Stockard on the Stump: Tennessee governor shuts down questions

Gov. Bill Lee and Nashville airport folks moved “faster than grease through a goose” this week to stop media questions that dared stray from their Air France announcement. 

Blame Davy Crockett for that time-tested idiom.

When a Lookout reporter tried to go “off topic” during a press gaggle after Wednesday’s main press conference, an airport authority flack and Lee quickly shut it down and referred questions to the governor’s office spokesperson, who hasn’t responded to emails since Moby Dick was a minnow. Technically, whales were never minnows because they’re mammals, but you get the gist.

For the most part, the term-limited Lee, who leaves office in mid-January, has been in hiding all summer.

But considering we were less than a week from a failed execution that displayed an embarrassing lack of preparation on the part of state prison personnel and, clearly, the medical team tasked with putting convicted murderer Christa Pike to death, Lee should be ready to field more queries about something other than Air France.

After all, this botched execution, which led to the sudden resignation of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada, could wind up being his legacy. People won’t remember the Paris junkets that led to the new French flight and other business investments in Tennessee. They might not even remember his preferred legacy: establishment of private-school vouchers for all students, regardless of income.

But people on every side of the death penalty issue will recall the failures of the Lee administration to carry out the punishment effectively — right or wrong. They also could remember that he refused to take responsibility for the disaster the day after it happened, instead blaming the protocol developed by Strada’s Department of Correction and “vetted and approved” by Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti. (We will give him partial credit for holding a press conference last week.)

Lee says he doesn’t want the U.S. Senate seat that could be vacated by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, if she wins the gubernatorial race as expected. Maybe he’d prefer to count cattle or make sure crap runs downhill. But he sure is doing a great job of avoiding the Capitol press corps, though he does appear more willing to take press questions than Blackburn.

Incidentally, Wednesday’s event would have been a great opportunity for Blackburn to do what she says she’s been doing: “talk to Tennesseans every day.”

Instead, after a short greeting and photo op, Blackburn vanished like the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Of course, he ratted out his murderer, and they all died eventually.

This is not a prediction.

It is fitting, though, that Lee and Blackburn gathered with airport officials to celebrate the Air France deal with, what else, French champagne. (One waiter dropped a couple of glasses.)

As for the unwashed masses who can barely buy groceries these days, much less a plane ticket to France and wouldn’t take one if they could: Let them eat cake.

Another big deal

A consortium led by the same group set to build Nashville’s first toll lane landed another major contract, this time with the Georgia Department of Transportation, for nearly 38 miles of work on I-285 around Atlanta.

Top End Mobility Group, headed up by Spain-based Ferrovial, agreed to make nearly $24 billion in “concessions,” or payments to Georgia to win the $8.9 billion project, a similar amount it offered to Tennessee to land the deal here. The contract will last 50 years, but the consortium will make payments to Georgia in six installments up front and reimburse the state for $515 million it’s already spent on the project.

Ferrovial, which is leading the Tennessee effort on a southeast Nashville corridor toll-road project, saw its stock value dip because of concerns about the project here. It took another tumble this week because investors are concerned about its ability to take on debt to pay $50 billion to Tennessee and Georgia before it ever collects in toll fees from motorists.

Losing bidder in I-24 toll lane project files suit seeking contract records

Public records tiff

Another road-building consortium, 24 Choice Lanes Partners, that failed to win the Tennessee bid after offering only $7 billion in “concessions” filed a public records lawsuit Oct. 5 through former Metro Nashville Legal Director and now private lawyer Jon Cooper against the state, claiming it was blocked from obtaining documents connected to the project. 

The Attorney General’s Office responded this week with a Davidson County Chancery Court filing that says the public records request was made too soon, before Sept. 30 when the state reached a point in the deal with DriveTN called “commercial close,” enabling them to finalize the contract. Until that point, it said, the documents were confidential.

The AG’s Office said in its filing that the Department of Transportation wasn’t concealing information or documentation and that it “remains fully prepared to produce responsive records and comply with the Tennessee Public Records Act.”

As usual, the AG’s Office said the plaintiff lacked standing to sue, this time under the public records act, and called for the complaint to be dismissed.

Take that

The Tennessee Registry of Election Finance levied a $300 civil penalty against the Sumner County Constitutional Republicans in September for failing to file reports on time. 

This sort of penalty is common, especially for neophytes unaccustomed to dealing with campaign finance reports. But it came two years after the Registry board forced the Tennessee Constitutional Republicans and its operation group in Sumner County to register as political action committees.

Tennessee election finance board to subpoena members of Constitutional Republicans

In 2024, the group said it was nothing but a coffee klatch intent on spreading “conservatism.” During a hearing two years ago, Registry members noted Tennessee Constitutional Republicans brought in about $18,000 last year and spent about $12,000, according to information the group provided.

Granted, they didn’t spend millions of dollars. But they had a modicum of influence on local politics.

The group hired private investigators to vet candidates, rented space at community events, held breakfasts, brought stickers, sold T-shirts, and endorsed and disavowed candidates on their website, which also had donation links to bring in — you guessed it — money. 

They “started full tilt” but found themselves in “pretty considerable of a snarl.” Now they’re just about “cooked up to a cracklin’.” Give credit to Davy Crockett.