Nashville council may probe whether mayor's affair was 'on taxpayers' dime'

[Omega]

56 minutes ago, DaveTN said:

I heard her say that she hadn’t done anything illegal and was staying in office. So I assume elected officials in METRO don’t have a morals clause. If they could fire her they would….if they have fired every man that had an affair. It will be up to the votes in the next election; I don’t see her being reelected.

You underestimate the metro vote, she will get a 2nd term if she is not found to of done anything illegal not charged. 

42 minutes ago, hipower said:

My wife said this last night. I really hope that wasn't the case.

I doubt it, the guy was a druggie. 

[n0rlf]

An affair is bad enough. But an affair with a subordinate. Reverse the genders and Democrats would be screaming to hang him already. Why is it different for her? BS called! 

Throw her out. I would say the same for any man in the same position. No pun intended. 

Edited February 2, 2018 by n0rlf
Spelling again

[n0rlf]

Genders makes so much more sense than fenders. Sometimes auto correct is bafflingly brilliance. Billing. Grilling. Building.    Dang it.  Brilliant. 

[Patrick Henry]

The press has a double standard.  We all know if the genders were reversed they would be screaming for the mayor to hang from his  $%#^! 

Recall she wanted Nashville to become the most liberal sanctuary city in the nation and now this.  These behaviors are indicative of a significant character deficit. 

 

[nightrunner]

If the genders were reversed, the mayor would be charged with 2nd degree rape involving an authority figure.

Sadly, this doesn’t surprise me in the least.

[toby1304]

The Democrats have made more people qualify for #metoo than they have welfare.

[TGO David]

Annnnnd the thread got political, so we're done.

[TGO David]

As a reminder:

 

[TGO David]

Opening this back up and hoping we can get away from the partisan jabs. Will lock it back down again if we can’t. 

 

Seriously, guys, the amount of positive comments that we received when we nuked The Swamp forum was very telling. A large but silent group of members exists on TGO that simply doesn’t want to hear about it on a gun forum.  I can’t help but think your fellow members might participate more if the mudslinging wasn’t so prevalent. 

[Raoul]

40 minutes ago, TGO David said:

Opening this back up and hoping we can get away from the partisan jabs. Will lock it back down again if we can’t. 

 

Seriously, guys, the amount of positive comments that we received when we nuked The Swamp forum was very telling. A large but silent group of members exists on TGO that simply doesn’t want to hear about it on a gun forum.  I can’t help but think your fellow members might participate more if the mudslinging wasn’t so prevalent. 

Sorry to be the fly in the ointment, but if they're so offended why do they read it?

I have to wonder if some just are opposed to any view contrary to theirs.  Just sayin....

[n0rlf]

My apologies, no matter who it does stand that were the genders reversed someone would be screaming.

It is not political though to state no matter gender not party affiliation having an affair with a subordinate should be a terminable offense no matter the position. 

No need to waste more money off the taxpayers on investigating as they admitted it. How can anyone justify saying they should be allowed to stay or benefit from their lying and cheating. 

It was ongoing from almost the beginning of her term so neither should get any benefit from that time forward. 

I think it is more telling of the downward trend of morals in society than anything political. If we do not stop that slide then we have lost as a society and become our own enemy. 

[TGO David]

It's really easy to wonder what would happen if party-alignment or gender were reversed in this situation.  I think most of us probably have similar suspicions of what the outcome would be, but there's just no way to truly know because the situation is what it is.

That being the case, I believe the right thing would be for Mayor Berry to resign.  I doubt she will.  In which case I think the right thing to do would be for her to be fired.  Which I doubt will happen.  So the only remaining thing that makes sense is to not waste further taxpayer money on the situation by investigating anything else unless the outcome would be reimbursement to the city's coffers, and termination of employment, and criminal charges filed against either or the both of them if it was determined that they were guilty of misappropriating funds.

And I seriously doubt Berry would lose her job or either of them would be successfully criminally prosecuted, so... what's the use?

Too bad she can't be forced to take a Game of Thrones walk of shame through town.  Albeit with clothes.  Only two people wanted to see that naked, and one of them is probably really over her by now and the other claims to be.

 

[Erik88]

3 hours ago, Raoul said:

Sorry to be the fly in the ointment, but if they're so offended why do they read it?

