Metro Council will tonight reconsider a proposal to host the Republican National Convention in 2024, the Tennessean reports. Councilmember Robert Swope last month pulled his resolution to bring the convention to Nashville before a vote due to lack of support, but last week refiled it in a final attempt to secure council support. Swope also filed a resolution that would welcome the RNC to Nashville and "open a dialogue" with state lawmakers to allow Nashville to impose development impact fees, which could be used to fund the infrastructure and schools strained by booming development. The Republican National Committee will make a final decision during its Aug. 5 meeting, but its site selection panel has unanimously recommended Milwaukee as the location for the 2014 convention.

Legislation paving the way for the Republican National Convention (RNC) in 2024 is scheduled to be reconsidered at the Nashville Metro Council’s next meeting on Aug. 2, Nashville Post reports. Metro Councilmember Robert Swope, one of the body’s few Republicans, has introduced another draft agreement between the RNC and Nashville after the first effort was stymied. This time, Swope has a second resolution to open dialogue with state officials on allowing Metro to impose development impact fees, which could be used to fund schools, infrastructure and other city costs. Axios Nashville also reports that other possible enticements are on the table, including enhanced zoning authority, expanded Medicaid and increased funding for Nashville schools.

The deadline to apply for the award-winning TBA Public Service Academy (PSA) has been extended until Friday. The PSA is a bipartisan, statewide effort to encourage attorneys to take on public service leadership roles in their communities and run for office. Those accepted for the program will take part in a two-day program Sept. 8-9, and a two-day program Nov. 18-19. Both sessions will be in Nashville featuring top political and campaign experts. You can apply online now or encourage your friends and colleagues who have aspirations for public service to apply.

Matt Wiltshire, a longtime Metro Nashville government official, made his campaign for mayor official this morning, the Nashville Post reports. Wiltshire had stepped down from his position as chief strategy officer at the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency earlier this year to consider a run. Before joining the agency, he was director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development under then-Mayors Karl Dean, Megan Barry and David Briley, and spent 15 years in investment banking. He joins Metro Council Member Freddie O’Connell in the race. Mayor John Cooper has not formally announced a reelection bid, and nonprofit executive Hal Cato says he could join the race later this summer.

The Tennessee Democratic Party held its final gubernatorial debate last night in Memphis, ABC 24 reports. The candidates — Dr. Carnita Atwater, a Memphis neighborhood leader, Nashville-area doctor Jason Martin and Memphis City Council member JB Smiley — spoke about their views on Medicaid expansion, whether to legalize recreational use of marijuana, and the best approach to economic development. They also touched on education funding priorities and how they would work with local district attorneys. Whoever wins the August primary will face Republican incumbent Gov. Bill Lee.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally confirmed Friday they are considering a special session to adopt legislation that would bypass the Metro Nashville Council and deal directly with the Convention and Visitors Bureau for a host agreement with the Republican National Convention. Tennessee Lookout also reports that legislators could penalize the council for refusing to consider the agreement with convention planners. The council had been set to vote on an agreement last week but pulled the measure before votes were cast, the Tennessean reports. In a statement, Sexton said he hopes "bipartisanship will prevail, and in the next two weeks, we will have a better idea of what needs to be done — if anything — to secure the convention.”

Nashville Metro Council will vote July 5 on an agreement to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, according to At-Large Council Member Bob Mendes. It will be the first of three required readings for approval. Milwaukee, the other finalist vying to host the convention, approved its agreement on June 1. The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. submitted a bid to host the convention on Dec. 8, at the request of Gov. Bill Lee. The Nashville Business Journal looks at the issues at stake.

Democratic candidates for governor are tallying new endorsements in their campaigns, the Nashville Post reports. In the race to take on Gov. Bill Lee, Nashville doctor Jason Martin has released a list of endorsements from 10 state lawmakers, while Memphis City Councilmember JB Smiley Jr. has won the support of Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis. In the open race to succeed state Sen. Brenda Gilmore, D-Nashville, candidate Charlane Oliver has secured the support of several prominent Nashville Democrats including former mayor Megan Barry, Metro Public Defender Martesha Johnson and Conexión Américas co-founder Renata Soto. Oliver will face former Metro Councilmembers Jerry Maynard and Ludye Wallace, Barry Barlow and Rossi Turner in the primary. Maynard has the backing of Gilmore, former Mayor Karl Dean, four Nashville members of the state House and a number of other current and former local officials.

The Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously held today that the Tennessee Republican Party and its State Executive Committee did not violate the Tennessee Open Meetings Act when they determined that Robby Starbuck would not be added to the ballot in the upcoming primary election for the U.S. House of Representatives 5th Congressional District because the law did not apply. The court found that the party was acting as a state executive committee when it determined Starbuck was not a bona fide Republican and removed him from the ballot. The Open Meetings Act applies to state boards but not to state executive committees, the court said.

Davidson County Chancellor Russell Perkins ruled Friday that the Tennessee Republican Party violated the state open meetings act when it met in private to remove Robby Starbuck from the primary ballot in the 5th Congressional District race. In declaring the removal void, Perkins ruled that Starbuck’s name should be restored to the ballot, Tennessee News Journal reports. The party could decide to appeal but the timing is tricky; the deadline to finalize ballots for the Aug. 4 primary is Friday. The Journal has the opinion.