Tennessean
Mayor John Cooper
For our May issue, we chatted with notable Nashvillians about life as they know it. From healthcare workers spending long hours to save lives, to parents finding the difficult balance of working and parenting (and teaching) at home, their stories were both familiar and inspiring.
We had the chance to talk to Mayor John Cooper for the magazine, and ask him about making the hard decisions for his constituents, what happens next for Nashville, and how he’s handling the anxiety of an unprecedented time.
Nashville Lifestyles: Local government is arguably more important right now than it has been in recent memory. People who didn't know what the mayor's role was before are seeing the duties of the office and looking to you for more leadership than ever. How has this changed the way you approach the job?
Mayor John Cooper: Frankly, the way I approach my job hasn’t changed since the tornado touched down in Bells Bend on March 3 or the coronavirus outbreak reached Davidson County. The job is the same, even though the times certainly have [changed]. You realize how important it is to get this right. The city has three challenges more than our usual challenges: We have the tornado, the coronavirus, and our finances in addition to schools, public safety, and infrastructure.
Contact with the public is the part of the job I’ve enjoyed the most. It’s hard to be mayor in a “social distancing” environment. But my inspiration comes from what people are doing every day to serve our community. Wow. No city could be prouder of its healthcare workers or first responders. So the job stress is greater, but the inspiration coming from our community more than makes up for that.
From our monthly “Coffee with Cooper” and “Mayor’s Night Out” events to our county-wide transportation plan listening sessions, my office has worked hard to be present in the community and let residents know exactly what we’re working to accomplish on the city’s behalf—a city that works for everyone.
Now, the days and nights are longer, and they will be until we’re all on the other side of the storm rebuilding process and the coronavirus pandemic. And we’re also working hard to fix our city’s finances and return good stewardship to Metro. But Nashvillians should never expect anything less from their elected officials, at any level of government.
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NL: There has been much debate around the closing and opening of businesses throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Federal, state, and local leaders often have very different opinions about the timing and the issues surrounding that. Has that made decision-making harder for you?
Mayor Cooper: I am responsible to keep the residents of Nashville and Davidson County safe. Some decisions haven’t been easy, because they have tough implications for our local economy—especially our small business owners and their employees. But we’re going to keep following the science, listening to our public health experts, and responding as a community to eradicate this virus. The sooner we respond effectively, the sooner we can get back to work.
In the meantime, we will remain focused on working with our community partners to provide whatever financial relief we can at the local level—to residents who are facing hardships until we get to the other side of this crisis. I want to remind your readers to visit covid19.nashville.gov to find links to the COVID-19 Response Fund, where they can find ways to obtain direct financial assistance in a variety of ways.
NL: So many Nashvillians' jobs are being impacted by this (some on top of the tornado). Do you see a time when we bounce back from this anywhere in our near future? Do you have any words of encouragement for those who are worried about their jobs?
Mayor Cooper: Models have shown that our social distancing efforts and the Safer at Home order are working to flatten the curve of the coronavirus disease in Nashville. But these best-case scenarios depend on all of us staying the course, remaining at home as much as possible, and only leaving our homes to run essential errands.
I can’t predict exactly when, but I know that Nashville’s best days lay ahead of us. As I mentioned at the State of Metro, I’m optimistic enough to see that we will get back to having traffic problems in a few months. Visitors will come back to downtown, and our growth will continue. This means jobs will return, and those who have been furloughed or laid off will be back at work. We should be encouraged that nothing is fundamentally wrong with our economy. Once we get past the virus, we should pick up where we left off.
Be sure to visit jobs4tn.gov to view current job openings or file your unemployment claim. Nashville has a diverse business landscape and has proved to be resilient in the face of past economic hardship. We will bounce back.
NL: This is a scary time for all of us. How are you personally managing your own stress and fear when there's no "turning off the news" for you?
Mayor Cooper: I depend on my wife Laura and my three sons to remind me of what’s important and why I go to work each and every day. The individuals and families throughout Davidson County make us a community. We walk our four dogs around the neighborhood whenever we have an opportunity. Last Sunday, I had the chance to make my mother’s pasta Bolognese recipe. It’s a bit time-consuming when you do it right, but it’s so worth it. It was a special joy to do that.
And I only need to look to my Metro colleagues to help ease my fears, many of whom have been working incredibly strenuous hours since the March 3rd tornado to keep our residents safe and our city running smoothly. Now, they’re working long hours and weekends to protect public health, and it’s incredibly inspiring. I know this city and its residents are in good hands.
NL: What do you believe makes Nashville such a resilient city? What message of hope can you offer us right now?
Mayor Cooper: It’s our people that make us resilient, and we’re only getting stronger. The week of the March 3rd tornado more than 26,000 individuals signed up to volunteer with Hands On Nashville. That’s 4,000 more people than volunteered in the eight months following the 2010 flood.
Nashville has proved that it knows how to respond in a crisis. And now, we’re counting on everyone to do it once again. Stay at home, maintain social distancing, and remind your family and friends to do the same.
We’re Nashvillians. Together, we’ll get through this and come out stronger than ever.