I have to wonder if some just are opposed to any view contrary to theirs.  Just sayin....

That's exactly what it's about. No one bitched during the 8 years we all(myself included) complained about Obama 24/7. Honestly, the last few months the topics really didn't get that heated. I'm not sure what all the fuss was about. 

[MacGyver]

The hard thing about this (as a resident of Nashville) is that we all end up paying for this in unintended ways.

Forget the overtime and gallivanting around the world with your lover - frankly that's probably cheaper for the taxpayers than a lot of what would be going on otherwise.

Withstanding all that - we have actual issues in Nashville that need to be addressed - and this distracts from that.  I've been here for 25 years.  I can remember when it was a "big little town" - and it's not that anymore. It's growing. A lot. And that's good. It benefits the state economically for companies to want to do business here.  But, we've got real traffic issues. Housing is increasingly unaffordable for a lot of folks. Infrastructure is falling apart in places - and needs real attention in others.  

There are certainly folks who would disagree with me - and don't like the kind of growth that Nashville has experienced or the people it's brought in.  Fine.  But you're not going to put Pandora back in the box.  We've made some decisions to get us to where we are - and we've done a lot of things right.  But, as is so often the case, what's gotten us here won't get us where we need to go next.  That takes both vision and focus.  

Mayor Barry has been applauded for her vision - and I've been involved in enough initiatives that she's been directly involved in to know that she really does care.  Unfortunately this will distract from her ability to focus.  We'll see if she gets through it.

Y'all know that I'm not particularly partisan. We've seen worse mayors in the time I've been here.  We've certainly seen less effective ones.

Regardless, I'm going to fall back on an old saying that I find increasingly valuable. It's attributed to the English theologian Ian McLaren. He said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." There will be at least an ethics investigation that may hold her to account - and, the voters get another say next year.  We'll see what happens.

But all the while, the clock is still running in Nashville.

[n0rlf]

It is not who we complain about that causes the issue or even what, it is that no matter what it is someone gets offended. Be it political our 9mm vs 45. It is part and parcel of the new normal to complain about and be offended by anything that we disagree with. 

So it seems that some folks have learned to play the offended card either alone or with the race card. Social medias and the MSM just eat that up. 

In this case the mayor is staying in office even though everyone knows she should be gone. What happened to the metoo crowd on this? I would have thought they would be screaming. 

It is hard not to be political when a story this biased is exposed. It does not matter really as it could be either party and the finger pointing would be the same. The big thing is that we have allowed this to become the new normal and that is very sad. 

[Omega]

11 minutes ago, n0rlf said:

It is not who we complain about that causes the issue or even what, it is that no matter what it is someone gets offended. Be it political our 9mm vs 45. It is part and parcel of the new normal to complain about and be offended by anything that we disagree with. 

So it seems that some folks have learned to play the offended card either alone or with the race card. Social medias and the MSM just eat that up. 

In this case the mayor is staying in office even though everyone knows she should be gone. What happened to the metoo crowd on this? I would have thought they would be screaming. 

It is hard not to be political when a story this biased is exposed. It does not matter really as it could be either party and the finger pointing would be the same. The big thing is that we have allowed this to become the new normal and that is very sad. 

In this instance it is two factors that keep it from blowing up, she's a lefty, and a woman.  I am actually surprised nobody has come out and blamed him for it yet.  The #meetoo crowd will stay silent, it does not fit their narrative of abused women by men in power.

[Someotherguy]

Terrible situation with no winners in the end...

The marriage will suffer...

The family will suffer...

The taxpaying people of Nashville, will suffer...

Sex and money, the two always seem to go hand in hand at making alot of peoples lives miserable, yet is the very thing that most folks desire to have the most of..

 

Maybe them Monks are on to something here..

[Hozzie]

There is a rumor that this may not be the only trist with a metro employee.  Curious to see if there is anything to it.  If there is, then she certainly has to go. 

For the first instance, while not what I would hope, I also have been on the other side of cheating and know full well that things in her personal life probably were already to a point that the cheating was the least of her worries.  Doesn't make it right, or moral, or anything, but I don't judge people solely by that measure.  Walk a mile on another's shoes as they say.   To even bring up her sons suicide as being related, even if it was, is pretty tacky.  You wouldn't say it to your friend, why would you say that to her or anyone for that matter?  It makes no difference other than to pile on.

