In December 2022, Mayor John Cooper appointed Benton McDonough to serve as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife. This position is modeled after similar positions that have been adopted in major cities over the last decade. In this capacity, he acts a liaison between residents, businesses and city departments to address such issues as noise, public safety, cleanliness, and quality of life.

In nearly three years in this position, the Office of Nightlife has received accolades for their work, recently gaining recognition from the Institute for Public Service (IPS) for the Project of the Year installing Narcan in bars, stadiums, and schools. The office recently entered a public / private partnership with Metropolis Parking to discount parking fees 100% for musicians in Nashville. The office also provides Safe Bar training to bars to reduce the impact of alcohol on sexual assault and recently started a Nightlife Industry Training and Education (NITE) School to address mental health and other needs in the bar and hospitality industries.

Mr. McDonough was born and raised in Nashville; specifically, in the Donelson area. He graduated from McGavock High School in 1998; he then earned a B.A. in English from Middle Tennessee State University in 2002.

After working on the first successful gubernatorial campaign of Governor Phil Bredesen, Mr. McDonough accepted an appointment to the Tennessee Department of Education. He then accepted a position in the office of the Hon. Steve Dozier. During this time, he attended the Nashville School of Law, earning his J.D. in the spring of 2009, and subsequently passing the bar that same year.

Mr. McDonough served as an Assistant General Counsel in the Department of Commerce and Insurance from 2010-2014. Next, he served as the State Registrar in the Office of Vital Records, Tennessee Department of Health, from 2014-2016. More recently, he has served as the Executive Director of the Metro-Nashville Beer Permit Board since 2017.

Mr. McDonough and his wife, Ashley, celebrated 20 years of marriage earlier this year. They have two daughters, Lucy (age 11) and Lily (age 7).

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