Nashville Current Podcast: Ed Clay with Barrett Hobbs (Full Episode)

Barrett Hobbs sits down with Ed Clay for a podcast that every person in Nashville needs to hear.

Barrett is a Nashville native and owner of Cumberland Hospitality group. He is a leader in the hospitality community and sits on multiple boards including being appointed by Mayor Cooper to the board of the Music City Center. Barrett holds nothing back in this interview detailing his experience with Mayor John Cooper and the Metro Health Department to Covid-19.

Economic solutions are given for the city and compromise is a theme to Barrett’s message. True Covid-19 data is talked about and the stunning lack of a plan by the Mayor and health department is clearly laid out when he discusses the last minute cancellation by the city for the 4th of July fireworks. Hearing the different facts given you can’t help but wonder what data city officials are really going with considering our hospitals still have plenty of room, there’s a back up plan if they ever did get full and the mortality rate nationwide is at a 10 week low. (Even with cases rising the last 3 weeks)

Later in the interview he discusses how a previous administration made horrible deals with developers and how the city basically gave away 5th and Broadway in a deal that cost Nashville 40+ million dollars while allowing outside developers to pay no property tax on 4 city blocks in the heart of downtown.

If you’ve ever wanted to know why Nashville, even in their booming economy, couldn’t give the teachers and government employees their promised pay raise, this podcast explains how bad deals made it happen. Now with Covid-19 and the seemingly draconian response to it by Mayor Cooper and the Metro Health Department, Barrett predicts if something isn’t done soon Nashville will feel a decades worth of financial pain.

Still, Barrett is an optimist and has common sense solutions for the bureaucrats ruining the lives, jobs and business of thousands of people in the city.