Music City Center

Dear Constituents: Please see below document outlining my decision regarding the proposed Music City Center scheduled for vote on Tuesday, January 19, 2010. Please contact me if you have difficulty viewing the attached document. Please feel free to share this information with other District 29 residents. It is a pleasure to serve as your District 29 representative. Gratefully, Vivian Wilhoite Metro Council Member, District 29 589-2003 January 17, 2010 Dear Constituents, After much deliberation I have come to the decision that I will support the Music City Center, the proposed new convention center, in Tuesday’s Council vote. Throughout the entire process I have kept an open mind and listened to all sides of the issue. I have carefully considered the arguments of opponents and proponents of the new convention center. As you know, I am a neighborhood representative and as such, I believe that our neighborhood will, in the long-term, benefit from the expanded tax base that this project will provide. In addition, I have attended many neighborhood meetings that included resident and business representatives. I have talked directly to many of you who live in the neighborhood I represent. Based on our conversations and my observations from the meetings, I have found that District 29 is evenly split in its opinion on whether Nashville needs a new convention center. That left me to base much of my decision on the careful study of the cost projections of the new convention center and evaluate the risks involved and compare them with the potential benefits for our neighborhood and our District. Estimates always provide a risk. But the benefits in local work development, continued neighbor services and a significant increase in the tax base, in my mind, outweigh the current risk we’re taking by building the Music City Center. We are at a critical time where Nashville needs to create new jobs as well as maintain the ones that currently exist. I have worked directly with the Mayor’s Office to ensure that everything will be done to hire local workers to build the convention center. But most importantly, I will continue to work directly with the Mayor's Office to ensure that the neighborhood services earmarked for our area do occur, such as a community center for the youth and seniors, a new fire hall for the men and women that risk their lives to protect our lives and our homes, much needed traffic signals, increased police patrolling, and paving of streets just to name a few. A city’s health is determined on its economic strength. Neighborhoods need city services, which can only be provided with a strong and diverse tax base. The potential for economic growth that the Music City Center provides will help us secure an economically stable Nashville for years to come. This decision was not made in haste. My final decision was made after carefully considering what my constituents want and the direct benefits I believe this project will have on our District 29. Please feel free to contact me regarding this or future concerns. It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your council representative. Sincerely, Vivian Wilhoite Councilmember, District 29 www.vivian-29.blogspot.com