Skirt-lifting Nashville Democrat Mayor Megan Barry admits to extramarital relationship with top police security officer

[#MeToo #TimesUp]

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.

"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."

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 said she is no longer seeing Forrest.

The mayor told her staff about the affair Wednesday afternoon
and has scheduled a 7 p.m. CT news conference to discuss the
matter.

No plans to resign
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."

Officer's last day in mayor's office Wednesday
In a letter to a supervisor, Forrest, a 30-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, 54, is married to Bruce Barry, 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,
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.

“Those trips were all business related and those trips he
traveled with me as my detail, which is standard policy with the
police department to have detail with me wherever I am,” Barry
said.

Scandal hits during mayor's pivotal transit push
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 David Fox in a runoff.

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 Ehtics and Comppliane.

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.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/31/nashvill
e-mayor-megan-barry-admits-extramarital-relationship/1085057001/