, we get the bus and the bill."

Bone called the transit referendum "a multi-generational investment" that would finally put Nashville on course to address its rising traffic congestion.

"I believe that this plan, as developed over several years with input from thousands of Nashvillians, is our very best chance to take the next step forward as a city to address congestion, and also recognize that we have major issues in affordability, accessibility and opportunity," he said.

Opposition group's donors questioned

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David Plazas, opinion and engagement editor for The Tennessean, and Tracy Kornet, a WSMV news anchor, co-moderated the event held at the downtown Nashville Public Library.

The most memorable back and forth came after a member of the live audience asked carr about NoTax4Tracks' supporters, such as Lee Beaman, an automobile salesman and Republican activist who was the initial treasurer of the group's PAC.

carr held up a copy of the group's first-quarter financial disclosure, which was filed Tuesday. "As you can see, there's no money coming from the boogeyman Koch brothers or any of that in there," he said.

But Bone, looking through the donor list, called out how $750,000 of the more than $949,000 in contributions to NoTax4Tracks came from a single nonprofit corporation called Nashville Smart Inc., which by law does not have to disclose its donors.

"Just one quick question, who is Nashville Smart Inc.?" Bone said, later asking, "Can you tell us who supports that organization?"

"Nashville Smart Inc. is a nonprofit that supports causes in town," carr said, later declining to reveal donors on air. "I can't because it's against the law."

"No, it's not against the law for you to tell us," Bone fired back.

To which carr replied, "Well, it's not against the law for you to tell us how many city contracts you've had over the years."

According to records with the secretary of state, Nashville Smart Inc. was formed in December 2017 by Lonnie Spivak, a conservative activist and former Metro Council candidate. Spivak told the Tennessean earlier this year that the group's mission is to "advocate for a vision of better choices, planning and positive economic development for Nashville when it comes to transit."

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A PAC backing the transit coalition revealed Tuesday raising an additional $1.2 million over the past three months, with the bulk of dollars coming from some of the city's biggest corporations. The group has raised more than $2.5 million overall for the campaign.

The transit plan would be paid for by increases to four taxes, including a 0.5-cent sales tax hike that would graduate to 1 cent by 2023. Other components include a 1.8-mile underground tunnel that would connect the new transit lines through downtown, as well as 19 transit centers that would include park-and-ride and other transit options.

Opponent calls light rail not 'forward-thinking'

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carr said the plan, if approved by voters, would lock Nashville in for 50 years for a proposal that uses outdated rail. He disputed Bone's characterization that the program would be "forwarding-thinking."

"Forward-thinking, forward-thinking, forward-thinking," he said, quoting past remarks from his counterpart. "That's why it's disingenuous for us as a city to look at investing the lion's share of this in backwards-thinking 19th century technology, which is rail," carr said.

"That's the equivalent of me trying to go to the control room and try to jam an 8-track tape into an MP3 player," he said. "Is it worth us investing money that's going to be paid for by the many for the benefit of the infinitesimal few?"

Bone agreed that light rail is expensive, but noted that the plan calls for more immediate upgrades to the city's bus system while the city gets going on building a light rail system.

"What we've seen in cities where this has worked is that investments in bus and investments in light rail go hand-in-hand," Bone said. "These are complementary of each other, not a substitute for one another."

carr said light rail would not extend to parts of Bordeaux, Antioch and Clarksville Highway, areas he called "the rest of the city." Bone responded that "every community, every corridor benefits from this plan."

Testy back and forth over motivations

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The debate got downright bitter later on.

carr, asked about corporate interests in the campaign, said if this passes "the winners are the construction companies, the design firms, the law firms that do continual business with the city, people who will make money off this plan." Bone is a partner at the law firm Bone McAllester Norton, which was contracted by Metro to serve as legal counsel during the construction of Music City Center.

"I'm the only one on this stage that's not getting paid to be here," Bone shot back. "The insinuation that somehow I have some personal benefit in this and some stake in this, frankly jeff, is insulting.

"I'm disappointed that you don't know me any better. And frankly, I guess I don't know you any better."

carr said he wasn't questioning Bone's motivations but added that he's never made money from a city contact.

"Can you make that same statement?" carr said.

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In closing remarks, Bone said the transit plan is based on best practices throughout the world and preserves flexibility to make changes down the road. He said it would sync into a larger regional transit plan for Middle Tennessee one day.

"This plan provides for strategic growth, preserves our neighborhoods and is a blueprint for creating density," Bone said. "Now is our very best chance to approve this. At the end of the day, we are building our city, not just a transit system."

carr said voters should ignore talk from referendum supporters "that the sky is going to fall and lightning is going to flash" if this plan is not approved.

"I don't buy into that," carr said. "We can do better. We must do better. We deserve better and our children deserve better."