Two things make my Mayoral decision easier

First, despite dazzling us at Drinking Liberally, and answering my questions, I still have had my doubts about AC Wharton. Have you ever had the feeling that something or someone was too good to be true? Well, after County Mayor Wharton made his ten choices for the Merger Commission, they were realized. County Commissioners gave Mayor Wharton 41 choices for the Commission, but he only used THREE. That's right, THREE, he ignored the Commission and chose the other seven himself.

Let's look at them, shall we? Here they are:

The nominees are:

• Millington Mayor Richard L. Hodges
• Former Collierville Mayor Linda Kerley
• County Commissioner J.W. Gibson of Memphis
• Julie Ellis, an attorney at Butler Snow PLLC
• Lou Etta Burkins, FedEx Express project engineer of unincorporated Shelby County
• Andre Fowlkes, Memphis Small Business Chamber executive director
• Billy Orgel, Tower Ventures developer, of Memphis
• Chris Patterson, an attorney atWiseman Bray PLLC of Germantown
• The Rev. Randolph Meade Walker, pastor of Castalia Baptist Church
• and Rufus Washington, retired U.S. Marine and president of Southeast Shelby County Coalition.

Hodges is ANTI-consolidation, and he's on the Commission? Great, just great. Kerley? Actually, I give him thumbs up for that, as she appears to be reasonable. Rev. Walker? Sure, he will help among skeptical members of the African-American community.

Billy Orgel? What, Jackie Welch was busy????? This, I do NOT understand, and I know he is one of the CITY votes.

I'm just not at all thrilled with most of this bunch, and they make up two-thirds of the group, if approved by the County Commission. I only hope Myron Lowery now chooses five for the City before the election, in the event he is not chosen as full time Mayor.

Although, I have to tell you, I am beginning to sense a shift in Myron's direction, and not just because he has held his own in that poll over on the right side of the blog. People LIKE what the Mayor Pro Tem is doing (unless they are buds with his predecessor) and are seriously considering voting for him. Despite the AC's, er, the CA's best efforts to move Mayor Wharton across Main Street, people know that the Dalai Lama situation was overblown.

Mayor Lowery(I'm really beginning to like the sound of that) may have helped himself even more on Tuesday with a speech before the Rotary Club, where he told the crowd of 200 that, if elected on October 15, he will NOT seek re-election as Mayor in 2011.

That would allow him to continue the massive cleanup of city government which he has undertaken, and which has won him a great deal of approval all over the city. yes, I know he over-reached at the beginning, but his heart has always been in the right place and his head is there as well.

I'm still waiting until Election Day to vote, but I have a much clearer picture today of where I am headed with this vote. At the end of the day, if the incumbent is doing what we desperately need him to do, why change?

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.

If this is how 2007 starts, I wonder how it will end!

Look, I didn't get home until 4 this morning, didn't get up until 11 and other than watching the Hogs lose, Tennessee get beat (Heh!) and Michigan go belly up YET AGAIN in the Rose Bowl, I have been out of it.

OK, so I learn that, at Councilor Myron Lowery's new year's Prayer Breakfast, my Congressman is endorsing his friend of over 30 years for his old Senate seat. No shit, really??? The only surprise would have been if he HADN'T endorsed Beverly Marrero after Kevin Gallagher withdrew in her favor.

You want to talk batshit crazy, though, the Mayor topped everyone this morning at his OWN Prayer Breakfast when he announced that the Liberty Bowl needed to be replaced with a brand-new 50,000 seat football stadium. WTF???????????

OK, yes, the Liberty Bowl is 43 years old and over-sized for the U of M Tigers, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the Southern Heritage Classic at 65,000 seats. Ask anyone who goes there on a regular basis, though, and they will tell you that the problem isn't due to age, it's due to mismanagement by the Memphis Park Commission (not enough gates open, understaffing, etc.).

Not only that, the time to have built a new stadium was 15 years ago when we were trying to get an NFL team here. That ship has sailed forever, however, and we really don't need a new stadium, just better operators for a building that has events what, 12-15 times a year?

Next, given that we are lacking in cops on the street, code enforcement and whatever else you can think of, how are we going to pay for this stadium? I'm a Tiger fan, but let RC Johnson, Fred Jones and Steve Ehrhart raise the money on their own for a new field, we can't afford it now. PERIOD.

The Mayor, ever his own worst enemy, now apparently seems bound and determined to blow the political capital he earned last year with the implosion of the Fords and his endorsement of Steve Cohen. This idea is lovely if we were flush with cash, but we're nowhere NEAR that right now.

As always, Polar Donkey kicks it up a notch, just go read it here.