The only real issue I have is using taxpayer funds to bankroll things along the way.  I don't agree with and don't like her policies, although I am confident I will never like any Nashville mayors policies.  It will be liberal for the rest of time.  It's just a fact of being a big city which is also why I don't live there.  

Lots of glass houses around here it seems.  

[Grand Torino]

1 hour ago, Hozzie said:

There is a rumor that this may not be the only trist with a metro employee.  Curious to see if there is anything to it.  If there is, then she certainly has to go. 

For the first instance, while not what I would hope, I also have been on the other side of cheating and know full well that things in her personal life probably were already to a point that the cheating was the least of her worries.  Doesn't make it right, or moral, or anything, but I don't judge people solely by that measure.  Walk a mile on another's shoes as they say.   To even bring up her sons suicide as being related, even if it was, is pretty tacky.  You wouldn't say it to your friend, why would you say that to her or anyone for that matter?  It makes no difference other than to pile on.

The only real issue I have is using taxpayer funds to bankroll things along the way.  I don't agree with and don't like her policies, although I am confident I will never like any Nashville mayors policies.  It will be liberal for the rest of time.  It's just a fact of being a big city which is also why I don't live there.  

Lots of glass houses around here it seems.  

The taxpayer funds thing is why I posted it in the first place. I don't condone or respect here for her indiscretions but I believe if she did defraud the government she should be removed from office and made to make full restitution then spend a little time in the Metro jail.

I have absolutely no expectation anything will happen and it appears to me she has no self respect if she intends to stay in office. But it matters little what I think and as mentioned this instance doesn't fit the me to crowd either.

[gregintenn]

9 hours ago, TGO David said:

Opening this back up and hoping we can get away from the partisan jabs. Will lock it back down again if we can’t. 

 

Seriously, guys, the amount of positive comments that we received when we nuked The Swamp forum was very telling. A large but silent group of members exists on TGO that simply doesn’t want to hear about it on a gun forum.  I can’t help but think your fellow members might participate more if the mudslinging wasn’t so prevalent. 

It is your house, so your rules. I do appreciate you hosting a place where we can chat with other gun enthusiasts.

I do miss hearing everyone's opinions here on political issues, as I have a lot of respect for most everyone here.

I can't see why someone opposed to political discussion couldn't simply stay out of the subforum that contained it.

[TGO David]

29 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

It is your house, so your rules. I do appreciate you hosting a place where we can chat with other gun enthusiasts.

I do miss hearing everyone's opinions here on political issues, as I have a lot of respect for most everyone here.

I can't see why someone opposed to political discussion couldn't simply stay out of the subforum that contained it.

I have no problem with discussing the news.  This is a newsworthy item, of interest to Nashvillians.  I also have no problem with discussing politics that directly relate to the Second Amendment and Right to Keep and Bear Arms issues.

What becomes tiresome and tedious to navigate are the threads about non-specific politics where party affiliations are used as slurs.  We have a number of members who are registered Democrats and who vote more conservatively than some Republicans on certain issues, and vice-versa.  What they have told me is that they get tired of hearing it and it turns them off to TGO in general.

If the best criticism we can lob at Mayor Berry is that she's a Democrat, we might as well just criticize her for being white, a woman and middle aged.  It seems like such a base-level criticism that it doesn't add any value at all to a conversation and might as well not even be stated.  I've got a bag full of rocks labeled with other issues that Mayor Berry deserves to have thrown at her and I suspect many of you do as well.  Let's exhaust those things instead.

[Hozzie]

David,  Take it for what it's worth (not much probably ), but I think the reason so many do come here to talk politics is most regulars see the others on this forum as friends (and quite honestly more than a gun forum) and it is what friends talk about.  Granted, it is much easier in most cases to discuss a topic with those who most likely agree with you, but as we know, we have a very diverse group on here.

