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1-TENNESSEE TOWN & CITY/SEPT. 24, 2007 www.TML1.org 6,250 subscribers www.TML1.org Volume 58, Number 16 September 24, 2007 Megasites: new tool in Dean elected Nashville’s new mayor BY CAROLE GRAVES 1978. industrial recruitment TML Communications Director In his campaign, BY CAROLE GRAVES Dean identified edu- Karl Dean was sworn into of- cation, public safety, Certified industrial sites are one fice Sept. 21 as the sixth mayor of economic develop- of the fastest-growing trends in in- the Metropolitan Government of ment, and the environ- dustrial recruitment. And now with a Nashville. ment as the top issues new law in place, cities and counties He won the victory in a run-off he is the most con- in Tennessee will have the opportu- election over former U.S. Con- cerned about. nity to compete regionally for indus- gressman Bob Clement. Dean took Education: re- tries on a grander scale. 52 percent of the votes (51,946) duce high school The Megasite Authority Act of over Clement’s 48 percent drop-out rate, get 2007, sponsored by Sen. Lowe (47,347). more parents in- Finney and Rep. Craig Fitzhugh, In the August general election, volved, embrace in- gives cities and counties the author- Dean also finished first over six novative practices, re- ity to cooperate in developing indus- other candidates. However, with cruit and retain high- trial sites larger than 1,000 acres. such a large pool of candidates quality teachers vying for that position, he won Specifics of how local governments Sen. Lowe Finney Public Safety: can work together to develop these with only 24.1 percent of the votes Short-term goals - sites were presented during the an- and only by 135 votes over Clem- take illegal guns out nual Governor’s Conference on ent. Candidates must win with a of the hands of con- Economic and Community Devel- majority of all votes. victed felons, youth, opment held in Nashville earlier this Dean succeeds Bill Purcell, and drug dealers; shift month. who could not run again due to a police resources to Photo by Victoria South “Twenty years ago we would two-term limit. Dean served under high crime areas; Karl Dean was sworn in as the new mayor of wait until we got a request and then Purcell as Metro law director and launch a violent youth Metro Nashville in a Sept. 21 ceremony. look for the site. Now, you are al- has served as Nashville’s public offender enforcement ready out of the game if you don’t defender for three-terms. unit; and create a Plain-Clothes departments; and fund the re- have a site,” explained Wilton He currently serves as an ad- Neighborhood Intervention Unit. cruitment and retention of high- Burnett, with the Tennessee Depart- junct professor of law at Long-term goals: build a bridge quality police officers. ment of Economic Development Vanderbilt University Law School between citizens and Metro Govern- Economic Development: (ECD). and graduated with a J.D. from ment to deter crime; form a crime provide support for small busi- Under the new legislation, two Vanderbilt University in 1981 in prevention alliance within the exist- ness in order for them to grow, or more local governments can work addtion to a Bachelor of Arts de- ing Mayor’s Office of Children and support the development of black together to identify large tracts of Rep. Craig Fitzhugh gree from Columbia University in Youth; focus the efforts of all Metro See DEAN on Page 6 land that can be developed as an industrial site. Through the estab- lishment of a regional megasite au- Cities taking steps to address Global warming thority, these entities will have ac- cess to state programs designed to BY VICTORIA SOUTH help fund the creation of infrastruc- TML Communications Coordinator ture like roads and utility access. “You want to look for places The outcome looks green for that have rail, easy highway access, the nation’s cities as municipalities as well as sufficient utilities such as take a proactive stance in the battle water, sewer, natural gas, and high- against global warming. Municipal powered electricity,” said Burnett. energy conservation projects are on A megasite is a large parcel of the rise, while the number of may- land that is ready for heavy industrial oral signatures on the U.S. Mayors development. The Tennessee Valley Climate Protection Agreement has Authority was one of the first eco- risen to 660 all pledging to exceed nomic development entities that be- federal mandates in the reduction of gan certifying megasites to help with green house gas emissions while recruiting efforts of large automo- providing public accountability re- tive plants. ports and tracking measures to “While certified sites have been verify emissions created by major around for a decade, most of these industries within their communities. sites were smaller parcels of land too “It