Nashville mayor's transportation campaign revs up

Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell celebrated Metro Council's approval of his $3.1 billion transportation plan in an event Monday at First Horizon Park.

Why it matters: The gathering serves as the unofficial starting point for the campaign to win voter approval for a November ballot measure.

The intrigue: O'Connell enters the campaign with high approval ratings and a vast political network that includes elected officials, business leaders and grassroots organizers.

• The pro-transportation political group is led by two former O'Connell campaign aides . The group says it wants to raise around $5 million to support the campaign.
• Stakes are high for mass transit activists, whose 2018 effort for dedicated transit funding failed by a wide margin.

What he's saying: In a speech at the ballpark located in the heart of his former council district, O'Connell implored supporters to spread the word, underscoring the campaign's grassroots strategy.

• O'Connell also reiterated the opportunity to tap into "billions of dollars" in federal funding.
• "If we fail to join the ranks of America's other top cities, we will literally be sending our own money to Washington, D.C., to head to some other city that has chosen to invest in itself the way we have failed to over the past several decades," he said.

What we're watching: The event was dubbed "A Greenlight for Green Lights Celebration," which is a tip of the hat to a key aspect of O'Connell's plan.

• In addition to expanding bus service, O'Connell proposes modernizing and synchronizing traffic signals to address congestion.

State of play: Metro Council unanimously signed off on the plan , which will go before the Davidson County Election Commission for consideration.

• O'Connell proposes a half-cent sales tax increase to pay for wider bus service, transit hubs, new sidewalks and synced traffic signals.