'Let's Go:' Mayor Freddie O'Connell Hits Go on First Steps for Implementation of Choose How You Move

Mayor Freddie O'Connell is wasting no time in launching the Choose How You Move program, and today, he announced the first three administrative steps for implementation of the transportation improvement program. Sixty-five percent of Nashville voters approved the Choose How You Move referendum on Tuesday, November 5.

"With passage of Choose How You Move we are moving from talking and planning to doing," Mayor O'Connell said. "We built the program from ideas and plans generated by our community, for the benefit of the community, and implementation will include continued partnerships with our residents and elected officials. We're ready to get to work. Let's go."

The O'Connell Administration is today launching three foundational actions to continue community, Metro Council, and industry engagement in implementation of Choose How You Move. Choose How You Move was built from more than 66,000 points of input from Nashville residents and implementation will keep community at the heart of the program.

A newly created Chief Program Officer for Choose How You Move will lead implementation of the $3.1 billion program and will report directly to the mayor. That person is charged with oversight of implementation of the program and coordination with departments and private partners. This is now the largest collection of capital projects in Metro's history, and great leadership from the Chief Program Officer will help ensure successful and timely implementation. The job posting for the new position is on the Metro Human Resources website today.

Nashvillians will continue to be engaged in the program implementation through the creation of an advisory committee, and the Mayor's Office will work in collaboration with Metro Council Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sean Parker and Budget and Finance Chair Delishia Porterfield to draft legislation outlining continued engagement with the Metro Council around program implementation and financial reporting. The commitment to transparency in this process will include at least quarterly updates to the Transportation and Infrastructure, Budget and Finance, and Planning Committees of Metro Council. The advisory committee will include both new faces and a blend of the Technical and Citizens Advisory Committee members who met throughout the pre-election process and helped shape the Choose How You Move program.

Lastly, Metro is preparing for info sessions with our procurement team from the Department of Finance for vendors that are interested in helping implement this program. These sessions will share information about doing business with Metro and the best ways to get involved. Recognizing that the city will have to partner with local talent and expertise to complete this work, Metro will be issuing procurements in the future that will leverage partnerships to execute $3.1 billion dollars of capital improvements.

"A little over a year ago, we launched a campaign around a simple idea - a better Nashville for Nashvillians," Mayor O'Connell said. "And now we're doing something about it. We're moving from talking and planning to doing."