September 25 marked one year since Mayor Megan Barry took the oath of office to become Nashville’s first female mayor, and in her first year, she’s worked to foster an idea that all people in Nashville are important.
“Everybody in this community wants everyday else to be successful, and I think that’s what makes us different,” Barry said.
Barry said she’s proud of numerous accomplishments in her first year, working to be a champion for affordable housing for Nashville residents and working to bring economic growth not just to people investing in the city, but the people who live in Nashville.
Barry said while the first year has been successful, her work is far from over.
“For the first hundred days on my phone, I had a counter that counted up because everyday wants to know what’d you do in your first hundred days,” Barry explained. “Now my counter counts back, so every morning I look at that number and go, ‘this is how many days I have before August 2019 to make a difference.’”
Some of Barry’s most talked about moves include her involvement in hiring the new Metro Nashville Public Schools director, Dr. Shawn Joseph, as well as the planning and adopting of a new 25-year regional transit plan called nMotion, but she said all of those accomplishments are nothing if the city doesn’t continue to combat crime.
“We have seen a reduction of overall crime in the downtown area the last several months, but clearly, one incident and one shooting and one death is too many,” Barry explained.
Moving forward into her second year, Barry plans to continue her focus on development of the Nashville area, all while working to improve the area’s quality of life.
“What we want to do is continue to be a warm and welcoming place that attracts new residents, new businesses, but also makes sure that the folks who live here now are also enjoying a piece of that economic prosperity,” Barry said.
While Barry has multiple focuses heading into her second year, two of her main challenges will be keeping housing affordable for people in Nashville, as well as coming up with the funds to pay for the $6 billion transit plan.
