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  EDUCATION

  "Education is the most important thing that Nashville does. It always was, it is today, and it always will be."
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  QUALITY OF LIFE

  "A great city gives people places to walk, to play, to bike, to come together or to seek solitude."
• 

  PUBLIC SAFETY

  "Everyone in Nashville in every part of the city deserves to be safe."
• 

  ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

  "Once businesses and corporations come to Nashville and see the city we've created, they want to stay and be a part of it."

EDUCATION

"Education is the most important thing that Nashville does. It always was, it is today, and it always will be."

• During Mayor Purcell's tenure, the operating budget for Metro Nashville Public Schools increased from $397 million to more than $597 million. The total capital budget expenditure for schools during his eight years in office was almost $447 million, providing everything from new schools to enhancements such as air conditioning and new roofs.
• Metro government has built 23 new schools since 1999.
• In his first year in office, Mayor Purcell created the First Day Festival, a citywide event to celebrate the beginning of a new school year. This year about 20,000 children and parents attended the festival, which is funded entirely through donations.
• Mayor Purcell created the Mayor's Office of Children and Youth, which works with public agencies and private businesses and groups to assure that all children are safe, healthy and well educated. It also coordinates the Mayor's Youth Council.
• In his two terms, Mayor Purcell made 550 school visits.
• His administration oversaw the building of the first new Head Start facility, renovated existing facilities and added local funding.
• Established the annual Mayor's Youth Summit, which convened for the fifth year in 2007.
• Initiated the Healthy Kids 2025 program, a joint effort with Vanderbilt University and the state of Tennessee to draw attention to the issue of children's health.
• More than 200 local business and organizations have joined the Mayor's Honor Roll. The designation goes to businesses that allow employees to have time off to go with their children to the first day of school.

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PUBLIC SAFETY

"Everyone in Nashville in every part of the city deserves to be safe."

• Neighborhood watch groups have increased from 250 in 2004 to the current level of 353.
• Crime rates continue to drop: As of August, 2007, homicides are down 30% over last year. Nashville has its lowest UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting) crime rate since 1989. The burglary rate is at its lowest point since 1972.
• The Purcell administration has appropriated $26 million to build new fire stations and renovate existing ones. Another $29 million has been allocated to purchase new vehicles, including 40 ambulances and five ladders trucks, for the Fire Department.
• The administration funded and built new police precincts at North, East and Hermitage and renovated the Central precinct.
• A new Fire Department headquarters is in the last stage of construction across from Rolling Mill Hill.
• A new countywide policy for emergency response has resulted in thousands of emergencies getting the first response of closer emergency equipment. At the end of 2006, response time fell for a fourth year in a row, with an average response time of 5 minutes 41 seconds.
• Thermal Imaging Cameras that enable fire fighters to see through smoke, assisting in rescues, have been purchased for all 55 fire companies.
• In 2002, Metro government installed a network of 70 early warning tornado sirens positioned in every area of the county, which can alert the entire city to a dangerous tornado.
• Laptop computers in every patrol car enable police officers to run record checks and retrieve mugshots in the field.
• The pay for sworn Metro police officers has increased 41% since 1999 in order to keep pace with comparable cities that compete for recruits.

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QUALITY OF LIFE

"A great city gives people places to walk, to play, to bike, to come together or to seek solitude."

• 106 miles of new sidewalk and 79 miles of bikeways have been created.
• The Curby recycling program brought recycling to the curbside of residences throughout the Urban Services District. Now using modernized collection and sorting technology, Metro government collects nearly 400% more in recyclable materials than it did in 1999 – almost 13,000 tons in 2006.
• With tremendous citizen input, the Purcell administration developed a Master Plan for the Metro Parks System. One of the goals adopted by the plan is that most Nashvillians should live no more than one-half mile from a park and no more than two miles from a greenway.
• Since the development of the plan, Metro has opened new parks, community centers and nature centers. 36 miles of new greenway have been created and another 16 miles are under construction.
• City funding to arts organizations increased by 61%.
• In 2006, Nashville celebrated the opening of the world-class Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
• Since 1999, Public Works and the Metro Beautification and Environment Commission have coordinated and supported over 300 Neighborhood Cleanups with over 14,000 volunteers every year.
• Ridership increased significantly on the MTA transportation system. MTA's overall ridership increased from less than 7 million annually for several years to 8.5 million in FY 2007, which ended on June 30.
• Metro successfully secured nearly $40 million in federal and state funds for the Music City Central transit hub for bus passengers; this new high-tech downtown facility will provide Nashvillians with a secure, climate-controlled indoor transit center . MCC will open in the fall of 2008.
• MTA installed credit card software and hardware in May 2007. Nashville 's MTA is now the only transit agency in the country accepting credit cards at the farebox for its entire system.

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

"Once businesses and corporations come to Nashville and see the city we've created, they want to stay and be a part of it."

• Nashville earned back-to-back designations as the hottest city in America for corporate relocation or expansion by Expansion Management magazine.
• Caremark, Louisiana Pacific, Asurion, Quanta and Nissan have all opened new corporate homes in Music City.
• Downtown has been reshaped and reborn with the developments in the Gulch and Rolling Mill Hill.
• In 1999, there were 1,341 residential units in Nashville’s downtown, housing about 2,923 people. Currently, there are 3,918 units downtown, housing about 7,000 people. Another 1,191 units are in the planning stages.

RECENT RANKINGS:

GOVERNING Magazine named Mayor Purcell Public Official of the Year in 2006, saying he had "simultaneously improved his city’s quality of life and spurred business expansion with an ambitious agenda that included strengthened public schools and revitalized neighborhoods."

In 2006, Kiplinger's Magazine ranked Nashville Number One in its ranking of "Smart Places to Live."

• June 2007 – 8th nationally by Bizjournals for per-capita income growth.
• May 2007- 2nd among large city for relocating families based on economic, educational and quality of life factors by Worldwide ERC & Primacy Relocation.
• May 2007 – Fortune Magazine ranks Nashville 8th in a national list of “Top MBA Employers” based on the percentage of MBA candidates who said they would like to work here.
• April 2007 – Nashville ranks among the top 100 places to live by Relocate-America-com.
• April 2007 - 5th Best City for African-Americans by Black Enterprise.
• April 2007 – 9th by Forbes on Best Places for Business and Careers.
• April 2007 – Site Selection ranks Nashville among the top 10 metro areas in the U.S.
• February 2007 – Business Week ranks Nashville 7th in listing of “Best Places for Artists in the U.S.”
• February 2007 – Expansion Management ranks Nashville as one of the nation’s hottest cities for business relocation.
• Oct. 2006 – Nashville tops the Best City list for relocating singles by Worldwide ERC & Primary Relocation.
• August 2006 – CNNMoney.com ranks Nashville among the nation’s smartest cities based on percentage of college degrees.

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