Nashville Mayor Megan Barry admits to extramarital relationship with top police security officer
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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry addresses the media on news of her affair
Michael Schwab
NASHVILLE — Mayor Megan Barry said Wednesday she had an extramarital affair with the police officer in charge of her security detail, an extraordinary admission that rocks the popular Nashville mayor’s first term.
Barry, in an interview with The Tennessean on Wednesday afternoon, apologized “for the harm I’ve done to the people I love and the people who counted on me.”
She confirmed the affair with Metro police Sgt. Robert Forrest Jr. since the spring or summer of 2016, just months after she entered office the previous fall. Forrest submitted his retirement papers Jan. 17. His final day was Wednesday.
“We had an affair, and it was wrong, and we shouldn’t have done it,” Barry said. “He was part of my security detail, and as part of that responsibility, I should have gone to the (police) chief, and I should have said what was going on, and that was a mistake.
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“People that we admire can also be flawed humans, and I’m flawed, and I’m incredibly sad and sorry for the disappointment that I will see in those little girls’ faces. But, what I hope they can also see is that people make mistakes, and you move on from those.”
Barry and Forrest are both married. Barry said the relationship was discovered during conversations between their spouses and private discussions.
Forrest, 58, was a regular presence with the mayor during public events, travel and even trips abroad. According to public records obtained by The Tennessean, thousands of taxpayer dollars covered Forrest’s travel with the mayor on city business.
While several of the trips included other members of the mayor’s office, nine of the trips were with only Barry and Forrest, including a trip to Greece in September.
Barry, 54, said she is no longer seeing Forrest, but during the news conference declined to say when the relationship ended.
“Yes, it’s over. Yes, it’s over,” Barry said, when asked repeatedly when the affair ended.
The mayor told her staff about the affair Wednesday afternoon and has scheduled a 7 p.m. CT news conference to discuss the matter.
‘I know that God’s going to forgive me’
During the interview, Barry hesitated when asked whether she plans to resign, but said she will not, despite rumors swirling Wednesday that she might step down. She also said she won’t be taking a leave of absence and would be in the mayor’s office Thursday.
She said she doesn’t believe the relationship violated any Metro ethics laws or guidelines.
“This is a bad day, and there’s going to be more bad days, but this is not my worst day,” Barry said. “And I know the difference between a mistake — which is what I made and I fully own — and a tragedy. And this is not a tragedy. And I want to regain the trust of Nashvillians. And I will continue to serve.”
Her decision to go public came after inquiries this week from The Tennessean following the Jan. 17 resignation of Forrest, the head of security for the last three Nashville mayors.
The scandal presents a monumental test both politically and personally for the mayor, who lost her only son in July to a drug overdose. Voters elected Barry mayor in 2015, and she has enjoyed approval ratings above 70%, bolstered by high marks from the city’s Democrats.
“I know that God’s going to forgive me, but the citizens of Nashville don’t have to,” Barry said. “My hope is that I can earn their forgiveness, and I can earn back their trust, and we can do the great work for this city that Nashville deserves.”
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Officer says he ‘deeply regrets’ relationship
In a statement issued through his attorney David Raybin, Forrest said he regrets his relationship with the mayor and asked for privacy.
“I deeply regret that my professional relationship with Mayor Barry turned into a personal one,” Forrest said. “This has caused great pain for my wife, my family, friends and colleagues. At no time did I ever violate my oath as a police officer or engage in actions that would abuse the public trust.”
Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Chief Steve Anderson was unaware of the relationship between Barry and Forrest until Tuesday.
On Monday, a lawyer for Forrest’s wife sent a letter to Metro police’s Specialized Investigations Division asking that the department preserve the contents of Forrest’s cellphone, saying it “may contain information that is important in my representation” of Forrest’s wife.
Metro police did not immediately respond to a question about whether they have agreed to the request.
In a letter to a supervisor, Forrest, a 31-year veteran of the department, announced his retirement and gave a two-week notice on Jan. 17. His last day was Wednesday. He led a four-person team in charge of keeping the mayor safe and transporting her to various functions.
“I have had an outstanding career and have enjoyed coming to work each day,” Forrest said in the letter. “I plan to make the transition as soon as possible.”
Forrest offered no other explanation. In 2000, he signed a law enforcement code of ethics stating, “I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all and will behave in a manner that does not bring discredit to me or to my agency.”
