Election commissioner sues Nashville, Baker Donelson over tax referendum
[ad_1]
- Election Commission Chairman Jim DeLanis sued his former regulation agency and Metro Councilmember Bob Mendes
- The federal match alleges poor coercion above the commission’s strategy to an anti-tax referendum
- Metro is embroiled in ongoing — and costly — litigation with the Davidson County Election Fee.
The hottest salvo in yrs of head-butting between Metro Nashville and its very own election commission has moved to the federal amount after Davidson County Election Fee Chairman Jim DeLanis filed a lawsuit about a tangle of warring conflicts of desire.
He is asking for $1 million because he suggests he was pressured by customers of his former law agency to back again down on a controversial anti-tax hike referendum force that pitted the commission in opposition to the city in ongoing, pricey litigation — and statements he was fired for the reason that he would not do so.
Anti-tax referendum, high-priced litigation
The flurry of again and forth lawsuits stems from a grassroots 2021 force to suppress Metro’sability to elevate taxes, an integral part of its current functionality. Metro opposes the referendum.

In May, Metro Council unanimously authorized a “complete rewrite” of Report 19 of the Metro Charter — which details the method of altering the constitution through a referendum election by petition — as component of a established of four proposed revisions that will be on the ballot as early as Aug. 4 for general public vote.
The article’s former language is at the coronary heart of the battle. The revision was championed by at-significant Council member Bob Mendes, who that month explained, “Litigation fees and uncertainty connected to referendums in Nashville have gotten out of regulate.”
As a result of the approach, the Davidson County Election Fee has discovered itself at odds with Metro Nashville’s stance.
DeLanis on Wednesday submitted accommodate in opposition to Metro Nashville as nicely as Mendes individually and in his specialist capacity as a councilmember, and DeLanis’ have previous employer, legislation organization Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz.
The accommodate was filed Wednesday in the the Center District of Tennessee and has been assigned to U.S. District Decide Eli J. Richardson and Magistrate Choose Barbara D. Holmes.
Baker Donelson “categorically denies that it entered into any conspiracy connected to Mr. DeLanis,” a statement from the organization sent by e mail Thursday, claimed. The firm also denies DeLanis’ promises he was fired.
“We will not engage in general public debate relating to his departure. Baker Donelson will protect alone, and we are confident that defense will be prosperous,” the statement reported.
Metro legal associate director of regulation Allison Bussell reported the section was mindful of the accommodate Thursday but declined to remark on the pending litigation.
When reached by text, Mendes claimed Thursday he had not nonetheless had a likelihood to read the lawsuit carefully and did not comment on its contents.
“I rely on the court docket procedure to deal with this lawsuit,” he said.
Allegations of unlawful coercion try
Baker Donelson, a Memphis-centered agency that has robust Nashville ties and a regional business office, normally represents the town when outdoors counsel is wanted, court files display.
DeLanis reported the business routinely conducts conflict of interest surveys and was nicely aware of his appointment to the commission and the probable conflicts of his placement.
He was employed by the company in 1981 and appointed to the commission in 2012, court docket paperwork present. At no time was DeLanis designed knowledgeable there were challenges with his place on the commission, he claimed in the filing.
Now, DeLanis claims Mendes and Metro achieved out to Baker Donelson final year in an endeavor to affect the commission.

DeLanis filed as evidence an email from Baker Donelson’s inner counsel John Hicks from May 25, 2021, that read: “we need to have a conversation about the latest election commission challenges and their influence on the firm’s representation of Metro.”
DeLanis claims that at a meeting the subsequent day, Hicks “berated” him and said he, Hicks, had to thoroughly clean up a “mess” around the conflict amongst the fee and the city.
Hicks, DeLanis statements, explained two significant clients — Metro and the Metro School Board — ended up threatening to pull their business around the conflict. DeLanis promises he informed Hicks at that assembly that “tries to affect the conclusions of the commission could be prison or illegal acts beneath Tennessee legislation.”
The back and forth is documented in email messages above the subsequent thirty day period, main to DeLanis’ greatest termination from the company in late June 2021. He mentioned he was fired after declining to agree not to charm a court ruling in Metro’s favor. The company explained DeLanis retired.
Mendes despatched a letter urging the fee not to appeal the ruling that June. DeLanis argues he believes Mendes also utilised powering-the-scenes strain to influence DeLanis’ bosses.

Past financial damages, DeLanis also questioned the court docket to block Metro and Baker Donelson from seeking to coerce or intimidate him all around his selections on the election fee.
Reporter Cassandra Stephenson contributed. Access reporter Mariah Timms at [email protected] or 615-259-8344 and on Twitter @MariahTimms.
[ad_2]
Resource by [author_name]