NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Nashville Electric Service (NES) claims its response to the January ice storm was "stronger" than it initially reported.
New workforce numbers obtained by NewsChannel 5 Investigates revise the number of line workers available for the first three days of the storm.
It comes as top leadership at NES fight to keep their jobs after it took nearly two weeks to fully restore power after the storm.
On day 1, January 25, when ice first covered the area, NES initially reported having 160 line workers ready to work.
However, the new workforce numbers revise that figure to 405.
On day 2, January 26, NES initially reported 300 workers available. The revised number was raised to 430.
And on day 3, January 27, NES initially reported 600 workers available. The revised number was increased to 740.
NES wrote in a statement, the "trued up number reflects how many line workers were onboarded/deployable, or actively working on the system. The first three days needed adjustment because initial reporting captured only a moment in time, not the full daily total."
NES did not respond when asked to define what onboarded/deployable means.
Council member Courtney Johnston was surprised by the new numbers and pushed back against the utility's conclusion in the workforce document that "the early response was stronger than first recorded."
"No, you've just had time to skew your numbers. That's what that tells me because the original number is true," Johnston said. "Let's not round our numbers up to make our performance look better than it actually was, because nobody believes that."
Council member Joy Styles, who is running for mayor, was also surprised by the revised numbers.
"Let's be clear, there were 160 people that were good to go that day. I see we are playing with numbers now," Styles said.
Styles has called for accountability at NES after its response to the storm, but noted that NES employees support CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin, which she respects.
Styles is calling for NES Vice President Brent Baker to be fired or disciplined because he oversaw the emergency response.
"Accountability to me as a leader says whoever made the mistake, who was responsible to make the call, Brent Baker, should be let go, suspended, demoted," Styles said.
The updated NES document claims in bold, "Mobilization was faster than originally documented."
However, internal emails sent during the storm tell a different story.
On Jan. 27, Broyles-Aplin responded to a board member's question about how many crews had been added.
"It has not met my expectations overall," Broyles-Aplin wrote.
Another email two days later from a potential vendor of NES stated, "NES shared they are at the point where they are unable to bring in more crews due to inability to manage more resources."
Even before electricity was fully restored, NES hired lobbying and public relations firms to help manage criticism.
"They are called spin doctors for a reason. So, they're spinning the truth. Maybe [NES] did have access to 405 line workers, but who was in the field was 160," Johnston said.
"I think trust is what is needed right now. And you cannot build trust by trying to change definitions to fit a preferred narrative," Styles said.
The new numbers will likely be presented to a commission reviewing the storm response, which was set up by Mayor O'Connell. NES also faces concerns from state lawmakers.
"The legislature would like to see changes made before we adjourn," Lt. Governor Randy McNally said on Inside Politics earlier this month.
The legislature hopes to adjourn by mid-April.
Here is the full email response from NES when we asked about the revised numbers:
"Here is context for understanding the staffing reconciliation:
- Crews worked 24 hours a day during Fern in 14-16 hour shifts
- A trued up number reflects how many lineworkers were onboarded/deployable, or actively working on the system
- The first three days needed adjustment because initial reporting captured only a moment in time, not the full daily total. "
NES did not respond when asked about the council members comments.