Barry’s husband, Bruce Barry, is a professor at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management. The mayor declined to go into detail about her relationship with her husband, but said they are not separating. She asked for privacy on that matter.
Mayor, officer billed more than $33K in travel together
The relationship is the first extramarital affair in the Nashville mayor’s office that has gone public since former Mayor Bill Boner’s public romances in 1990s with a 34-year-old country singer and a former bodyguard, who was also a Metro Police officer.
Forrest, who has been married for at least 28 years, frequently provided security for for the mayor on out-of-town trips for conferences and other city business.
Barry’s been the most visible mayor in Nashville history, and has gained national attention as rising star in Democratic ranks. At times, she’s taken on almost celebrity status, rubbing shoulders with the city’s musicians, athletes and appearing at concerts and Predators playoffs games.
Last year, Forrest traveled with Barry overseas to Paris and Athens. He also accompanied her on trips to cities across the U.S., including to Washington D.C., New York, Denver, Oakland, Calif., Salt Lake City and Kansas City in the last 10 months alone.
The trip to Greece Sept. 12-18 was for the Athens Democracy Forum as part of Nashville’s involvement in the 100 Resilient Cities network led by the Rockefeller Foundation.
According to travel records obtained by The Tennessean, the bill for Forrest’s trips between January 2017 and October 2017 cost $21,712. Barry’s travel expenses between Jan. 1, 2017, and this year totaled $11,382.
Barry’s travel expenses are less, because on some trips foundations or organizations hosting the conference sponsor the travel costs.
Barry said she was told by Police Chief Steve Anderson advised her that she is “always the mayor and you should be secured appropriately.”
Each of the trips where Forrest provided security for her were business related, she said.
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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry remembers her son, Max, during a press conference marking her first day back to work after his death. Max Barry died of an overdose in Colorado on July 29.
Ayrika Whitney/USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
Council could look into travel expenses
Barry, in The Tennessean interview, referred to Forrest as “someone who works in Metro” and not a subordinate. Under the Metro government structure, the police chief is hired and fired by the mayor.
But Metro Councilman John Cooper, a frequent critic of the Barry administration, said “there’s no way around the common-sense fact he clearly worked for the mayor.”
“That kind of relationship is a problem anywhere in Metro government, especially if taxpayer funds were used for their personal travel,” Cooper said.
Metro Councilman Steve Glover, another Barry critic, who has known Barry for over 10 years, said he wasn’t going to comment on her personal life. But Glover said the council could look into the travel expenses for Barry and Forrest if necessary.
“If the Metro Budget and Finance Committee needs to look into this, we can look into it and find out if any money was spent properly or improperly,” Glover said.
Metro Councilman Jeremy Elrod agreed, saying he’s “shocked like most people are,” but called it a personal matter.
Barry, one of Tennessee’s most prominent Democrats and a favorite of liberals, overcame a significant fundraising disadvantage to win the 2015 mayoral election, defeating six opponents and then David Fox in a runoff.
Scandal hits during mayor’s pivotal transit push
The revelation of the relationship could have major ramifications on Barry’s push for a $5.4 billion mass transit project, which she wants voter approval on through a May 1 referendum. The transit referendum, which has proven contentious, is the most significant challenge politically that Barry has faced during her two-and-a-half years in office.
Barry said she was elected on transit and other issues such as affordable housing and that she doesn’t see her work on the transit project stopping.
As an At-large Metro councilwoman from 2007 to 2015, Barry carved out a reputation for being pro-business but progressive on social issues — a formula that she’s brought into the mayor’s office.
Professionally, Barry worked as an ethics and compliance officer at Premier Ethics and Compliance.
Barry lost only son to overdose in July
Barry also became a national voice in the country’s opioid crisis last year after the death of her 22-year-old son Max, who died from a mix of drugs that included opioids.
After Barry’s son Max Barry died last year from a drug overdose, it was Forrest who came to her home at 3 a.m. to break the news.
Forrest has supervised the security for mayors dating to Mayor Bill Purcell, who was elected in 1999. According to his bio, Forrest also has been the supervisor of the hate crime investigations unit, crime stoppers and security for visiting dignitaries. He spent 31 years in the department.
Contributing: Anita Wadhwani, The Tennessean. Follow Dave Boucher, Nate Rau and Joey Garrison on Twitter: @Dave_Boucher1, @tnnaterau and @joeygarrison
Article source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/top-10-science-1.4458365?cmp=rss
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