Education, quality of life keys to Nashville success, says Mayor at business breakfast
Janel Shoun |
Speaking in one of his last public addresses before the mayoral election Aug. 2 that will determine his successor, Purcell said that if the new mayor wants Nashville to remain as one of the most attractive cities in the nation, he should focus on three areas that have been hallmarks of Purcell’s administration: education, public safety and quality of life.
“It’s impossible to be successful if you turn loose of those things that you know you must do,” said Purcell, comparing his three core value to doing laundry or cutting the grass around the house.
“We came together at a critical moment and all decided where we wanted to go, and we got there,” he noted.
During the eight years of Purcell’s administration, Nashville has been ranked twice as the top city for corporate relocation and expansion by Expansion Management magazine and as the nation's smartest place to live by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
Colin Reed, chairman, president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment, said that Purcell’s devotion to quality of life was the right direction for Nashville’s growth. “It’s the quality of life that encourages companies to continue investment,” said Reed, who has proposed a $400 million project to expand the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center.
Last year the convention center had to turn down 2 million room nights due to lack of space, and that was in a year when the one access to the hotel underwent major construction, he said.
T.B. Boyd, III, president and CEO of R.H. Boyd Publishing Company, praised Mayor Purcell for his financial support to establish a museum of African American music, art and culture for Middle Tennessee. The mayor’s support will help make the museum a world-class facility that will become a national tourist destination.
Former Governor Ned Ray McWherter lauded Purcell for the work he did to improve education when he was still serving in the Tennessee Legislature. “The children of this state all over owe a lot to Bill Purcell,” McWherter said. “The way you create better citizens, who are more productive and have better opportunities, is through education.”
Purcell continued to stress that education should be the number one priority for the next mayoral administration. He praised Lipscomb for its new commitment to engage the local community, noting that many university officials know more about what is going on around the world than they know about their own neighborhood.