Remember, chances are I would NOT vote for someone supported by the Chamber of Commerce,except in one interesting and delightful situation that we will address later.
DISTRICT 1 - Bill Morrison has been very disappointing to all who supported him initially,but I know little or nothing about Wayne Roberts. I got nothin' here, your call.
DISTRICT 2 - This s the seat being vacated by longtimer Bill Boyd, and the one that they tried to screw Rachel Knox out of by redistricting at the last minute until enough hell was raised to stop it. The gentleman for whom Boyd tried to gift-wrap the District 2 seat is Frank Colvett, Jr., the owner of GreenScape Inc., who has also served as Chair of the Shelby County Board of Adjustment. A look at his website on the issues indicates the standard boilerplate conservative WE HAVE TO CUT EVERYWHERE mantra, except that, as one could expect given his line of work, he does want to offer green solutions regarding development.
That said, I believe Rachel Knox offers a better vision for the city, especially Cordova. She won me over with this from her platform:
Pension-The city has a debt problem, not a pension problem. However, it is important to note that the current plan treats all divisions of its city employees as one unit without regard to those employees that work in self-funded sectors of the city. I propose that we evaluate each division of the city’s budget. By doing so, we will adequately assess and implement plans that best fit employees as separate groups. In this way, both the city and its employees can benefit and Memphis would once again become an attractive location to recruit and retain new city employees.Go look at the rest of her issues and believe you will agree she is the best choice for Cordova and the city in general.
DISTRICT 3 - There are several well-known names here, like Tanya Cooper, Sherman Perkins Kilimanjaro and Rhonda Banks, but the three candidates fighting it out and most likely to make a runoff are former candidate for Register Coleman Thompson (Full disclosure: we served as Co-managers for Carol Chumney's 2002 County Mayor campaign), and the two people who split the anti-Justin Ford votes in last summer;s Commission race in Whitehaven, former MCS Board member Patrice Robinson and former President (and now Executive Director) of the Memphis Education Association, Keith O. Williams. My heart is with my friend Coleman Thompson, but my head says we need another voice for Labor at the table, so either Thompson or Williams would be good for the city.
DISTRICT 4 - The most surprising thing about this race is that former Steve Cohen congressional staffer Randy Wade pulled a petition for District 4 but did NOT file. Had he done so, his name recognition would have put him firmly in position to win. However, he never filed, which opened the field dramatically.
Among the well-known names in this race are Donnell Cobbins, John Cornes (who has a lot of signs up), Doris Deberry-Bradshaw and Jamita Swearengen. However, my choice is the up-and-coming creator of the Humans of Memphis site, Kirstin Cheers. At 24, she is young, but if you have been paying attention to this blog this year, you will not be surprised that we support younger candidates here. A lifelong resident of the Glenview community, she has the spark and the vision and the energy to represent this district. We have an opportunity for change here; just as we have in our support for John Marek, Rachel Knox, Zachary Ferguson and Robin Spielberger, we believe it's time to toss out the old guard and move the city FORWARD and Kirstin Cheers will be a big part of that movement.
DISTRICT 6 - Edmond Ford, Jr. is someone that I believe should be Mayor of Memphis someday, so it should not be surprising that I support his re-election, the ONLY District Councilor whose re-election I support,. Quiet, studied, never abrasive but always thoughtful, he is a rock on the Council and deserves our support, now and in the future.
DISTRICT 7 - Interim (for the 2nd time) District 7 Councilor Berlin Boyd lost any chance of support from me when he refused to name the party who requested the moratorium on development for the Pinch District, which is part of 7. I do not believe he has the vision for the city and the District that it needs. Though Thurston Smith is not the youngest candidate in the race, I do believe that his governmental experience and his determination to make the district a better place to live make him the best choice in District 7. He was the SCDP's Parliamentarian and he was always impeccable and impressive with his knowledge of the position. Eric Dunn is an up and comer, but I would vote for Thurston Smith if I lived in that District.
SUPERDISTRICT 8, POSITION 1 - I have to admit that Joe Brown (not to be confused with the former judge) is not my favorite person, but he is beloved by the voters in the SuperDistrict, he is opposed by George Thompson and Victoria Young. I expect Councilor Brown to win handily, I have no recommendation here.
SUPERDISTRICT 8, POSITION 2 - Janis Fullilove may be misunderstood by those who do not live in SD 8, people may think whatever they want, but Janis Fullilove is absolutely in touch with her voters and will not be defeated. Though she is one of the most pro-labor votes on the Council, the Chamber of Commerce realized the futility of supporting one of her opponents, and endorsed her re-election, and I do as well. Her heart is always in the right place, which any of her radio listeners could have told you for the last 40 years. She took a risk in the African-American community by not only supporting the Non-Discrimination Ordinance, but SPONSORING IT as well. Janis is opposed by J.Eason and Isaac Wright, but they have no chance.
SUPERDISTRICT 8, POSITION 3 - The epic SD 8 battle is here, with Mickell Lowery, son of Myron, battling former MCS Board Member Martavius Jones. I like them BOTH. Mickell meets every criteria we have here at LWC regarding youth and fire and desire, and would be a perfect fit. However, even though he ran against FRIEND OF THE BLOG Reginald Milton last year and I had to work against him, I admire Jones for having the guts to do what had to be done in surrendering the MCS Charter, which saved our funding sources.
They are both excellent choices and I do not know what I would do if I had to push a button. This is one race where, whomever wins, the SuperDistrict does as well.
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