New Blood Part 2

AC Wharton
Kenneth Whalum, Jr
Michael Williams
Jim Strickland
Harold Collins
These are your candidates for Mayor. Good men all.

However.

You cannot state that the current mayor has done a lot to deserve reelection. Our tax base is shrinking. Six years as Memphis mayor and before that seven as Shelby County Mayor.  So definitely thirteen, maybe as many as seventeen or roughly the same as former Mayor Herenton.

Controversies surround him and his appointees. He has continued many of the same cronyism that his long time predecessor began and did. People move in and out of public service. Unqualified people are appointed to head departments. Promotions based on who you know and not what you know.  People come back and stay long enough to get a higher pension and benefits.  Which reminds me..

Pensions?

Pensions?

The problems we have in this city, and we're talking about pensions?

Not jobs.

Not disastrous PILOTS.

Not crumbling infrastructure.

Not education.

But pensions?

Pensions?

Not cronyism.

Not improving the city.

But pensions.

I am steadfastly on the side of MPD on this issue.  Public sector employees take lower base pay for the promise of a guaranteed amount in retirement.  They have earned every last dime of it.  The differences I have are negiligible.  The real issue I have are double dippers who get there way too easily.

HOWEVER.

That issue has dominated the news for the last few months.  Distracting us from real discussion of the issues.  Maybe we'll get more once the electoral forums start in earnest in a few weeks.

We cannot continue down the path we have been on for the last 24 years.  There has been some difference between the Herenton and Wharton administrations, but not a large amount.

Change in how we run this city needs to occur.  Ideally, it occurs this year with the election of Whalum (getcha popcorn ready), Strickland, or Williams.

I was not born here in Memphis.  I moved here 20 years ago this August.  But this city is home for me.  I voted for the first time ever here in the 1995 election (Herenton in case you were wondering).

We need new ideas.  New ways of doing things.  Continuing down the path we are on now is not going to grow this city and make it attractive to people to move to and more importantly, for our young people to STAY in.  We don't want to continue to lose people to our exurbs and that city to the east.

More to come.