'No surprises,' Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell once said: Lesson for a new transit push

On Sept. 9, 2017, then-Mayor Megan Barry launched the campaign at the Nashville Farmers Market near downtown to collect signatures to pay for mass transit.

About 200 supporters flanked Barry, but notably missing were the majority of Metro Council members, including that area’s district council member, Freddie O'Connell.

"In perhaps a sign that council members are taking a wait-and-see approach, Councilman Fabian Bedne (who formerly represented District 31 in Antioch) was the lone council member at Saturday's transit coalition event," wrote former Tennessean (and now USA TODAY) reporter Joey Garrison in a story about the event.

While the council eventually approved the measure on the ballot, voters resoundingly turned down the $5.4 billion plan in May 2018, just a couple of months after Barry resigned mid-term.

This past September, O'Connell was elected as Nashville's new mayor and, according to a story in The Tennessean, his team is advising him to consider seeking a new transit referendum in November 2024 when high presidential election voter turnout could give the measure a better chance.

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Tapping into dissatisfaction killed the 2018 transit referendum, but that approach could help in 2024

But apathy was not what killed the 2018 plan. The TransitCenter conducted a postmortem and found the following factors contributed to its demise:

• Hasty compilation

• Inconsistent outreach strategy

• Failure to stress-test the plan with community members

• Barry's resignation amid scandal

The opponents effectively tapped into voters' dissatisfaction over the state of a wounded city and the prospect of paying more taxes for a system that might not benefit them directly.

Moreover, the mysterious billion-dollar tunnel under downtown drew great skepticism.

Nashville is only one of four of the largest 50 U.S. cities in America without some form of dedicated funding for transit, according to a report from the research organization ThinkTennessee.

If voters had approved the 2018 plan, there would have been momentum, if imperfect, on alternatives to Nashville's commute, which was recently ranked by Forbes as the worst in the country.

In addition, airline passengers have balked at worsening traffic conditions going into Nashville International Airport.

Perhaps transit supporters should tap into the points of dissatisfaction that would motivate most voters to agree to pay for a system that will better deal with the regional growth that is coming to Middle Tennessee in the years to come with no end in sight.

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O'Connell was not happy that Metro Council members were not briefed before Mayor Barry's event

On Sept. 18, 2017, the day before Barry's event at the farmers market, then Councilman O'Connell wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: "Well, that’s interesting. It sounds like @TransitForNash is going to be canvassing District 19 on Saturday. I wonder what they’ll be saying?"

Transit for Nashville leader Ethan Link responded: "Lookin (sic) at the turfs it seems like we are knocking several districts; just launching centrally."

O'Connell replied: "My recommendation? Schedule the Council briefing before the door knocking next time. Nobody likes surprises."

O'Connell, who formerly chaired the Metropolitan Transit Authority board, is wise enough not to repeat history.

Any public launch must involve and include buy-in from members of the Metro Council, who are the closest to the people. They can persuade community leaders and answer questions at the most local level. Remember, only a majority in five of 35 council districts voted for the 2018 transit referendum.

To succeed, any new plan will have to address the hopes, fears and concerns of multiple stakeholders.

There likely will be immediate opposition to any plan that raises taxes or builds railroad tracks.

The mayor has indicated a desire to invest more heavily in the bus system and that is an important start to the conversation.

A plan to offer a better transportation option to and from the airport –  where travelers would not have to compete with road traffic – could also bring many diverse stakeholders on board.

O'Connell was right then: "Nobody likes surprises." As he and his team consider a new plan, transparency, communications and flexibility will be key to success.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or find him on X at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: If O'Connell wants transit funding, Nashville Council buy-in is key