NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A commission appointed by Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell met for the first time Monday to examine how Nashville Electric Service and other city services handled the aftermath of a winter ice storm that left thousands of residents without power for days.
Former Tennessee Governor and former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, is serving as chair of the nine-member commission.
"What I'm hoping to come out of this is something that's very constructive, as opposed to trying to point fingers or place blame and so on," Bredesen said.
Mayor O'Connell addressed the commission via Zoom. "A historic storm demands a historic response, that includes a clear-eyed look at where we can be better," O'Connell said.
NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin opened her remarks with an apology. "I'd like to dive in briefly to acknowledge that we did not meet the expectations of our customers through this storm," Broyles-Aplin said.
"We did not provide the level of service and communications that our customers have come to expect from NES. We've historically had really good reliability, we've improved communication over the years. We were unable to deliver that through this storm," Broyles-Aplin said.
She also outlined ways to improve, including better communication and more robust vegetation management.
"There's really only one path forward -- learn quickly, improve sincerely and ensure we're ready for whatever comes," Broyles-Aplin said.
Bredesen acknowledged the CEO's candor. "I thought it was good of her to acknowledge that. It's very easy in that circumstance to be defensive and just get up there and say we did the best we could," Bredesen said.
Some have questioned whether the commission is more political theater than substantive oversight. Bredesen pushed back on that skepticism. "If I thought it was political gamemanship, I wouldn't be on it. I would politely tell the Mayor I'm not going to be on it," Bredesen said.
The commission faces a potential timeline conflict. State legislative leaders have signaled they want action before the legislature adjourns in late April, but the commission is not required to deliver its initial report until late August. "If the legislature will give us the opportunity to do that, they'll be in session next year if something needs to change," Bredesen said.
To help bridge that gap, Bredesen said he plans to send updates to state Republican leaders after each commission meeting.
Former Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell, a Nashville Republican, is also among the commission's nine members — an appointment that may be intended to ease tensions with the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
"I do think the state has been impacted, overall, and so the state legislature is naturally interested in this. But I do believe in local government and I believe this should stay at the local level. And hopefully this task force will issue some statements that will make them feel more at ease," Harwell said.
Harwell said she has significant questions for NES, particularly around its budget decisions
"Many of my questions revolve around the budget, where they've been spending their money. I'm very concerned they haven't been trimming the trees the way they should have. They cut that amount out of the budget. I think that's a concern," Harwell told us.
Harwell also brought up concerns about NES spending so much on lobbying groups and DEI training. "Do we have too many DEI programs and not enough lineman out there getting enough training?" asked Harwell in an interview with NewsChannel 5.
Bredesen said the commission's goal is straightforward
"Take a kind of careful, objective look at exactly what happened. What worked, what didn't work during this event?" Bredesen said.
The commission voted to allow public comment in person at its meetings, as well as written submissions from residents impacted by the storm. Metro staffers are working to get that system online.
The full commission membership is as follows:
Phil Bredesen, chair — former Nashville mayor and former Tennessee governor
Angie Henderson — vice mayor
Delishia Porterfield — Metro Council president pro tem
Johnny Vanderpool — Vanderbilt University director of emergency management
Timothy Hughes — local NAACP president
Ethan Link — business manager for LiUNA Local 386
Cassandra Easley — owner of Easley Communications
Darrell Gillespie — 41-year veteran of utility operations and current general manager of Dickson Electric
Beth Harwell — former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives and former Tennessee Valley Authority board member
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
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