In a nearly unprecedented move on Tuesday night, Metro City Council members voted to appoint a special committee which will investigate whether public funds were improperly used during Mayor Megan Barry's nearly two year long affair with her bodyguard, Rob Forrest.
This is the first time since the 1970's that the Metro Council has invoked such a power.
The committee of seven council members will be appointed by Vice Mayor David Briley.
Briley said on Wednesday that he wants the committee to be compromised of members from different districts who represent all of Nashville.
The moved needed 30 votes to pass, nine Metro Council members voted against it including councilman Anthony Davis who calls himself a long-time friend of the Mayor but says that did not play into his decision.
"I was a 'no' vote because I thought it was premature, I thought we should let the TBI and the Metro audit committee do their jobs first. Certainly a month or two months from now, I could be a 'yes' vote if we need to form the committee," Davis said, referencing a criminal investigation currently being conducted by the TBI.
But Davis was in the minority.
Most of his colleagues believed a separate council committee with subpoena power, would insure the public gets answers as to whether taxpayer dollars were misused during the affair.
"The TBI doesn’t have to release information to us, they don’t have to report it to us. They look into if it’s illegal and we’re looking into policies to see what’s been violated," said councilwoman Erica Gilmore.
Special Section:
City Hall Scandal