I don't always agree with one side or the other and in many cases have said to myself, what the hell is wrong with that person, but there are also many cases where some comment has made me rethink a position.  I believe the world has its issues today because everyone is so worried about hurt feelings.  We certainly should remain civil and not attack personally (well, unless it's really needed for extenuating circumstances ), but I personally believe it is also what brings people to this site.  I guess I was brought up to defend my opinion, hopefully with facts.  I am not above changing my opinion if someone can convince me.  But I also am perfectly ok saying we will have to agree to disagree.  More people need to learn to do that IMO.

If I am honest, most of the gun talk on here has nothing to do with anything I do with guns.  I am not into tactical mumbo jumbo, or carrying 24/7, or which plastic gun is the newest.  I suspect I am not alone.  My passion is rimfire's and there is virtually no discussion of rimfires on this forum.  Probably because there are dedicated rimfire forums, I get that.  My point is simply that sometimes we need more than just guns to bring us to a site.

You and the admin team do a great job of keeping the peace so to speak.  I definitely think some go over the line, but maybe a consideration should be more into the area of banning members who do nothing but cause trouble.  Or maybe have two custom streams available.  One with unread threads including politics and one without.  I suspect most use the unread feature to see what is going on and this is why they don't like it.  Just hide it for those that don't want it.

My two cents.  It doesn't really matter to me one way or the other, but I do find myself less involved with it gone. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by Hozzie

[n0rlf]

The problem is that like it or not the left has issues most gun people are against. Now to be fair the gun people have issues the left are also against. It is telling of today's problems in society in general that the left and the right are stereotyped badly. There are some that are different in both groups of course but they are not the norm. 

For instance I consider myself conservative. Yet I do not like some of the issues the right pushes. Abortion is one of them. That is an issue sure to raise tempers. I tend to like little government and the bedroom is off limits. None of anyone's business. 

On the other side I can't agree with most of the left's 2nd beliefs. Or the healthcare big government ideas. 

So take all that away and you have a few people from both sides here on a gun board. Why? Well because most of us are not sheep. We are alpha types. Guns is one thing we do agree on. Problem is all of the other stuff is the high temper passionate belief stuff that gets out dander up quickly. 

So all that said, she cheated and lied, that is enough for me to say goodbye. Glass house, nope, not in my case. I firmly believe my vows. It is my humble opinion that if you want to chat then end it and get the divorce. Anything else is just dishonorable. 

Now others might feel different and as I have stated in the mayor's case it is a moot point. She lied, had an affair with a subordinate, spent money not hers to spend but the taxpayers money. That is enough to me to justify her removal. 

Again party does not matter except that one of them likes to say they are against something while doing the opposite 

Can anyone guess which party that is?

 

It is all of them! D, R, I, S, A, B C... Pretty much every elected person has been corrupted. They are all do as I say not as I do because I am above you peasants types 

[Grayfox54]

An immoral politician? Who'd a thunk it?   

Frankly, I'm not one bit surprised. What does surprise is that she admitted it. But then that was just damage control cause she was already caught. Sure, I'd like to see her resign, or better yet, see her kicked out and do some jail time. But it ain't gonna happen. So I'm not going to worry about it. 

I really don't believe that there is such a thing as an honest politician no matter what letter follows their name.. What honest person would even what the job? In the rare event that an honest person should get elected to office, they won't be honest for long. The system itself has become so corrupted that even the most well intention-ed have to go along to survive. And this corruption stretches all the way from the local city council to Washington D.C. The system is broken and there lies the real problem. 

 

[n0rlf]

Just now, Grayfox54 said:

An immoral politician? Who'd a thunk it?   

Frankly, I'm not one bit surprised. What does surprise is that she admitted it. But then that was just damage control cause she was already caught. Sure, I'd like to see her resign, or better yet, see her kicked out and do some jail time. But it ain't gonna happen. So I'm not going to worry about it. 

I really don't believe that there is such a thing as an honest politician no matter what letter follows their name.. What honest person would even what the job? In the rare event that an honest person should get elected to office, they won't be honest for long. The system itself has become so corrupted that even the most well intention-ed have to go along to survive. And this corruption stretches all the way from the local city council to Washington D.C. The system is broken and there lies the real problem. 

 

Agreed, so what is the answer? Fire them all, start over, first things to do, term limits and consequences that have teeth. Just a dream I know. Again one of the reasons I am building in the sticks. I can isolate myself from the stupidity for a little while.