Republican state Sen. Watson seeks to reduce Nashville Metro Government’s 40-member council
State Sen. Bo Watson, R-Hixson, is helping lead a legislative effort to reduce the size of the Metro Nashville Council by half, taking the council from 40 members to 20.
"Local government bodies need to be a size that allows them to function efficiently and effectively without compromising their duty to represent the people," Watson said.
Critics in Music City say the effort to shrink the council is thinly veiled retaliation against the council, which earlier this year torpedoed Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee's effort, along with the state GOP, to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to the state's capital and its bustling downtown -- which is crammed with hotels, high-end restaurants and bars, music venues, honky-tonks and pedal taverns.