“Just call me Freddie.”
Due to so much distrust in government, it comes down to local leaders to earn the country’s affection. Fortunately, Nashville has a true embodiment of a “Mayor of the People”: Freddie O’Connell, also a native Nashvillian, who is truly an everyday yet extraordinary hero. Mr. O’Connell understands what makes a city like Nashville special which is maintaining the integrity of its creative community.
Beyond the fact that he laughed at my jokes and didn’t bat an eyelash when we were a few minutes delayed, I liked Mayor Freddie (as he prefers to be called) immediately because he was real. From the warm way he looks you in the eye to his appreciation for genuine dialogues (“This is a wise use of my time as you of all people know how important conversations are” he assured me when I apologized for running over on time) it is clear why the public voted Mayor Freddie in: he is a fairly normal, albeit brilliant human being, who just so happened to land in the highest office after years of serving on the ground floor.
Yet, as every leader should, he is using his platform for good, from increasing access to public transit (he gets it, having spent over ten years here – shocker, I know – without access to a vehicle and making friends with the bus drivers) to reestablishing the Office for Financial Empowerment, which offers free financial counseling to residents to decrease their personal debt. Coming from a middle-class family himself with two working artist parents (more on his songwriter father later who realized a dream scenario with Johnny Cash) Freddie gets that life has gotten too expensive for humankind. He is doing his darndest to make sure everyone can afford to live comfortably, get around the city easily, and create projects that will maintain Nashville’s dynamic, boundary pushing energy.
“It is so important to be mindful of what make a city successful which is a place where people can work on all forms of art.”
My conversation about interviewing the mayor started when I reached out to his office about my series which is filmed at The Ryman Artist Lofts. I had closely followed his campaign and was thrilled when he made affordable housing a huge part of his initiative, as everyone knows we need it. As I told his team, I wanted Mayor Freddie to visit the Lofts, a residency that makes living viable long-term for artists. It was important that my neighbors know he walked in the front door, and sat down on my couch to discuss critical issues facing our community. “This should be a blueprint for residencies everywhere,” I told him, “As rents continue to skyrocket.”
Even better than simply promoting my project, Mayor Freddie offered himself up for an interview. I was anxious about it as I had only interviewed one mayor in the past. However, I wanted to challenge myself and also showcase all of the good deeds the mayor is doing. From ensuring that arts grants are distributed in a timely fashion to popping up at events around town as an advocate, it is clear that Freddie is both a fan and a friend of the arts. Particularly during a time when federal funding has been slashed, causing disaray for public broadcasting and beloved organizations like the Southern Festival of Books, it was crucial to get him into the city’s artist lofts. I hoped it would be a reminder to continue to take care of the people who serve Nashville’s cultural landscape.
While I could say a lot about our conversation, I won’t because I want you to listen to our interview, an example of an enlightened leader. I feel lucky to live in a city where the mayor is friends with music venue owners where he has even broken out his own DJ skills. It is clear that his affection for the arts community goes beyond his own inclinations, having studied music himself at Brown University. Instead, it is rooted in the desire to keep Nashville unique and a place where artists can do what we do best.
While we have no control over federal funding, inflation, or whether or not AI will take our jobs, at least artists can know that our leader is looking out for us. Stay tuned to learn how his team is supporting us when those at the top have let us down.