is in cities that the battle to small for an automotive project,” tackle climate change will be won or explained John Bradley, TVA se- lost,” London Mayor Ken nior vice president of economic de- Livingston said, reported by Neal velopment. Peirce of Nations Cities Weekly at He explained that TVA em- the Large Cities Climate Summit in barked on the certification process New York. in order to streamline the site selec- Summit announcements re- tion process by creating an inventory vealed that a foundation headed by of locations that fulfilled the criteria former Pres. Bill Clinton has se- that an automotive plant was looking cured $5 billion in energy-effi- for. Since then, TVA now has nine ciency loan commitments from five certified sites – four are in Tennes- global banking institutions for the see. upgrading of heating, cooling and While less than 1 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by cities, municipalities are State leaders envision that re- lighting systems in cities from responsible for 80 percent of the world’s heat retaining greenhouse gases. gional megasite authorities will Bangkok to New York. Clinton is “Mayors from around the nation participants released by the Mayor’s Reports from the Cleveland work in the same way and why the scheduled to join the U.S. Confer- are not waiting to take action to help Climate Protection Center indicates Daily Banner lists Tennessee homes legislation was enacted. ence of Mayors in Seattle, Wash., solve the threat of global warming - that regardless of size cities through- as the least efficient in the nation, “TVA has helped to provide a during a national climate summit they are doing something about it out the country are researching and according to the administrative co- roadmap on how to go forward,” and first meeting of Registry partici- right now,” said Seattle Mayor Greg carrying out a number of indepen- ordinator of the Energy Efficient See MEGA on Page 4 pants Nov.1-2. Nickles. The Registry, spearheaded dent energy initiatives aimed at re- Construction Program at Cleveland by Nickles in 2005, was developed ducing carbon emissions which in- State Community College, Allan by mayors in response to the U.S. clude, but are not limited to, renew- Gentry. Gentry notes Cleveland Bond Fund announces refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol, able energy sources, energy-effi- homes on average use 1,240 kilo- an international greenhouse gas cient municipal lighting, alternative watt hours each month compared to emissions treaty. The treaty recom- fuels in city fleets, and energy effi- the national average of 850 kilowatt staff reorganization mends a U.S. greenhouse emission cient buildings in both the private hours a month. Charles “Bones” Seivers an- reduction target of 7 percent from and public sector. These initiatives According to Gentry, 35 per- nounced the reorganization of the 1990 levels by 2012. have become increasingly visible in cent of the nation’s energy usage is Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund A recent survey among Registry cities across Tennessee. See GLOBAL on Page 3 (TMBF) the first of September. Seivers has designated Linda Mooningham as director of market- FCC creates climate of chaos ing, replacing Kevin Barnett who served as vice president of market- ing and is no longer with TMBF. over video, cable franchising Seivers stated that Mooningham brings the highest degree of knowl- In another blow to consumers ficers and Advisors (NATOA). According to recent media re- edge and ability to the program. She and cities, the Federal Communica- “Hundreds, if not thousands, of ports, the FCC is expected any day to was one of the people responsible tions Commission (FCC) is ex- cable franchise agreements could be rule that existing cable operators for starting the program in 1985 and pected soon to decree that any com- voided across the country as a result can, under certain circumstances, knows every aspect of the business. Tiffany Graham pany now under contract with a local of the pending FCC order. This is not back out of key provisions in their She has also coordinated all legal longer with TMBF. “We are pleased government to provide video ser- competition, this is chaos,” Beaty current franchise contracts with lo- work for the Bond Fund since 1985. to have Tiffany join us and she will vices may have the right to renegoti- said. cal governments, renegotiate lower “We are very fortunate to have Linda be an asset to the program in dealing ate better terms for itself, putting at NATOA, the National League municipal fees, and reduce the ben- as our director of marketing,” said with the cities and counties across risk America’s public access chan- of Cities, and several organizations efits they currently provide to the Seivers.

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