"Bitter" Brentwood Don Gets Lobbyied Up and Looks to Council for Traction

The Scene's Matt Pulle on Tony Giarantana's provocative presentation on May Town Center to the Planning Commission:

I can’t tell you how badly you came off [Thursday night]: Bitter, petulant, arrogant, and snobby. Like Donald Trump after a bad day on the golf course. Did you really imply that a neighbor’s stance matters more if they own a lot of land? Even when the Founding Fathers decried that only property owners could vote, they didn’t give the wealthiest more ballots. My God, Tony. Is that how they think out there in Brentwood?

You were so dismissive of the people of Scottsboro, who would have to live with the consequences of more than 40,000 new office workers in their pleasant rural community. You need to be assuring them -- not making them out to be whiners. And your claim that Vanderbilt is closer to May Town than some of its opponents is true — but only if you’re a crow or a triathlete. Even if you build a bridge over the Cumberland — and pay for it yourself — it would still take twice as long to drive to West End than the most remote corner of Scottsboro ....

Did you know you were yelling [Thursday] night? We all kind of felt a little uncomfortable. You sounded like Will Ferrell in that “I drive a Dodge Stratus” Saturday Night Live skit. You were furious, though I suppose if I was the lead man in a $4 billion project that was going down the tubes, I’d be a little irritated myself.But I’m an amateur, Tony. I get frustrated when my date doesn’t return a text message. You’re the pro. So at least try to be charming. Because when you shout refrains like, "The economic impact of May Town Center can not be questioned!," you make even your supporters in those corporate green t-shirts cringe.

By the way, did you see how David Briley came off [Thursday] night? The former council member spoke out against your proposal on behalf of the neighbors. Notice how friendly and approachable he seemed? Sure, he obliterated your argument within a minute of taking the podium, but he did it like a southern Gentleman. It's all in the charm and subtlety. That guy should run for mayor one day.

Tony, didn’t you hire lobbyists to help you make your case?

As if on cue, the City Paper, which has already sucked up pretty hard to Tony G., is saying that he is bulking up on lobbyists for a Council fight. He also plans to saturate the airwaves with his sales pitch (which won't sell in Bells Bend) to the rest of Nashville.

Contact your Council Member now before the lobbyists get too burrowed too far in the Metro Council and Bells Bend is lost to a satellite city, a developer's wet dream.