What Makes Brentwood “Brentwood”? Election Day Thoughts

Tomorrow (May 2nd) is election day for Brentwood’s City Commission, and as I ask to serve another term, it is also an opportunity to reflect on what makes Brentwood “Brentwood.”

Growing up here, it seemed obvious.  Brentwood is that area between Franklin and Nashville that seemed to have the “best of both worlds”.  Even in the early 1980’s when Brentwood was a teenager, people knew about “The Brentwood Bubble”.  While my parents and their friends were trying to do things like get the BHS library accredited, establish a tax base and figure out what the city wanted to be when it grew up, there was already something special about Brentwood.

During my first term on Brentwood City Commission, I’ve been thinking about this in more specific terms. I live here, work here, and three generations of my family as well as a good number of my friends live in 37027.  While I truly enjoy my work on Brentwood City Commission, I also feel the weight of the responsibility to keep the “Brentwood Magic” alive.  While some seem to think that it happens automatically and that we just have to prevent any changes, my experience is that it is more a case of focusing on what matters and committing to those things in an evolving world.  We have to keep our eyes on the outcomes more than preserving specific tactics.

I think there are really 5 core pillars supporting Brentwood’s Success as a community:

• Brentwood is Safe : Public safety is Job 1.  Without effective Police , Fire & Rescue , safe streets , clean water , and other related services , nothing else really matters.

• Brentwood is Beautiful : The combination of low density residential (an average of at least 1-acre or more per household for developments), high requirements for green space in commercial and residential areas, strict sign laws, and a commitment to parks and trees has given us a spectacular environment for people and wildlife.

• Brentwood is Financially Stable : while this has only been the case since the early 1990’s, over the past 30 years Brentwood has followed a disciplined, deliberate approach to taxes and expenditures evident through our stable balance sheet, high credit-rating , and ability to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.  We have gone more than 30 years without a property tax rate increase because of prudent spending and two healthy business districts in the northern and southern part of our city.  We have also sought partners like Brentwood Rotary , Brentwood Ball Club , Bike Walk Brentwood , Williamson County , Citizens for Brentwood Green Space and others to help pay for upgrades to our city amenities.

• Brentwood is Collaborative : our tightly-knit community works together to efficiently solve problems.  Whenever possible, we partner with organizations outside City Government such as businesses, non-profits, and Williamson County to supplement our resources.  This allows us to deliver programs and amenities such as Eddy Arnold Amphitheater , Smith Park , youth sports, and a fantastic summer concert series while keeping taxes low.

• Brentwood Life is Centered around Community Activities : Whether it is our churches, schools, youth sports, our outstanding library, parks, or programs, our community is largely organized around multi-generational community activities that families and friends participate in together.  While the City of Brentwood does not run all these programs, our city does commit resources and support that allows activities to thrive inside our community.

As we continue to look forward to Brentwood’s future, I believe it is important to keep these five pillars in mind as we weigh decisions.  I think these values speak to the challenges we take on, the options we choose to pursue and also the ideas we consider but decline.

I appreciate input and feedback from our community, as always.  Please take a minute to share your thoughts with me and let me know if this is consistent with your Brentwood experience.  I can be reached by email at Nelson.Andrews@BrentwoodTN.gov or by voice or text at 615-917-1384.

Please make the time to vote tomorrow, and I am asking for your support and your vote.

Nelson Andrews
Vice Mayor
City of Brentwood TN
Nelson.Andrews@BrentwoodTN.gov
615-917-1384 (call or text)