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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2002-01-01 |
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| Name | Bill Purcell |
| Address | Lockeland Springs
Nashville, Tennessee , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
October 25, 1953
(70 years)
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| Contributor | Servo |
| Last Modifed | Mr. Matt
Apr 13, 2024 10:10am |
| Tags |
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| Info | William Paxson Purcell III
Bill Purcell is the fifth mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, elected first in 1999 and reelected to a second term in 2003 with a record setting 84.8 percent of the vote. As mayor his priorities are good schools in every neighborhood, safe neighborhoods in every part of the city and a quality of life shared by all Nashvillians.
During Purcell's tenure, Nashville has also seen unprecedented economic expansion, earning back-to-back designations as the hottest city in America for corporate relocation or expansion by Expansion Management magazine in the past two years. Purcell welcomed Caremark, Louisiana-Pacific, Asurion, Quanta and Nissan executives to their new corporate homes in Music City.
His efforts on behalf of schools have drawn national attention as a model for mayors across the country. The Mayor’s First Day Festival kicks off the opening of each school year and brings the attention of the whole city and region to the importance of education. Under his administration school funding rose from $397 million to $563 million—a 42% increase over seven years.
He also provided increased funding for public safety and pursued an aggressive strategy to put more officers on the streets with 14 police classes recruited since January 2000. Purcell opened a new police precinct in Hermitage, built a new precinct in North Nashville and moved the Central Precinct to the heart of downtown on Broadway adjacent to the arena and convention center.
Purcell’s attention to Nashville’s quality of life ranges from the arts to the parks and from the Symphony to the Opry. He received the Public Leadership in the Arts Award from Americans for the Arts in 2005 for his work as the 'keeper' of one of America's greatest and most prominent art forms, music," and as "the visionary that has enabled the creation of the Music City brand, which is now being embraced in Nashville and beyond."
Through his efforts, the city provided land for the Schermerhorn Symphony Center near the Country Music Hall of Fame and the city’s arena. Purcell urged the Parks Board to pursue a master plan of the park’s system that is resulting in an unprecedented expansion of parks and greenways across the city including a new park at the Public Square beside the historic Courthouse.
Under his leadership, downtown Nashville is enjoying a residential renaissance that will increase the number of housing units in the center of the city from 900 to 4500 by 2010. Purcell is continuing development efforts to bring more people and businesses to Nashville’s downtown and to the nearby Gulch and Rolling Mill Hill areas, through infrastructure improvements.
As mayor, Purcell has also been focused on improving the city’s infrastructure and amenities. The Shelby Street Bridge, a newly renovated walking bridge linking the downtown and East Nashville, has become an icon for the city with its brightly lit girders shining against the evening sky.
Purcell’s first act as mayor was the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhoods. Throughout his administration he has worked tirelessly to help neighborhoods work with the government to improve services. His monthly Mayor’s Nights Out bring the city government including police and fire chiefs and department directors into the neighborhoods to respond to concerns.
Purcell also created an Office of Affordable Housing to spur the development of more than 19,000 affordable housing units. He is focused on increasing the availability of downtown residential units and preserving housing stock in the city’s historic neighborhoods.
Prior to being elected mayor, Purcell served as director of the Child and Family Policy Center at the Vanderbilt Institute of Public Policy Studies, a nationally recognized center building a bridge between academic research, politics and best practices to benefit children and their families.
Purcell served five terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives beginning in 1986. A former House Majority Leader and Chair of the Select Committee on Children and Youth, Purcell's work in the legislature positioned him in the forefront of education, health care, workers compensation and criminal sentencing reforms.
Purcell, his wife Debbie Miller live in the historic Lockeland Springs neighborhood of East Nashville. They have a daughter Jesse who is attending college. An attorney by profession, Purcell received his law degree from Vanderbilt University and is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Vanderbilt Law School.
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