Nice catch, local media

The symbolism of launching an effort to involve the public more in a construction project that will hit them the hardest in front of the main library, which was closed to the public due to mayoral budget cuts, was not lost on at least two reporters yesterday.

Brandon Gee at the Nashville Business Journal framed the story thusly at the start:

On the steps of the downtown Nashville Public Library — closed on Mondays due to Metro budget cuts — Nashville’s Priorities President Kevin Sharp announced today that the organization has launched a petition drive.

Nashville’s Priorities is a group that opposes Mayor Karl Dean’s plans for a new $585 million downtown convention center. By including the bond issuance costs and assuming the project will ultimately be accompanied by a $300 million, publicly financed hotel, Sharp called the project a $1 billion mistake.

Meanwhile, Michael Cass alluded to the irony of launching a huge capital initiative when we can't even keep our libraries open further down in his story:

"I think the council really cares about what the people think," Sharp told reporters at a news conference in front of the downtown Nashville Public Library, making the point that the facility is closed on Mondays due to Metro budget cuts.

"They want to do the right thing, and there has to be a mechanism for letting them know what that is."