City Councilmen Rickey Peete and Edmund H. Ford (yes, of THOSE Fords, for those of you from out of town) have been arrested and charged with criminal corruption regarding legislation before the Memphis City Council.
On top of that, former County Court Squire and perennial County Commission candidate Joe Cooper was indicted on money laundering charges stemming from an investigation into narcotics dealing in the Mid-South area.
According to the CA article, Peete is alleged to have taken a total of $12,000 from an FBI informant who is facing criminal charges on his own. Ford is alleged to have accepted a total of $6,000 paid over three installments at his mortuary, E.H. Ford Mortuary.
Well, since we're going in to City elections next year, this should open things up a bit, eh? Will Peete and Ford do as Kathryn Bowers did and run for re-election anyway?
Grab some popcorn and pull up a chair, it's getting interesting around here!
11 comments:
I'm continually amazed at cheap officials are.
It's really pathetic that someone can be bought for $12,000.
Unconscionable.
DITTO
Brass,
We're the Wal-Mart of political corruption, volume buying makes it work!
Thanks to Steve Cohen for passing the legislation that will bar these people from holding office again!
On another note, I've figured out the problem with corruption in Memphis. Think about it, where are the most corrupt cities in the US? How about Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans? Yep, it's the muddy Mississippi that is responsible!
This latest scandal is representative of Memphis' primary problems. It's not that we don't have enough parks, or have professional sports teams, or have downtown development to attract 24-34 years olds. Fuck that lifestyle shit. The problem is Memphis is a corrupt and incompetently run city (and the county isn't much better.) I'm in the 24-34 year old group with a master's degree and that corruption/incompetence is what would push me out of this city. It's a given that Memphis is corrupt. Hell, so is Chicago (They can some how still get shit done.). But even our corrupt politicans are incompetent morons. If I can't expect them to manage their own graft with the threat of prison over their head, how the fuck do I expect them address poverty, crime, and the budget. And Jesus Christ, the pettiness of the corruption degrades the city too. Billboards?! Fucking Billboards brought down a sizeable chunk of city government. Everything in this cursed city stinks of corruption. The Fed Ex Forum, MLGW (Herenton looks like goddamn Lex Luthor compared to Sticky Ricky, Edmund, and Joe Cooper.), the school system, the Pilot system, downtown development, etc.
Memphis has infant mortality of a third world city. It has economic stratification of a third world city. It has a regressive tax system like a third world city. It can't run elections like a third world city. The schools produce vast amounts of under educated people like a third world city. What is normally the first thing everyone suggests for third world countries and cities to do in order to develop, deal with corruption and get some competent people to run the city(That means people without on-line degrees.). To hell with smart city Memphis. How about we get to legal and competent Memphis first.
Here's a comment I got on my blog
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw Sherrif Luttrell at the fed news conference. He takes money from convicted felons and then stands there holier than thou. What a friggin hypocrite!
But as usual its just the white man tryin to keep the black man down
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Well, it ain't like I didn't warn everyone!
Well, well, well!!!
Since the price of elected officials is going down and getting cheap, I may just get me a couple for Christmas...
Dang, if you're going to sell your office, at least GET PAID, in exchange for the risk you are taking.
Going to jail for taking a $12K bribe is beyond stupid, it's "DIT-DIT-DEE".
At least "Dollar Bill" Jefferson (D-Cold Hard Cash) sold his Congressman's office for more than the 90K found in his freezer. My gripe with him is that he didn't learn how to open a bank account in the Cayman Islands...
Sorry, but term limits change nothing. The parties and the money men behind them will just be more ruthless in making sure that the party nominees are fully "safe" before they run for office. And once in, they'll learn to move fast and make deals quick, to take advantage of the short time they'll be in office.
Human nature is human nature. Only openness and an unrelenting skepticism of people keeps corruption at bay.
LOL.
And had Ford Jr. won?
The GOP would be having a feild day with this right now and it could have realistically could have hurt the Party as a whole and made Peolsi's job far more difficult.
I love being 100% Ford Free! :)
PD, that fine rant belongs on a post of its own.
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