Former Nashville mayor empties coffers and offers refund to donors

Two weeks after resigning as Nashville mayor, Megan Barry has started emptying her campaign coffers, offering a partial refund to donors who contributed to her 2019 re-election effort.

In a Wednesday email to individuals who donated to her campaign since she took office in 2015, Barry thanked them for their financial support and offered a refund of the “unspent portion” of their contribution.

The offer is for half of the original amount they donated.

“Although we have incurred campaign-related expenses over the course of the last 30 months, we are able to provide a refund of approximately onehalf of your original contribution,” Barry wrote in the email.

Donors have been asked to respond to the email if they would like a refund.

Barry, who resigned March 6, reported having $338,077 cash on hand as of the most recent reporting period in January after raising $146,727 between July 1, 2017, and Jan. 15. She spent $75,000 during that six-month period, with approximately half of the amount going toward a poll.

In the email, Barry went on to say any additional money in the account will be used to “wrap up the campaign, support other worthy candidates and, if anything remains, could eventually be given to qualified charities.”

“Please know that I value your friendship and support, and I’ll look forward to working with you in the future for the betterment of Nashville,” Barry concluded.

Barry resigned as part of a deal with District Attorney Glenn Funk. She pleaded to felony theft after her nearly two-year affair with her former police bodyguard, Sgt. Rob Forrest, who also pleaded guilty to a felony.

Barry, widely popular as mayor, had an approval rating of 61 percent of Nashvillians even after admitting to the affair on Jan. 31, according to a recent Vanderbilt University poll. She was considered a shoo-in for re-election before her affair admission and the legal trouble that it created.

Barry was replaced by David Briley, the city’s former vice mayor, who has announced he will run in the August election to serve the remainder of the mayoral term.