No, we're not going to have a new Charter Commission tomorrow

What Steve Mulroy is proposing is that the Commission go on record, simply, as NOT BEING OPPOSED TO THE CONCEPT of consolidation, even though the title of this post by JB might lead you otherwise.

This charter that was defeated was hard to vote for, and it was hard to defend to people.  Don't you think for a minute that CONSOLIDATION is going away, though.  As soon as it is LEGAL to do so, there will be another proposal for another Charter Commission.  If this one is done better, with more transparency in every sense of the word, it might have a chance to pass.

Not only that, if the Mutually Assured Destruction path continues for the schools, they may already be merged by then, so it will be a moot point.  If you agree with me that consolidation is worth thinking about, come on down to the County Commission meeting around 12:30 tomorrow.  Also, email your Commissioners on the subject, they want to know what you think, and that the county is not as one-sided as they have been led to believe.

This isn't going away, folks, not now, not until it passes someday.

Me and Guleff talk about Consolidation

Of course, I'm right and he's wrong, but...   Heh, it was a great time, it always is!

Pro-Consolidation News

First, your humble Cracker is going up against our buddy Tom Guleff on the post-World Series game FOX 13 news tonight speaking in FAVOR of consolidation. UPDATE: our segment will be shown on the Saturday night news, we found out when we got there.

Next, an event will be held this weekend talking about the Charter, from our friend Bonny Kinney of Rebuild Government:

Commissioners Reunite for Final Push to the Polls

Memphis, TN – Commissioners who helped draft the new charter on the ballot November 2^nd will meet together this weekend to talk to the community about the importance of a new, more efficient government structure.  It will be the last time they meet before Election Day on Tuesday.

Date:   Saturday, October 30, 2010

Time:   11 a.m.

Place:  Bloomfield Full Gospel Baptist Church

             123 S. Parkway West

             Memphis, TN  38109

Bloomfield is the home church of Reverend Ralph White, who also served on the Charter Commission.   Other civic leaders, including Dr. Maxine Smith, are also scheduled to attend.

Rebuild Government is made up of concerned citizens who organized in 2009.  The purpose of Rebuild Government is to create public awareness and foster a county-wide conversation about the need for a new government.  You can learn more about Rebuild Government at www.rebuildgovernment.org.

All Righty Then! US District Judge Issues Injunction on Consolidation Vote

Hat tip to Steve Ross for this, here's a part of the CA story:

A U.S. District Judge has signed an injunction delaying the certification of the Nov. 2 consolidation vote until he rules on whether the state system for requiring majorities inside the city and outside the city to approve a metro government is legal.

Judge Thomas Anderson signed the injunction, which was agreed to by the plaintiffs and defendants, this morning.

The ruling means that voting will proceed as normal, but the results of the election would not be certified until Anderson rules on the case, which claims the state system is unconstitutional because it violates the one-man, one-vote principle. Early voting for the referendum began last week.

 Holy moly.  If the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, this kicks the consolidation vote up a notch.

All right, Democratic voters, NOW are you ready to get out and VOTE?  DO IT TODAY.

I guess this means I'm against the SCDP

From Shaun Fossett's Tweet:


 

Sad, isn't it. click on it to see it full-size.

Rebuild Government Is Going on KWAM 990 Every Thursday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2010

Contact: Bonny Kinney
             Communications Director
             Rebuild Government
             (901) 275-5500

Supporters of the New Charter Hit the Airwaves

Memphis, TN – Rebuild Government is excited to announce that it's taking its message to the airwaves! Beginning Thursday, September 2nd, you can hear the "Take Back Our Government" show every Thursday from 8-9 a.m. on KWAM 990.

We will talk about how the new charter can make government better for everyone in our community, regardless of where they live. We are excited that more and more people are joining our campaign to create a more efficient government that eliminates waste, guarantees strong ethics, removes duplication, and powers our economy.

On this weekly radio program, we will talk with citizens who care about the future of our community as they decide how they will vote in the November referendum. We hope you will tune in to learn more about the opportunity for a new charter and a new government!
Memphis and Shelby County citizens will vote separately on the new charter November 2, 2010.

Rebuild Government is made up of concerned citizens who organized in 2009. The purpose of Rebuild Government is to create public awareness and foster a county-wide conversation about the need for a new government. You can learn more about Rebuild Government at www.rebuildgovernment.org.

What do you mean you're AGAINST consolidation?

Let Steve Ross explain himself at VIBINC, it is a terrific read, go there now.

Well, Vibinc has taken the ball and run...

For a couple of touchdowns, at least.

Our blogging compadre takes the subject of my earlier post on consolidation and takes it to another level:

Herenton’s been beating this drum since the mid-90’s, and he has some compelling arguments in his favor. Unfortunately, at least this time around, he brings up consolidation with no plan, other than the tyranny of the majority, in the form of a state constitutional amendment. A sales pitch like that will have the starving running away from free food.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, here's another morsel:

Aside from the linguistic intricacies there are some structural issues that could also be a barrier to a unified County government. Currently, the cities of Arlington, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington, cities that would be consolidated, have 32 Aldermen between them. If there are some 250,000 people in those 6 communities that amounts to a representation rate of 1:7800, far better than the current rate in the City of Memphis, 1:50000. Would you give up that level of direct representation without some guarantee that what you were getting was either as good, or better? I didn’t think so.

Now, you need to go over there to get the rest of it; you'll be glad you did.

Hi, Mr. Mayor. Could we talk for a minute?

First, Happy New Year, here's hoping you are well.  I want to be supportive here, as this is one of those subjects on which we agree, consolidation.  It would clearly be better for all citizens in this county if all services were consolidated.  We'd have to let G-Town keep GPAC, and Bartlett could keep BPACC, but still, it's a wise deal for everyone.

I understand your frustration here, but maybe your suggestion about how the referendums should be conducted might not have been the best way to approach the part of the County outside Memphis.  Oh, I know, they would still get a vote as County residents, and it might have been represented by at least one media outlet as the equivalent of tanks rolling down Poplar Avenue, but still, it DID seem a bit heavy-handed.

Look, don't take this personally, we're on the same side here and I want to see this happen as much as you do.  I think you should listen to Calvin Anderson here, I think he's going in the right direction.  You need to work on this quietly, and take yourself out this as much as you can.

I want to address this as delicately as I can, so here goes:  if you REALLY want to see this get through, you should make a public announcement that you would NOT consider running for a consolidated County Mayor's office.  Simply put, you are a lightning rod, and there are a LOT of people who would vote for this if you were out of the equation.

Look, don't get offended, I KNOW that there are lots of people out there who want Memphians to continue to subsidize their lifestyle so they don't have to pay their fair share of property taxes.  However, there are more people out there than you might think that will support consolidation.

Look, you know yourself who should be the front person for this effort, it's your buddy across the mall, you know he could sell refrigerators in Alaska in January.  Sadly, sir, this is not one of your strong points, even after 16 years in City Hall.  Take yourself out of the equation PUBLICLY, if not privately, and this can get done.

It might even be your crowning achievement, but you have to take one for the team.

Thank you for your time!