Scoop: Mayor O'Connell hires new chief of staff; Marjorie Pomeroy-Wallace moves to new role
The latest: Attorney Masami Tyson will replace Pomeroy-Wallace.
Why it matters: Pomeroy-Wallace, who previously served as O'Connell's campaign manager in 2023, is one of the most influential people in Nashville politics. Although she's well-known to politicos, she's more of a behind-the-scenes figure responsible for handling major issues on the mayor's behalf.
Between the lines: The Choose How You Move transportation plan, the East Bank development deal and the passage of two operating budgets, including the recent property tax increase, are among the administration's top accomplishments under Pomeroy-Wallace.
More recently, O'Connell's team has faced the fallout of the May 1 ICE raids in Nashville.
Zoom in: Pomeroy-Wallace will move to the new role of chief strategy officer and senior adviser to O'Connell. Pomeroy-Wallace tells Axios she began discussing the possible transition last November.
"I want to shift my energy to solving problems and thinking about what we do strategically to help make this staff better and it just requires more capacity," she says.
What she's saying: Pomeroy-Wallace called Tyson "one of the smartest people I've ever met."
"When I started to think of the best people to nurture this team, to move this team to the next level, Masami rose to the top for me."
What's next: Tyson will begin working part-time before taking the reins as chief of staff on Aug. 1.
Tyson is an attorney. She previously worked as the global director of foreign direct investment and trade at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. She earned her undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins and her law degree from Vanderbilt University.
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