Out of three great choices, one emerges

Not the one I voted for, mind you, but one I can live with easily.

I am referring, of course, to last nights #SCDPSenate30SmackDown, in which Beverly Marrero, Carol Chumney and Sara Kyle were to face off for the SCDP nomination to replace former Senator and now Chancellor Jim Kyle.  And, yes, for you newbies who may have stumbled here, Jim Kyle is the husband of Sara Kyle.

After three solid speeches by the candidates, including a barnburner by Chumney, capped off by her withdrawal in favor of Marrero, the vote was taken.  This blog provided two proud votes for Beverly Marrero; however, Sara Kyle received the nomination on an 18-16 vote.

As Carol reminded us in her speech (which we will talk about a little later in the post), there were NO bad choices here: Jon and I just believed Beverly was the best choice, having had actual experience in the State Senate.

However, as we know, Sara Kyle is a 20 year veteran of state government with her years on the Public Service Commission and Tennessee Regulatory Authority until she was unceremoniously dumped by the Governor.  She is no slouch, and I can and WILL support her against Dr. George "Al Kapone Supports Me So I Can Carry North Memphis" Flinn in the November election.

It's easy to forget, as Sara has been out of the limelight, that she was raised in a campaigning family, with one uncle (Frank Clement) having served as Governor, one aunt serving in the State Senate (Anna Belle Clement O'Brien, during whose service Sara was introduced to Jim Kyle), as well as  campaigns on her own.  In fact, I would like to talk about that for a minute.

It is my hope that, upon her election (which I believe is not only possible but highly probable) to a Senate where she may have as few as four Democratic colleagues, that she does not become frustrated to the point where she leaves office in two years.  If that were to happen, then I believe last night's vote would be seen as a waste of time.

The truth is that Sara Kyle CAN and SHOULD be a dynamic force, not only here but statewide.  This is really needed at a time when the TNDP appears to be lost and not fully aware of its 'staggering lack of influence.  If she leaves office in two years, I hope that it will be for a bigger office, because she has the gravitas to lead a comeback for this party.  There's a REASON a groundswell took place last year for a possible Governor's run this year; while it didn't happen for various and sundry reasons, one hopes that something like this would be possible for her in the future.

Last night should be a new beginning for the Party, and for Sara Kyle.

Now, to Carol Chumney.   It is no secret that she wants to make another run for mayor of Memphis, and last night's speech about the power of women, despite the apparent refusal of Shelby Countians and Memphians to elect one to an executive office, highlighted that desire.

Whether it's AC Wharton or Jim Strickland carrying the water for the business community, no doubt Carol will be facing an uphill battle, unless she can unite the pro-labor and anti-corporate forces that want to see a change on North Main Street.   Considering that there could be SEVERAL candidates in that race, including Rev. Kenneth Whalum (always a bet to pull a sizable share of the vote), City Councilor Harold Collins (can he get votes outside his Whitehaven base?) and MPA leader Mike Williams (who is making a HUGE mistake if he runs, he will get no traction), it appears to me that all of the candidates who want to challenge the pro-business and pro-corporate forces need to meet and agree on a consensus candidate that may NOT be themselves.

I think of 1999, when all of Mayor Herenton's opponents could not unite, and 2007, when Herman Morris got in and split the anti-Herenton vote and kept Carol from being elected Mayor, and see that it could happen yet again if the anti-administration candidates are numerous.

In short, people, we need a backroom meeting.  (GASP!  QUEL HORREUR! MON DIEU! , Queue the fainting spells!)

I believe there should be a poll commissioned (preferably one done either by the CA or one by all the candidates together) to get an idea of who has the best chance to win.  The question that each candidate needs to ask themselves is this: IS THIS ABOUT ME OR IS IT ABOUT MEMPHIS AND ITS DIRECTION?  Are you willing to get out and support someone who has a better chance of winning, or are you going to stay in, split the vote and have four more years of Status Quo?

I hope that by January, things will be more settled in this regard.  Your thoughts, readers?

Reflections on 50 years ago, a loss and a win

I was four years old that Friday afternoon a half-century ago, and my mother had As The World Turns on TV when Walter Cronkite broke in with the news that President Kennedy had been shot, and he stayed on the air for hours, announcing the President's death.  My mother cried and cried, as she and my grandparents had worked for Kennedy's campaign in my hometown of Dixon, Illinois.  A picture of John F. Kennedy stayed in my grandparents and parents' house in Dixon and in Trumann, Arkansas until I sold it after their death.

In many ways, the US has not recovered from that assassination, which ended a bubble of good feelings that had begun after the end of World War II.  The Warren Commission reports, rather than clarify the situation, created more confusion and doubt than it solved, and we may never know what really happened.  It started the distrust of government that leads to where we are as a people today, fueled by 30 plus years of right-wing propaganda that began with the end of the Fairness Doctrine, which would have kept right-wing hacks like Rush Limbaugh and Fox News off the air.  Because of this, real government problem solving, which can and has happened (NEW DEAL, FAIR DEAL, etc.) is no longer considered to be an option.

All of this means that when you DO propose a governmental solution to a problem, such as the supporters of the Pre-K Initiative, you had damned well better do it right.  That is NOT what happened, and that's why it went down to defeat last night despite a campaign funded primarily by the Chamber of Commerce and retired AutoZone founder Pitt Hyde.

Reverend Kenneth T. Whalum, Jr. led the campaign against the initiative, not because he was against pre-K, but because he correctly pointed out that this would be funded by raising the SALES TAX option one half cent, essentially maxing it out under state law.  Sales Taxes are clearly the most regressive, because on a percentage basis, the poorer you are, the higher percentage of your income is paid out for basic necessities that cannot be avoided.  In short, the benefit would be paid by the people supposedly benefiting from this the most but WHO COULD AFFORD IT THE LEAST.  Reverend Whalum had little or no money behind him, but he didn't need much help to defeat this measure; the way this campaign went about its business did most of the work for him.

As Reverend Whalum pointed out, NO ONE is opposed to Universal Pre-K; it was against the funding mechanism, for the reasons listed above.  So, where did the supporters make their mistake(s)?  Where DIDN'T they make a mistake?

Jim Strickland and Shea Flinn are good people and I respect and admire them.  Truth be told, it was Shea Flinn who finally convinced me to vote for it yesterday after having lots of questions about it.  I appreciate Jim Strickland listening to my concerns and trying to answer those concerns, many of which can be found in my comments here at the Smart City Memphis blog a week ago.

Strickland has pointed out, quite correctly, that you pay property taxes whether you own or rent your residence, and that Memphis has the highest property taxes in the state. However, what is not mentioned here is that when property tax relief is given to property owners, the landlords, rarely, if ever, pass those savings to their tenants; they put the money in their pockets.  And the RENTERS are the very people who were being asked to subsidize this relief for their landlords under the guise that the money would go to PreK. Given that ANY tax increase at this time faces an uphill battle with voters, is it any wonder why this went down to defeat?

So, tying this vote to property tax relief (even if I personally believe that Pre-K would have taken ALL the money raised and then some, but we'll get to that in a minute) was a HUGE mistake. However, it was not the only one, as we will see.

Drinking Liberally Memphis hosted Strickland, Kathy Buckman Gibson and Steven Reid in October to discuss the matter, and we all agreed that the concept of Universal Pre-K was unassailable as a benefit for the city's 4-year-olds.  However, I noticed that when I asked what would happen if the money raised by the sales-tax increase was not sufficient, since there would be no way to raise that tax any higher, I was told that would be a great problem to have, but not how it would be solved.

Also, as my Smart City questions noted, while a Pre-K commission was created by the Mayor and appointed by him, there was no public accountability to anyone OTHER than the Mayor.  I don't care how great these people were and are, you cannot ask the citizens of the city to appropriate funds without direct accountability.

I asked Kathy Gibson that night what the criteria for selecting the vendors for Pre-K, and if I remember correctly, she said that there were criteria but that it had not been written down.  Further questioning revealed that while they had established the NEED for Pre-K, they did not have many of the details on how it would be operated or WHO would be operating the Pre-K centers.  The general response that I received was that they would take care of that AFTER they got the money.

This approach reminds me of an old Memphis recording term: "We'll fix it in the mix!" That may work great when you're recording an album, if if you are asking the citizens to spend money, you had damned well better have your plans up front and center.  As my wife Susan noted, it was like asking for a business loan without having a BUSINESS PLAN to show your funders.  How'd that work out, eh?

Next, in campaigning for the measure, Steven Reid said that they wanted a low turnout, as it was the voters who voted most often (which, frankly, are usually higher-income people) who would be more likely to vote for this measure.  Well, hell yeah, as it was THEIR property taxes being reduced!  Notice that the very people who were supposed to be benefiting from this measure (lower-income people with young children) were NOT being targeted and were NOT being encouraged to vote for this proposal.   Can you see now how that led credence to the idea that this was more about tax relief for the wealthy and less about Pre-K for  poorer children?  They couldn't have sabotaged their own campaign any better if they had PLANNED it that way.

Personally, I truly believe that Flinn and Strickland deeply wanted Universal Pre-K for our city and perhaps thought this was the only way it could be done; I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

Now that we are here, with the referendum having gone down in flames, where do we go from here?  Even Reverend Whalum supports Universal Pre-K, so, I am issuing a call to him, as well as to the erstwhile Pre-K Commission and the City Council, to sit down and figure this out.  I want ground rules.  First, to the Pre-K supporters, you need to go out and LISTEN to the people that you want to help and spend more time among people unlike yourselves and your social circles, and listen to Reverend Whalum, too.

Reverend Whalum, two things: NO GLOATING, and do not mention the $57 million, because that is in the courts, and they will take care of it.  And ALL of you, bring SPECIFICS to the table, and realize that while Universal Pre-K is a terrific idea, it is only a BEGINNING for what needs to be done to address poverty in this city.

Also, understand that until the day comes when we have a new legislature that will blow up our tax system and institute a state income tax, we are going to have high property taxes.  PERIOD.

I want to end by offering my congratulations to newly elected State Representative Raumesh Akbari, who succeeeds the late, incomparable Lois Deberry in House 91.  She defeated Libertarian Jim Tomasik with 89 percent of the vote.  Great work, folks!

UPDATE: Stop what you are doing and go read Steve Ross at VIBINC; you can thank me later!

Stop What You Are Doing And Go Read Ross NOW.

Here's the link, go read it!

Hey City Council! Steve Ross Has A Question For You!

As in, Where The Hell Are The New Council/SB Districts??????  He tells you why he asks right here.

It appears to be ON. James Harvey is kicking off his Mayoral campaign

James Harvey, who had signs up at the Chism Picnic at least a year ago, is serious about challenging incumbent Memphis Mayor AC Wharton this year.  At least he knows that it will take serious amounts of cash to beat Wharton, who is still arguably one of the most popular figures not only in the city, but in the area.  Here's the info:

Dear James, Join the James Harvey for Mayor of Memphis Campaign this Tuesday, March 29th from 5:30pm till 7:30pm for our Campaign Kickoff Fundraiser at The Blue Suede Restaurant. Please accept our special invitation by clicking here to RSVP now. The Blue Suede Restaurant is located at 4404 Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38116.  The Blue Suede Restaurant is across the street from Marlowe’s, near Finley Road. Please click here to RSVP by March 28th, 2011 for our Campaign Kickoff Fundraiser at The Blue Suede Restaurant to hear from James Harvey and learn more about our plan to win this race. The suggested contribution amount is $250 and maximum contribution amount at $1000. Click here to make your contribution online today. For questions please contact Kimberly Fritts at (901) 572-1583 or finance@votejamesharvey.com. Forward to a Friend

Today is National Sputnik Monroe Day

Go read Chris Davis' article at the Flyer about a movie about Memphis wrestling that features the great Monroe prominently, and read why he was an important figure in this city's history.

It's time to think about a statue of Sputnik Monroe outside the Cannon Center, where Ellis Auditorium once stood.

Gee, who could have seen THIS coming??

Well, Jim Strickland and Shea Flinn, for two.  However, few of their colleagues on the Council wanted to prepare for the possibility that the City would LOSE their appellate case and have to pay MCS the money that had been promised.

So what happened? The State Supremes DENIED the City's appeal, and so we have to pay 57 Million to MCS.  I wonder how many Miami-Dade cronies that money Kriner Cash can buy with that money?

I can't WAIT to hear what the other Councilors have to say about this, and y'all are going to have to ANSWER for it.  Well, except for Strickland and Flinn, because, after all, THEY TOLD YOU THIS MIGHT HAPPEN AND WE NEEDED TO PREPARE FOR IT.

Oy, I'm getting a headache.

BREAKING NEWS: TEP asks Fullilove to WITHDRAW the NDO

Hat tip to Bianca Phillips of the Flyer, the full report is at GRAND DIVISIONS.  I'm stunned.

AC flip-flopped on this? Gee, who could have seen THAT coming? /snark

Again, Ware's idiocy is expected, but Morrison's in trouble, folks.  He had a LOT of support outside District 1 three years ago, and I am willing to say that 75% of that just vanished.

Um, why is no one else talking about this?

Mike Cromer has been documenting the destruction of our downtown Cobblestones by the Riverfront Development Corporation at his blog, Memphis Cobblestones.

To get the idea about what's happening, go here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

How the hell are they getting away with it? This Beale Street Landing project is little more than a boondoggle that allows former Herenton cronies to pocket public money, in my opinion. Great Job by Mike to bring this to light, and you all need to read these articles!

Adieu, Mr. Mayor

He did it, folks.

The longest-serving (and arguably most influential while in office) Mayor of Memphis retired effective tomorrow, as his pension was approved, he gave official notice to Council Chair/Mayor Pro Tempore Myron Lowery, and had a lovely retirement party in the Hall of Mayors, complete with his 88-year-old mother in the front row.

As we have been rough on him over the years, it is all too often easy to forget that no Mayor in my lifetime (or yours, either, I'd bet) did more to revitalize Downtown. It's easy to forget that his first three terms were the best of ANY Mayor in the city's history. When one examines the entirety of his tenure, he's still the one to beat, no matter how many times he pissed us off.

And yes, he was the first African-American elected to serve as Mayor of this city.

We have to remember that he did not cause the economic downturn that saw jobs and people exit the city, just as he did not cause the boom of the 90s. For most of his tenure, he had the right people in the right places, and they reported to him and he oversaw their work, which is what an executive is supposed to do.

Loyal readers of this blog could be expected to jump up at this point and yell WTF???? You have been beating this guy up for 4 1/2 years now, why the kisses on his exit? First, I wasn't blogging during his first three terms, when he deserved every kudos he could get, except when he was supporting Republicans. Which also means that secondly, I was blogging during his later mayoral years, when, let's face it, he was bored and wanted out, but didn't like his potential replacements. Since I was openly supporting one of them, I kneecapped him often.

Yet, he endured, and walks away, if too late, with the knowledge that no one, at least for the first three terms, has done this job as well as he has.

This, of course, does not mean I am in his corner for his Congressional race, t-shirt or no t-shirt. That, of course, is for another day and another time down the not-too-distant future.

In conclusion, Mr. Mayor, go have fun, get some rest, and we'll see you on the campaign trail. I may not necessarily be on your side in that race, but I would never count you out.

From the ruh-roh department

One of my sources told me about something interesting that happened this week. Someone known to both me and my source was making a presentation to a group of 10-14 year-olds in the city one day last week regarding politics. I quote my source here, but remove the name of the presenter:

These kids are from all over the city but most likely come from families where the parents vote. (Name withheld) asked the kids about AC, Carol, Whalum, and Myron. With each, (he/she) asked why the candidates were running and their issues. For AC and Carol, the kids didn't why they were running or their issue. Whalum kids guessed education. But with Myron, most all the kids said he was running just to be mayor and the power of being in charge. Herenton has sunk Myron with that talking point. If the kids are saying this then the parents are saying this.

On the health front, I'm going into move mode and a defense of the Mayor

Pick those jaws up, just because my T-shirt may be en route as we speak is not why I say what I am about to say.

First, I am better, thanks for asking, as I have been fighting an ear infection with antibiotics; I still hear poorly, but it's improving. It had better improve, as I am moving in with my beloved, who has decided she can endure any challenge or obstacle. Did I mention that Lauren is a saint? I digress.

As brother Ross has advised, there are SERIOUS flaws in the process for mayoral succession that the recent Charter Commission, and the City Council COMPOUNDED them with their approval of the minutes of the July 7 meeting, where they decided to accept Mayor Herenton's retirement of July 30, even though HE SENT THEM WRITTEN NOTICE OF RESCISSION.

Now, I believe he IS retiring, and retiring this year; you don't clean out your office for your health, you do it because you are leaving. He is tired of being Mayor and is ready to move on to the campaign and being in business with his son.

I do NOT for a second believe that he will leave office on July 30; I believe he will ask the Pension Board to strike that from their minutes on July 30, and submit a new letter with a new date at that time.

While the Election Commission, who should have listened to Shep Wilbun and Myra Stiles, might be able to back away from their decision to plan for a special election, it is the Council that will receive the brunt of the criticism for declaring a vacancy where none existed.

Had they listened to Harold Collins and approved his motion to delay approval of the July 7 minutes until 5:01 PM on July 30, they wouldn't be in this situation.

People I like and respect, like Myron Lowery and Jim Strickland and Shea Flinn voted for this, and I want to know why. Did you not see that you were being baited?

The Mayor was elected to serve between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011, and he can leave at any time, but he has the right to rescind his retirement (which is why I believe the Mayor took great pains to use the word retirement rather than resignation) under the law.

Now, if the Mayor decides to postpone his retirement a week or two, he can (and WILL, I believe) challenge the special election in court due to the fact that there was NO OFFICIAL WRITTEN NOTICE OF RETIREMENT at the time they approved the vacancy.

This hurts any and all Councilors seeking to replace the Mayor in the special election, which will take place, but not at the time previously set. Bad move, folks.

The Mayor is in the right, here, folks, whether you agree with him or not. As you know, this blog hasn't exactly been a campaign site for Mayor Herenton over the years, but fair's fair. This NEEDS to be cleared up, and people need to ensure that when it happens, an orderly transition will take place. Mayor Herenton has serious, legitimate questions that need to be answered, and this is NOT about him, it's about US and the Memphis he leaves us.

I get out of my sick bed for a minute, and what do I find?

This in my email inbox, which indicates that the Democrats may have a nominating convention for Mayor, which is a non-partisan race.

Chair Turner, with all due respect, this is a horrible idea. Understand that no matter whom you might endorse in such a convention, know that A) your ExecCom members will support whomever they damn well please regardless, which means B) they will undermine any Party efforts to coalesce behind any candidate.

There will be a wild, wide-open field for this race, because no elected official is up this year, so they risk nothing by taking a stab at the race. Everyone on your ExecCom has a friend, or more than ONE friend, who will be running, so they will stay with whomever they choose to support, regardless of who comes out of the convention.

To my friend and brother Mr. Gill: It's not 1991 any more, and people are not only comfortable with the prospect of an African-American Mayor, they EXPECT one. There are too many people in this race to have a consensus, so let it be. I've found that the community decides for itself which candidate they will unite behind, and it's wiser not to try to usurp their authority.

Back to you, Chair Turner: You've done fairly well so far, if you do this, it will make the Party look as disorganized as the old days, and no one wants this convention, except Mr. Gill. Please rethink this, and allow the people themselves to determine the best candidate for Mayor of Memphis.

Presuming of course, that we actually HAVE an election this fall.

UPDATE: You need to go to Reginald Milton's place, they're having a hell of a discussion about this, H/T to Diane Cambron!

Ok, let's put it it this way:

What Steve Ross said. Go read it NOW.

Carry on.

This is not rocket science, people

The Mayor can clear this drama up very simply and very quickly. All he needs to do is provide a new letter to the Chair of the Council, Myron Lowery, advising that he will retire as Mayor of the City of Memphis effective on July 30, 2009. A-Ha, you say, he already DID that! A-Ha, I say, he then RESCINDED that yesterday.

This is why today's Council executive session stepped away from the resignation issue: the Mayor has rescinded his retirement/resignation. There is no effective letter at this time. If the Mayor doesn't issue a new letter between now and July 30, he's not going anywhere.

And if that happens, I am going to blame some of the people in this room, and that I do not forgive. The "community leaders" who begged the Mayor to stay on until February 2010 are the very people from whom Myron Lowery won't taken any mess. Leaders? Not so much.

Yup, we got one of them there unscientific polls up over here!

Yup, just look over to the right and at the top of the sidebar, we have a poll, please go vote in it!

While I fight with Gmail, please read Vibinc

I am battling once again with Gmail, who once again is trying to force me to Google Groups, and I AM NOT GOING.  That's why you haven't gotten anything this morning, campers.

Now, in the interim, I want you to read Vibinc's latest regarding Hizzoner, the possibility of his indictment, and the PR problems it presents for the US Attorney's office here.

And now, for something somewhat different!

We'll be back to our feature film, AS THE TDP TURNS, in a day or so, but I'd like to bring things back home for a moment.

Jackson Baker has reported that AC Wharton, with some 30 months to go before the filing deadline, and with just under two years to go in his term as County Mayor, is having a $500-a-pop fundraiser on November 19 at The Racquet Club. I had heard about this Saturday night from another source, but not with this detailed a report.

Mayor Herenton presumably approves of the Wharton candidacy, which should give some of Wharton's supporters at the County level some pause for concern. It has appeared for over a year now that Hizzoner has wanted to anoint his successor, presumably having to do with his legacy.

I'll leave THAT alone for the moment.

It seems that, while everyone expects that Wharton will win handily, I offer my slightly contrarian suggestion that it is not as cut and dried as you might think. No, I'm not necessarily talking about Carol Chumney, either.

What Wharton has now that he didn't have in 2002 is a record on which he may be judged. In 2006, he had minimal opposition and walked over for victory; however, he may face SEVERAL candidates who are less scared of the Wharton mystique than they once might have been.

While I fully expect Carol to run in 2011, barring accident, let's not forget that Councilor Myron Lowery earlier this year was prepared to run if Herenton had resigned, Chumney or no Chumney, Wharton or no Wharton.

Wharton would not have as large a number of white voters in this city race, and it is they as much as black voters who have propelled him to victory in 2002 and 2006. Lowery could seriously cut into Wharton's totals among all voters regardless of race, and Chumney would hurt Wharton among women and older whites. That would leave Wharton with just Herenton's base, and there's no guarantee that he would get all of that, either.

While Wharton's style certain does not have the grating and sometimes infuriating form as Herenton, his record, frankly, hasn't set the world on fire. He has been faced with the fact that Memphis has suffered job losses and increased poverty, which has been beyond his control, just as it has Herenton. However, adversity is when you test the mettle of an executive, and I leave it to you to judge just how successful he has been.

With all that in mind, Wharton may feel that he needs to get out and get a lot of money in order to pre-empt potential candidacies for 2011. However, I'm not at all certain that will work this time.

It's not just the country as a whole looking for change, people, it's right here in River City!

Miss Chumney wishes to respond.

In response, no doubt, to the published reports that a Wharton campaign for City Mayor in 2011 (or before, perhaps?) is in the planning and fund-raising stage, Carol Chumney has issued the following statement:

I am surprised by the attention given to the potential announcement by County Mayor Wharton that he will begin raising money for a City Mayor election over three years away. Perhaps he has some inside information from his good friend Mayor Herenton that he should share with the citizens.

The people of Memphis should keep in mind that Herenton has made it no secret that he intends to hand-pick his successor. However, the people now know after the last election where Herenton was nearly defeated, that they do have the power to elect their first choice as City Mayor from the many serious contenders who are well-qualified who have their eye on that position.

I do wish Wharton the best during the remainder of his term as County Mayor in addressing the county’s growing fiscal problems, getting the Med properly funded, working to save babies' lives and reducing our ranking as having the highest infant mortality rate in the country, reducing our growing poverty rate, and moving our county up from 11th in the state in terms of economic growth. These problems certainly deserve his full attention.

It’s a new day in politics. On the national level, we are seeing both the Democratic and Republican parties open the door for ground-breaking candidates that will bring real reforms and needed change, and reject the old time good old boy politics of cronyism and corruption. We can do this too in Memphis, and have energetic leadership with the passion, drive and dedication to bring reforms and positive change.

We must make our city safer for families, bring efficiencies to help bring jobs to Memphis, and improve education to help every child have a chance to succeed. We deserve better, and it’s now up to the citizens of Memphis to make their voices heard.

All righty then.

Shocked, Shocked I am

The Flyer reported last week (somehow I overlooked it) and The Commercial Appeal is reporting today that Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton is about to announce that he will seek the office of Mayor of the City of Memphis in 2011, if Mayor Herenton does not run for re-election, which I doubt he will if he knows Wharton would likely replace him; hell, it could come sooner than that.

Gee, who could have seen THAT coming, eh? I believe this is known as attempting to scare off the potential opposition, such as Carol Chumney, Myron Lowery, Thomas Long, etc.

But what if they say the hell with it and challenge Wharton anyway? Remember that part of Wharton's strength in running for County Mayor is that Republicans crossed over to vote for him, and there aren't as many of them in the City as the County, to be sure. Also, in the City, it's not inconceivable to think that Lowery and/or Long could take African-American votes from Wharton, while Chumney (Lowery and/or Long, too, for that matter) could take white votes away from him as well.

It could be that people might just think 8 years as mayor of Shelby County was enough for the likable Wharton, who will likely have a sizable financial advantage in this race. Or not.

It will be interesting to see if everyone runs away in fear, or they respond like Myron Lowery.

You may remember that he told Jackson Baker and I earlier this year that if Willie Herenton resigned, he would run for City Mayor, AC Wharton or no AC Wharton, Carol Chumney or no Carol Chumney. Doesn't sound like a frightened man to me, does he to you?

And, folks, if you think a little thing like Wharton entering the race would scare off Carol, then you've obviously not been paying attention or just moved to town. This is going to be a VERY interesting race, and we're three years away, and counting.