Stockard on the Stump: House Republicans threaten NES revamp after storm misery

Would you trust this man with power? House Speaker Cameron Sexton threatens to take over Nashville Electric Service after the utility’s recent performance, calling it a “total disaster within a disaster.” (Photo: John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout)

With Middle Tennessee still reeling from Winter Storm Fern after nearly two weeks, Republican lawmakers are ready to reshape Nashville Electric Service or fire the utility’s leaders if they don’t shape up. Or even if they do.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton made the ultimatum Thursday, accusing NES of failing miserably as people remain without power in the wake of the epic storm.

Sexton termed it “a total disaster in a disaster,” saying the utility turned away line workers from East Tennessee and Kentucky, renewed a diversity, equity and inclusion contract instead of turning on the power, refused to cut back trees well ahead of the icefall, failed to set up a disaster plan, cut its budget by $7 million and fell down on customer communications. None of this could be independently confirmed, though NES did acknowledge last week it had to reject help because of protocol.

“Lack of leadership, lack of planning, lack of anything, ineptness, you can pick a thousand things,” Sexton said.

The House speaker said electric cooperatives across the state – nonprofit entities owned by customers – performed better, and he’s willing to shift NES from Metro control to a cooperative structure, even though many of those coops continue to suffer power outages caused by tree damage and difficulty reaching remote areas.

Sexton added that he appreciates Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s idea for an investigation, but he said the evidence of failure is overwhelming.

“If they’re unwilling to make that change, then we’ll be willing to do it,” he said.

NES, which hired public relations firm FINN Partners, to handle communications, did not respond to multiple questions from the Lookout over the past week.

Legislative Democrats from Nashville haven’t been enthused with NES’s performance either. But they’re not quite ready to restructure or throw out its leaders, since much of the utility’s makeup is bound by state law.

“I’m sure Speaker Sexton is uniquely interested in that, I mean he lives in Nashville, so NES is who powers his home,” said Rep. John Ray Clemmons, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Sexton lists his home district as Crossville but maintains a home in Nashville too.

Nashville Democrats said their focus lies with restoring power and helping families return to normal. They’re set to meet with NES next week for a briefing before they try to right the ship.

Democratic Rep. Jason Powell of South Nashville is sponsoring a measure to bring more accountability to the utility. But Sexton said NES needs better leadership, not another layer of bureaucracy.

Democratic Sen. Jeff Yarbro responded to the speaker’s warning by saying Sexton should run for city council if he wants to control NES and other parts of local government, such as the Memphis Shelby County School Board.

The Tennessee Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week on Metro Nashville lawsuits against the state over Republican-backed laws cutting the size of the Metro Nashville Council and yet another state takeover, this one of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority.

Once those are decided, we can move on to an NES court battle, because there’s nothing like making sure attorneys have plenty of work, since they don’t cut trees or fix power lines.

Memphis school board in cross-hairs

Republican leaders said Thursday they’re prepared to spend more money in the coming year to audit Memphis Shelby County Schools. Apparently, $6 million wasn’t enough.

Sexton said the fact that the state is having to extend an audit of the school district shows the level of mismanagement, and he added that this would lead to a state “takeover.” Previously, lawmakers sponsoring the bill denied it was a “takeover,” saying instead the state would only be appointing an oversight board with authority over school board budgets and policy. 

Tennessee planning $6 million audit of Memphis Shelby schools

The legislation is tied up in disagreement over different bills passed by the House and Senate. But Sexton said the House version, which gives the state more control, has the edge for approval.

Democratic state Rep. Jesse Chism of Memphis said the state needs to emphasize public school funding instead of shifting money to private schools.

Chism said every area in state government has problems, “so we need to make sure we do that first before we go take over a school district, because the state has already proven it has never been a good steward of any school district,” Chism said.

He alluded to the recently dismantled Achievement School District that depended largely on Memphis charter schools and cost roughly a billion dollars over 13 years to produce limited results.

Bill against same-sex marriage moves

The House Children and Family Affairs Subcommittee sent HB1473 by Rep. Gino Bulso to the House Judiciary Committee this week.

Bulso, a Brentwood Republican bent on harassing the LGBTQ+ community, explained that the bill is designed to clarify that Obergefell v. Hodges applies to state and political subdivisions but not to private citizens. The 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling found that the 14th Amendment requires states to license same-sex marriages and recognize those unions from other states.

Bulso’s bill wouldn’t apply to county clerk’s offices that issue marriage licenses, according to the Tennessee Equality Project, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. But it could affect county commissioners who are attorneys, overseen by the Board of Professional Responsibility, and have the authority to conduct weddings.

Otherwise, the group isn’t sure of Bulso’s motive.

Under questioning from Democratic Rep. Torrey Harris of Memphis, Bulso said federal discrimination laws aren’t affected by his bill. He started to explain that a case involving a Colorado baker who declined to make a wedding cake for a gay couple could be an example.

But then he acknowledged he knows of no Tennessee case since 2015 that would be affected by his bill.

Oh well, maybe next year.

Solutions forthcoming

Gov. Bill Lee introduced U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his Make America Healthy Again stop by making a series of points and questions that led to something but we’re not sure what.

“We all have known just intuitively over the last 10, 20, 30 years that something has changed in this country. When you think about cases of autism, the number of (cases), really a crisis, or obesity and diabetes. Why we have allergies for children, not allergies that seem to certainly not exist to the levels they did decades ago. Cancer diagnoses that are really different today than they have been in decades. Something has changed in our country, and someone needed to have the leadership to stand up and ask the real questions that challenge the status quo and find the answers to the questions that we all had of what is changing and why is it changing?”

Don’t get me started. But if you hook a kid to video games and cell phones, inject him with fast food after school and drop him with grandma while you hit the town, you reap what you sow.

On the contrary, when you see athletes today, there are more players who run fast, jump high and (in basketball) shoot the lights out than 50 years ago. They aren’t sitting on their duffs all the time.

So before making sweeping remarks about autism and poor health before introducing a vaccine skeptic who went through his own drug and alcohol addiction, our state’s top leader needs to be a little more careful. Otherwise, people might think taking childhood vaccinations causes autism. Oh, I’m sorry, they already do. But that’s no excuse for feeding the conspiracy theory mill. (I like mine with lettuce and tomato.)

Gimme back my burgers

Responding to a final question Thursday from reporters cornered in a corral at the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Chambers, RFK Jr. spilled the beans when asked if he talks to President Trump about his addiction to McDonald’s burgers and Diet Coke.

“To no avail,” Kennedy said.

Well, that pretty much sums it up.

“When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye ? I turned to look but it was gone.” *

* Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb”