Council Votes to Name Nashville Overpass after Bishop Joseph Walker

By Joey Garrison
The Tennessean
April 18, 2017

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/04/18/council-votes-name-nashville-overpass-after-bishop-joseph-walker/100604588/

Nashville will name a one-block overpass bridge on Jefferson Street after Bishop Joseph Walker III, one of city's most prominent pastors, following action from the Metro Council on Tuesday.

The council voted 30-0, with an unusually high eight abstentions, to honor Walker, pastor of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, with the distinction. The overpass crosses the interstate between 11th and 12th avenues on Jefferson Street near one of Mt. Zion's three churches.

The honorary name, pushed by At-large Councilman Erica Gilmore, has caused a hubbub in the council. Some have questioned whether it's appropriate to name civic structures after people who are living. Council members Sharon Hurt and Tanaka Vercher have said other pastors besides Walker are also worthy of being honored.

Councilman Scott Davis told colleagues Tuesday that the real "elephant in the room" is previous allegations made against Walker. He was referring to 2012 lawsuits led by a woman parishioner that accused Walker of sexual abuse. A judge dismissed the complaints because of the statute of limitations.

Davis said he would let his own daughter attend programs at Mt. Zion and said the allegations against Walker aren't true.

"Please honor this great man and this great church and this great legacy," Davis said.

The 49-year-old Walker, one of Nashville’s leading black pastors, is in his 25th year at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, which has grown to have three Nashville locations, including its original church on Jefferson Street.

The bridge is to be known as the Bishop Joseph W. Walker III Overpass. Gilmore is trying to get the bill passed ahead of a 25th anniversary celebration for Walker on April 23.

Parishioners in the gallery at Tuesday's meeting cheered following the proposal's passage.

But despite the council's action, Metro is lacking a clear answer on whether the naming of the bridge will hold up and whether signage can be erected. Council attorney Mike Jameson said the Tennessee Department of Transportation contacted Metro on Tuesday to claim ownership of the bridge because Jefferson Street is a state-owned road.

He said Metro departments are seeking to determine which government entity owns which portions of the bridge, and what that could mean.

Gilmore, Councilwoman Karen Johnson and Councilman DeCosta Hastings each listed off Walker's accomplishments and good deeds at the church and in the Nashville community prior to the vote.

Council members who abstained from voting were Sharon Hurt, Kathleen Murphy, Mike Freeman, Jeremy Elrod, Mary Carolyn Roberts, Angie Henderson, Sheri Weiner and Dave Rosenberg. Councilman Ed Kindall did not vote on the bill despite being present at Tuesday's meeting.

Elrod, chairman of the council's Public Works Committee, has filed legislation that would prevent city-owned structures such as bridges from being named after people who are living. He said his measure, which won't be debated until next month, isn't directed at any one individual but said the council needs to let people finish their careers.

"We have to be careful as a Metro government on how we honor folks because that can have a long, lasting impact," Elrod said.

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarrison.