"The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. ”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
The rest of my picks for people who deserve your support are in the Democratic Primaries. First, let's get the toughest out of the way first. With regard to Senate District 30, I like both Beverly Marrero and Sara Kyle. If I lived in that district, I would vote for Beverly because I know her better and believe that her views are a tad closer to mine than Sara, because Beverly would not have voted for the Bible bill. That said, I also understand that the majority of Sara's constituents may not believe that that was a bad vote. They are both good people, but my vote would go to Beverly. There are NO Democrats running against Mark Norris in Senate 32, so I have no dog in that hunt. Now, for the House races; you might see that I tend to favor incumbents. Well, I know most of them and have for a while now, so yes, other than House 90, I tend to support our folks in Nashville. Larry Pivnick is unopposed for the nomination in House 83, he will challenge incumbent Mark White in the fall. Joe Towns is unopposed, period, ih House 84 and I am happy for that. Congratulations!
Johnnie Turner deserves re-nomination and re-election in House 85, she is a powerhouse. Also note that the Keith Williams listed as opposing her is NOT the Keith Williams who ran for City Council last year or County Commission two years ago. it wouldn't matter to me any way, no reason that Ms. Johnnie should not win! Barbara Cooper is unopposed for renomination in House 86 and will face a Republican, probably George Edwards, in the fall. Barbara Cooper works her butt off for the district and is more than worthy of your vote. No one was dumb enough to challenge Karen Camper for re-nomination or re-election in House 87, and she would have beaten them like a drum any way. She is one of our stars in Nashville. Larry J. Miller, a veteran and one of the foundations of the Shelby delegation, faces Stephen Christian in the House 88 primary. Stephen is a good guy, but I am backing Larry Miller here. Well, I know I buried the lede here, but Raumesh Akbari, the worthy successor to the late Lois DeBerry in House 91, was named yesterday as THE ONLY TENNESSEAN to speak at the Democratic National Convention next week. She will be one of the speakers on Thursday night before Hillary Clinton officially accepts the Democratic nomination. Huge congratulations to a true rising star in our city and state! Congratulations to GA Hardaway for his renomination and re-election in House 93, he is unopposed. No Democrats in House 95, so I have no interests there. if the GOP insists on renominating Curry Todd, that's on them. In House 96, Dwayne Thompson has opposition in the Democratic Primary in charter-school advocate Earl Leflore. Even if Dwayne Thompson weren't one of my political godfathers, the mere fact that LeFlore advocates for charters, which I truly believe exist only to suck money away from public schools, that would be enough to endorse Dwayne for nomination. House 97 has no Democrats, so Jim Coley is re-elected. I know him, if we have to have a Republican, he is the one to have. Now, in House 98, Antonio Parkinson, another of our rising stars, has been targeted by the pro-charter community because he fights endlessly to save our public schools. He busts his butt for workers AND small businesses in Raleigh and Frayser, and that's before we even get to his annual Block Parties for Peace. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU SEND THIS MAN BACK TO NASHVILLE; we cannot afford to lose him. I am not even going to bother to tell you who his opponent is; just renominate Antonio Parkinson. Republican Ron Lollar is unopposed in House 99, so no Democrats, no endorsement. I hit the high notes in the first post, so there you go with the rest of them, and please come out to Celtic Crossing next Thursday, even if you are an old fart like me!
Oh, and VOTE EARLY! You have until July 30 to do so.
Don't know where to go? Visit this site and it will give you the locations.
First, I have the Federal Democratic primary for the 9th District:
I have had four Congressmen since living in Memphis, three of whom I have had the ability to vote for in an election. That Steve Cohen is able to do all that he does for this city and its constituents despite being in the minority, party-wise, speaks to his abilities as a legislator, which he has done for a decade in Washington and 24 years before that in Nashville. I am not even mentioning the people who filed against him, because they have no relevant records to match his.
I am proud to have called him by friend for well over 30 years, and I trust him to do right by Memphis, I am voting for Steve Cohen's re-election and I hope that you will as well.
In State House District 90, it is past time for a change. Once upon a time, John Deberry would vote with the Democratic leadership on economic issues, then vote for the most right-wing issues imaginable on social issues, which could be kept in check by the Democratic leadership. Once the GOP assumed super-majority status, he has, sadly, become a shill for those who would destroy public education. Mailers are being sent out on his behalf by PAC purporting to support children. They support children the way Colonel Sanders supports chicken.
Fortunately, as I mentioned a few months ago, those of us in House District 90 have a MUCH preferable option in Tami Sawyer. She is an activist in every sense of the word, and works for the betterment of EVERY citizen in the district, regardless of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, class or any other division. She is out there every day meeting with voters and letting them know they don't have to settle for someone who sells them out in Nashville.
I ask you to vote for Tami Sawyer in House 90.
Now, to the judges and General Sessions Court Clerk.
I have a solid rule about judges: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I am not an attorney nor do I play one on TV, so I rely on their opinions about who would be the best candidates for each office, and they have yet to let me down. I understand that there are those who feel that since the majority of attorneys tend to be white, this works against qualified African-American attorneys seeking these positions.
Which leads to my second Rule: if this is a non-partisan race, and you are a challenger to an incumbent, you have to make two cases. First, you have to explain why the incumbent needs to be replaced (presumably due to malfeasance or misfeasance of duty) and second, why YOU should be the person to replace them.
For those reasons, I am supporting three incumbents. For General Sessions Court Clerk, I am supporting Democratic nominee Ed Stanton for re-election with the caveat that his office needs to be helpful with the project that Just City is trying, with little success, to apply in Memphis. I have heard of no other problems with his stewardship, so I am voting for him. But I will be watching.
In Circuit Court, Division 3, Valerie Smith was appointed to fill the massive void left by the passing of the legendary D'Army Bailey. She is a solid fair, jurist to this point and is highly respected by her peers. I am voting to keep her in office.
Here's the tough one for me: Jim Newsom was appointed to fill the unexpired term of former Chancellor Kenny Armstrong, who moved up to the state Court of Appeals. He, too, is respected by his peers at the Bar Association. One of his opponents is Joe Jenkins, whom I have met on more than one occasion and I like him a lot. I think either would be worth your vote here.
Tomorrow, I will talk about the races in which I don't have a vote, except for the 8th District GOP primary. Any race where Mark Luttrell is attacked as a "Obama Liberal" is beyond comprehension and they are clearly trying to reach people who no longer live on this planet.
UPDATE - June 29: As the events of the last few days have indicated, This post is now more needed than ever. Even if it means Bryan Carson walks away scot-free (and I refuse to assign his actions to deviousness when simple, ok, complex, ineptitude will do), the SCDP needs to go.
NOW.
Anyone who thinks that this party as currently constituted can provide ANY assistance whatsoever to any Democratic candidates is deluding themselves beyond reasonable measure. Their focus, no matter WHICH side we are talking about, is NOT about doing the things that elect candidates: raising money, registering voters, training candidates and volunteers in the campaigning arts and sciences, you know, THOSE THINGS THAT HELP PEOPLE WIN.
I am more done with them than a two-hour steak, even if I admit that Del Gill initially had the correct idea: Drop the amount below $25,000, go get a judgment against Carson in General Sessions, and be done with it. No, the SCDP couldn't even do that right.
There are people working to try and make it work, but, you know what? I do not believe it's workable. As for the rest of my argument, I made it down below.
BLOW IT UP, MARY.
Don't MAKE me replace the Randy Newman video with a video of the end of OLD YELLER. Put it out of its (AND OUR) misery
.
Let's face it, we have all been in denial for a while now. The Shelby County Democratic Party has been dying for several years right under our noses, and all of us, INCLUDING ME, have been whistling through the graveyard while pretending that it actually meant something.
Don't think so? Really? When is the last time a Presidential Campaign sent money to Memphis for a national campaign? 1996, that's when, the last re-election campaign of Bill Clinton and Al Gore. It was also the last year Harold Ford SENIOR was in office (to distinguish himself from his succeeding offspring, who looked just liked him but voted NOTHING like him). That was the last year something that could reasonably be called the Ford Machine existed; most of those who helped Senior from 1974 in his historic campaign for election have gone to meet their maker or retired from politics
The political kids Senior raised tried to keep it going, but found themselves out-organized by different groups such as those led by Sidney Chism or Desi Franklin. The last of the old-time chairs was the late, lamented Rep. Kathryn Bowers, whose term came to a premature end due to the TENNESSEE WALTZ Scandal. She knew not only how to raise money, but to increase turnout, which she did without any DNC money for the 2004 elections.
This, of course, was also the beginning of the end for Democratic dominance in Nashville, which accelerated when Senator Rosalind Kurita, having just been shafted by the DCCC in her race against Harold Ford JUNIOR in 2006 (Kiss My Ass Chuck Schumer), got her revenge by flipping her vote for Lieutenant Governor from the aging John Wilder to the pro-business, pro-Randian Ron Ramsey of Blountville. The downward spiral reached its nadir with the 2010 elections, when white people who had always voted Democratic because THOSE DAMNED YANKEES THAT KILT MY GREAT GREAT GRANDPAPPY were astonished that the Party of Lincoln was now the Party of Jefferson Davis and that Democrats had gone and elected one of them (BLEEP)S as President.
In addition. the attempts by the local party to elect people to countywide offices that had no business running, accelerated the decline. Chairs came and went, and only Rita Clark (3 terms as Assessor), her hand-picked successor Cheyenne Johnson, General Sessions Court Clerk Ed Stanton (who might not be re-elected, not because of job issues, but because of a TN-08 GOP primary that will jack up turnout) and AC Wharton, whose two elections as County Mayor were marked by high white GOP support, were elected to County offices as Democrats.
The good ole boys who had filled the offices before, and did not really feel like these offices should be partisan, felt like they had to file for re-election as Republicans. Why? Because, they felt that they could not win a Democratic Primary against opponents and a Democratic electorate that was populated by a majority of people of color.
Because they had run their offices quietly without hints of trouble and because they were competent, they won re-election easily. With Democratic candidates make promises and statements that had nothing to do with the offices themselves (or showing any real KNOWLEDGE of how those offices worked, with the notable exception of Wanda Halbert), Democrats were routed at the polls.
And the Democrats who were supporting these candidates never figured it out. They believed that if you claimed to be a Democrat, you OWED these candidates a vote, because the opponents were REPUBLICANS. While for legislative offices and policy making offices like Mayor or Sheriff, that may have made sense, for Court Clerk positions, where the real issues involved competence, that was flat out crazy.
You see, for these folks, it was about getting OUR people in those offices so they could fire THEIR people and hire OUR people. Not about competence or any trivial matter like that, but about jobs and patronage.
Y'all, this is NOT Cook County and we do not roll like that. Not since Crump. And, frankly, it's not ever going to be like that again.
This is the major part of the problem, what separates this party into camps, is that we have no clue what we stand for. You have the old-guard white liberals that fought against the County primary idea in the 80s, and the people who came into power with Mayor Herenton in the 90s who want to hire their folks over the old folks.
Now, it's time for the first tough truth-telling: THIS is the point where we began to lose white folks, and I have talked about this a decade ago, and no one would listen to me.
Say, and why not, you are in the middle of a county-wide campaign, and you are attempting to ask a friend or neighbor to vote for a Democratic candidate for one of the County offices. You get into the spiel before you are stopped and told this: "Look, I vote Democratic in the legislative and executive races, but I have a spouse/child/sibling/parent/friend who works in that office, and if the Democrat is elected, they lose their job, and they really need it. I just can't go there with you."
What on earth can you say to that?
Let's look at another major problem we have: Because of the way legislative districts are drawn, there are rarely competitive races in the general elections any more. Look at this year. Outside of District 96, what seat has the possibility of changing hands in November? NONE.
The races are all in the primaries, which hurts because Democrats do not turn out in the primaries, thinking that the only races that matter are in November. Because our Countywide races are in August, we start out at a disadvantage. Not only that, but our incumbent legislators, who are trying to turn out THEIR voters but NOT those of their primary opponent, aren't really much help. Frankly, they don't turnout their folks in November any more, because they have already been re-elected at that point.
So, what does all this have to do with the SCDP? With no real strong figure in charge, the Executive Committee is filled with the people who are looking to make money off the party on one side, and the old guard who want to elect Democrats, but are outvoted and overrun by those who obsess over procedural matters. Why else have we as a Party done NOTHING to stop sample ballot peddlers who use our Democratic name to fool voters??? They are leeches who add no value to what we are supposed to do.
Because we have no power in Nashville, and no power in the county Building (where there are a couple of Democratic Commissioners willing to sell out the party at a moment's notice), and because we can't seem to manage our money properly, who in their right mind would give the SCDP one red cent?
This, of course, was capped a couple of weeks ago with the resignation of SCDP Chair Randa Spears, who left due to an increased workload at her day job. Ryan Poe wrote about it at the CA yesterday, if you missed the story.
Yes, in seven of those years (1997-2003 and 2014), I sat on the ExecCom and I have to take partial responsibility for what has occurred. The fact remains, with no money coming in or any real reason for there to be any money coming in, the local party, in the county with the largest Democratic voting bloc in the state, finds itself completely irrelevant.
This is why I respectfully request that the Tennessee Democratic Party and its terrific Chair, Mary Mancini, put this body out of its (and OUR) misery and pull its charter. We really have to destroy the Party in order to save it. Get a group of good Democratic lawyers, along with with solid Democrats, young and old, who have campaign experience, to re-write the bylaws in order to drive the leeches out of the party, and to have an Executtive Committee that has the same damned number every time, for the sake of stability's sake.
And let's give them time to do it. For heaven's sakes, the Party nominee for president will carry Shelby and four other counties regardless if there is a SCDP structure in place. Same with the legislators, same with the Congresspeople.
Every second we wait is a second that we fail to have a real Democratic Party structure in the largest Democratic Party in the south outside Atlanta (Florida never counts), and we cannot truly hope to re-establish Democratic strength in Tennessee until this happens.
I have known John Deberry, my current State Representative for District 90, for many years. He is a nice man, a minister when he is not in the Legislature. I supported him for Senate District 29 in a special election several years ago, which he lost to Ophelia Ford.
He had a reputation as a social conservative then and still does. A lot of bills he supported then were quashed when Democrats controlled the legislature, and for good reason. On fiscal issues, he voted with the Democrats, as he should have.
Then, 2010 happened, redistricting happened, and in the GOP rush to eliminate as many white Democrats as possible, they threw Deberry in with Jeanne Richardson, wiping out her old District 89 in the process. Something else happened as well: pro-"education reform" advocates began to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on Deberry's behalf. That, combined with the removal of most of Richardson's support from the new district, ensured that Deberry would be elected with ease, and he was.
Since then, he has voted with the GOP more often than not, hardly reflecting the values of his district, which is a damn shame. It is time for a change, and we have a way to make that change.
Activist Tami Sawyer filed today for House District 90, and I am proud to announce my support for her. Educator, veteran, entrepreneur, she does it all, serving on boards of civic organizations like the local branch of Planned Parenthood, and working with other organizations such as The Links and Hattiloo Theatre.
I believe Tami Sawyer more accurately reflects the values of the entire district, and I wholeheartedly support her for this race. I hope that you will as well.
For those who may not have heard, the greatest Democratic orator since Franklin Roosevelt (and I MEAN that) and the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, is coming to town to speak at my alma mater, Whitehaven High School, this evening.
Whitehaven, people, which, as my friend and brother Del Gill will tell you is the center of the Democratic universe in Shelby County. It is the center of what remains of middle-class African-American life in Memphis.
To my brothers and sisters of the Democratic faith who are supporting Hillary: Go and enjoy and revel, because hearing The Big Dog preach the Democratic gospel is one of the great joys of life.
To my brothers and sisters who are, as I am, supporters of Bernie Sanders, let's think about this for a moment. The DAY after taking a whipping in New Hampshire, the Clinton campaign decides to send Bill Clinton to WHITEHAVEN, on the SECOND day of early voting, BEFORE THE SATELLITES HAVE EVEN OPENED. Where Hillary should be worshipped as a goddess, where she should theoretically have no problems in the March 1 election, am I right?
Think about that for a moment, but not TOO long. That TELLS you they are vulnerable and we as Sanders supporters have to SEIZE this moment and take every advantage of it. WE CAN WIN SHELBY COUNTY. If it were out of play, 42 would not be speaking tonight at Whitehaven High School.
It's up to us. Gotta go to work, enjoy the day, people!
He had yet to issue an official statement, but it IS the right decision. I do think that, further down the road, if the Congressman decides he has had enough, Harris would be the out and out favorite to succeed him in the 9th District.
Right now, though, we need him in Nashville fighting Ron Ramsey and the Koch Brothers, so thank you, Senator, for a wise decision, and keep up the good fight on Capitol Hill!
*With apologies to the late, lamented Lewis Grizzard
After a week that has seen the deaths of the Genius of All Arts David Bowie and the intensely gifted actor Alan Rickman, comes word this afternoon of the passing of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey at the way-too-young age of 67. Frey, the McCartney to Don Henley's Lennon, co-wrote and sang on many of the 70s' greatest hits, and had a not-too-shabby solo career, with hits like YOU BELONG TO THE CITY. The man lived a full life, and I thank him for all he gave the world.
Speaking of the world, there seems to be a real battle for the direction and soul of the Democratic Party these days, one side led by the Woman Who Would Be President and the Guy Who Just Got in The Party but, who, in reality, has been fighting for the REAL Democratic Values for the last 30 years,
I am voting for Bernie Sanders because he is doing his damnedest to bring the party back to the values of its greatest leader, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. For his troubles, Sanders is drawing larger crowds than his opponent, Secretary Clinton, and seems to be making inroads as new polls come out each day in the various states.
Secretary Clinton has the backing of the Party establishment, such as she did eight years ago, when it all collapsed on her because, frankly, she may well be a solid President but she is a terrible candidate. No, seriously. Simply put, the people who are showing up to Sanders rallies are there because they actually feel like voting FOR someone that they believe stands for them and WITH them.
They left the Party because of the neoliberal views of the Secretary and her husband, that charming rascal, the Big Dog himself, everyone's second favorite 42 after Jackie Robinson. Truth is, of course, 42's treaties like NAFTA and GATT helped major corporations shift jobs overseas, gutting the American middle-class. He says it's a mistake; NOW he tells us.
I have been loathe to say much, because if the Secretary is the Democratic nominee, I will have no choice but to vote for her, as I cannot imagine what horrors a Donald Trump or Ted Cruz would impose on this nation with a full GOP Congress. However, the other Sanders voters may well just say screw it and stay home, taking down not only the Secretary, but all the down-ballot Democrats, of which we don't have that many left at the moment.
It's still a long way from the March 1 Presidential Primary, and I have these words for supporters of Secretary Clinton: BACK OFF. This is a PRIMARY, and I have the right to support whom I damn please. I REFUSE to stop fighting for Bernie Sanders unless it's mathematically impossible for him to win. I have been a Democrat since I learned to walk, but the Party needs to start moving in MY direction, not vice versa.
Closer to home, I note that Mayor Jim Strickland has decided to indefinitely place on hold the rollout for the body cameras for Memphis police officers. I understand completely why he did this; he is still getting settled and needs a little time to compare what he is being told by District Attorney General Amy Weirich and what he is being told by the community, who thought they would have been implemented by now.
It is obvious by now that little or nothing was done under the prior Wharton Administration to actually IMPLEMENT the cameras or work out how they would be implemented, like finding answers to questions about access and archiving. He has left Mayor Strickland a flaming bag of dog poo on the doorstep; however, Jim Strickland is an operations guy, not a sales guy, and he WILL get this figured out. Hell, that's why we VOTED for him!
Ok, I'm done for tonight, flame away on the various platforms!
Is what the Democratic Party USED to stand for. Sometime, in the 1980s, neoliberalism insidiously worked itself into our structures and moved us away from who we are and whom we are supposed to be.
I support Bernie Sanders for President because he understands where we HAVE to go to save the United States of America. Evolution and incrementalism is too slow.
Yesterday saw the swearing in of a new mayor in the city of Memphis. The first major change in the city's leadership since 1992. Jim Strickland took the oath of office along with new Court Clerk Kay "Mic Grabber" Robilio and 13 city council women (of which there are far too few) and men.
Jim's speech was 15 minutes outlining his stances on what we can do to work with the city to make it better. He attacked crime and blight, two tentpoles of his campaign.
I was a little disappointed that education and workforce development were addressed only briefly. I have been assured that these are to come though. As bad as crime is in this city that I love, we must educate our young people so that they stay and continue to progress this city. We cannot continue to have them flee the city and county for better jobs. We need to continue to work to bring those jobs here.
I said during the campaign that while I disagreed with Jim's stance on crime (a view shared by white liberals and younger African-Americans), it played well with older, more conservative whites and African-Americans and was the driving force behind his election. I hope that he can be successful and we do not have a school to prison pipeline. I want to see more public-private partnerships to help this. This is something that the private sector and public sector alone cannot do. They must work together to fix this.
I have seen attacks on Mayor Strickland for getting rid of the two employees of the Music Commission. His getting rid of it should be no surprise. He did not want it in the first place. While I think that we need a group that pushes Memphis music, it must be a group that looks to our future and not to our past.
Too often in this city that I love, we look to the past and not to the future. We run campaigns the same basic way we have for 30 years. We look to artists from 30-50 years ago. We do not look to the present or to the future. We cannibalize or deny opportunities for people to grow and become the future in order to maintain our present.
Jim has started the process of moving us into the future by cutting some dead weight and beginning the process of moving us into the future. The animal services director firing, the music commission erasure, and others are steps that show that we are breaking with the past to turn this city around and make it an example for the region.
Let's give him time to begin to turn this city around. This city has a lot of problems. Let's see if he can fix them, or begin to, because honestly, the way we were doing things was not working. Change is scary, but often necessary.
Jackson Baker and Bill Dries, looks like it's all on you again.
Kyle Veazey, who upon becoming political editor of the Commercial Appeal, coordinated with Ryan Poe and Linda Moore to revitalize political and governmental coverage there in a way not seen since Terry Keeter was alive, stunned everyone today with his announcement that he was resigning to work in the communications office of new Mayor Jim Strickland.
He made the CA readable again for something besides sports coverage and David Waters, and his FIRST WORD column was a must read for everyone who cares about politics and government not just in the city, but the region as well. I am certain it was a good offer for him to leave, but it's hard not to think that the recent acquisition of the CA (and Knoxville News-Sentinel) by Gannett had some part in his decision.
Gannett, who does for journalism what D-Con does for cockroaches, made all of the staff at the TENNESSEAN re-apply for their jobs in creating the "NEWSROOM OF THE FUTURE", which, in my opinion, has made the paper unreadable, Joey Garrison excepted. Transforming what had become a good paper under Journal News Group, after years of neglect from Scripps, into USA TODAY - Memphis edition, is nothing short of disheartening for those of us who love real journalism. I really feel for Ryan Poe and Linda Moore, who have done great work on the city and county beats, and hope that the incoming Gannetteers will allow them to do their jobs as they have done them.
Kyle, congratulations, but damn, I am going to miss FIRST WORD.
First, here are the locations, not as many as in the general election:
Abundant Grace 1574 Shelby Drive, 38116
Agri-Center International 7777 Walnut Grove Rd., 38120
Anointed Temple of Praise 3939 Riverdale Rd., 38141
Berclair Church of Christ 4536 Summer Ave., 28122
Dave Wells Community Center 915 Chelsea Ave., 38107
Glenview Community Center 1141 S. Barksdale St. 38114
Greater Middle Baptist Church 4982 Knight Arnold Rd. 38118
White Station Church of Christ 1106 Colonial Rd., 38117
Beginning Friday, November 6, 2015 and ending Saturday, November 14, 2015
Weekdays 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Saturdays, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Closed Wednesday, November 11, 2015 in observance of Veteran’s Day
I am supporting Dan Springer in the District 5 runoff because I believe he has the actual governmental experience to make a positive difference for our district. Having gotten to know him, I know he has the work ethic and the know-how to do the right thing, and he will represent EVERY area of District 5. I hope that if you live in 5, you will vote for him. He is also supported by erstwhile candidate Mary Wilder as well. I attended a gathering for him this evening in Midtown, and Dan took questions and made a great speech about what he sees for the future of the city. He was patient and listened and gave solid answers to the crowd gathered at the home of Sutton and Kerry Hayes. Kerry is the one who introduced me to Dan. Again, we have a short period of time to make a big difference, and I ask for your vote for Dan Springer for District 5!
Now to the other races.......
If you live in 2, Rachel Knox would be a great choice for Cordova and the far eastern parts of the city. Nothing against Frank Colvett, he is a nice guy, but I believe Rachel has the fire needed for the changes that must be made in the city.
District 3, I lean toward Keith Williams because I believe labor needs a spot at the table, but Patrice Jordan Robinson is a pretty good candidate and is a former MCS Board member.
District 4, if I had a vote, it would go to Jamita Swearengen.
District 7, I have no recommendation, it's your call.
The Council races are important because they will be working with the Mayor-elect Jim Strickland to attack the problems that this city faces. Please go check out these candidates,get off your butt and VOTE!
Well, as I am fond of saying, he might not have been my first choice, but he is far from the worst choice for District 5.
I supported John Marek for this seat, and was disappointed that he didn't make the runoff, I think he would have, and will be when he chooses to run for another office, an outstanding public servant.
This leaves us with 28-year-old Worth Morgan, and 32-year-old Dan Springer. After meeting with Dan this past week, I have decided to support him in the runoff for City Council. Yes, he has more GOP ties than I am normally comfortable with, but I figure Mayor Luttrell and DAG Amy Weirich can't get EVERYTHING wrong!
Dan has governmental experience, having worked for Senator Bob Corker and Shelby County Government. Unlike many of his GOP brethren, Dan believes in making government WORK and FUNCTION, and he understands that poverty is one of the city's biggest issues. He understands that we have to make sure that our police and firefighters receive what they need to keep our neighborhoods safe. Frankly, he didn't sound like the crazies you see on Fox News, and that's why I am supporting him for District 5. I am sure Morgan is a nice young man, but he needs to go out and get more experience.
Springer, however, is not too old for the job either, as it will take a lot of energy working on the issues that this city and region face. As you have noticed if you have read this blog this year, Jon and I have supported younger people for these offices, and we need fresh eyes and new energy.
For me, of the two remaining candidates, Dan Springer is the person who is most likely to represent this district as it needs to be represented. Mary Wilder has also asked that you consider Dan, and I hope that you will as well.
Early Voting for November 19th Run Off will be as follows:
Downtown Office October 30th thru November 14 from 10-4PM
Satellite Offices from November 6th thru November 1410-7PM weekdays and 10-4 PMSaturday. Offices will be closed November 11th in Observance of Veteran's Day
Location of Satellite Offices:
Abundant Grace..........1574 Shelby Dr
Agri-Center.........7777 Walnut Grove
Anointed Temple of Praise....3939 Riverdale Rd
Berclair Curch of Christ...4536 Summer Ave
Dave Wells Community Ctr....915 Chelsea
Glenview Community Center....1141 S. Barksdale
Greater Middle Baptist Church...4982 Knight Arnold
White Station Church of Christ...1106 Colonial
In order to comply with time frame for Ballot Approval, Certification of October 8th election was rescheduled from Oct 26 to this Friday Oct 23 @ noon. Please note changes for anyone planning to attend. As always I welcome and encourage attendance!
Welcome all of you coming over from FIRST WORD. Many thanks to Kyle Veazey for the link love!
First, for all you BERNIE SANDERS supporters (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), we have this missive from Laura Coleman Noeth:
Hey folks, be sure to join us Tuesday at 6:30 Democratic debate-watching party. It will be upstairs at Local in Overton Square. There will be fun things happening during the commercials and stimulating conversation and information throughout. Oh yea, it's sponsored by your local Bernie Sanders supporters. $5 admission goes toward local campaign expenses.
For those of you supporting what's-her-name that used to be a Senator, (just kidding! nudge-nudge-wink-wink), the Rincon Strategy Firm in Overton Square COOPER YOUNG is the place for you:
Debate
Watch Party
RSF
Office
902 S.
Cooper (Lounge)
Oct 13th
Starts at
6:30 – Debate at 8:00
Join us
for Bar B Q and Beverages
Hillary
for America - Official Event
Call
901-830-3283 for info
Undecided AND a Millennial? Then London Lamar has just the place for you, which also serves to raise support for the runoff campaign of our favorite District 2 candidate, Rachel Knox:
Join Millennials from across Memphis who are gathering to watch the first Democratic Presidential Debate by CNN in support of Rachel Knox. Rachel is a millennial who made it to the Memphis Municipal Run-off Election 2015; still giving us an opportunity to elect a millennial to Memphis City Council.
I encourage everyone to come by to watch the debate and meet Rachel.
There is no cost to attend but we are asking for donation to Rachel's Campaign.
Hope to see you all there! OK Then, pick one. Or sit home and watch it. Or watch the Cubs finish off the Cardinals in the NLDS! BWAHAHAHAHA!
Several months ago, I said it was time for a change and I was correct.
He and his campaign staff ran a tremendous campaign,
I disagree with him on his crime policy to a large extent.
However, I supported him for two main reasons.
He is not afraid to enact change on the status quo AND he is willing to change.
We have been under the decaying ruins of the Herenton regime for the last 16 years. If Herenton had left in 1999 or even in 2003, there would have been opportunities to keep the cronyism down.
Too often in the last 12 years, especially in the last 6, Mayor Wharton had opportunities to set a different path as County and then City Mayor and he did not. This is what helped bring him down. When people that used to be your base vote for someone else (Harold Collins and Mike WIlliams and, yes, Strickland) because they have lost faith in your ability to help them, then it is over for you.
Jim has a lot of work to do. He has priorities beyond crime and blight.
First, we need a better education policy. Prepare our students to get better paying jobs and be qualified for good, high paying jobs, not the $9 or $10 jobs. Outsourcing to private education and charters is not working. The i-Zone isn't great, but it is better. Local control of local schools. Finally, have your crime policy towards youth offenders make it easy for expungement and options other than fines and fees. Many of the people caught up in this cannot pay this and this will continue the cycle of poverty.
Second, you must reform the Memphis Animal Shelter. Appoint a new director of the shelter and a new director above them. Get someone new and young who will think outside of the box on ways to change it. Stay away from the cronyism that has run rampant there.
Third, enact CLERB and ensure that it is strong. We want all of our public servants to be held accountable.
Fourth, engage your opponents. Remember, you have a mandate, but it is fragile one.
All said, CONGRATS!!!!!! Enjoy tonight, for tomorrow you begin the transition.
SHELBY COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY: WE ARE NOT ENDORSING IN THE UPCOMING LOCAL ELECTIONS
Memphis, TN, September 22, 2015– The Shelby County Democratic Party wishes to reiterate that it has not and will not endorse candidates in the upcoming local elections.
There are several groups and individuals that distribute ballots and or publish ballots in exchange for financial consideration by candidates. They imply endorsement by the Shelby County Democratic Party. Absolutely none of these legitimately speak for the Shelby County Democratic Party.
Note: Early Voting is going on now.
·Early Voting ends October 3rd.
·Election Day is October 8th.
Recommendations of the Shelby County Democratic Party:
·Vote early at any of the Early Voting Locations listed at ShelbyVote.com. This is important because your voting location may have changed and problems can be resolved more easily during early voting
·If you cannot vote early, please visit ShelbyVote.com and use the Precinct Locator to make sure of your voting location for Election Day.
Nashville, Tenn. (September 21, 2015) – The Tennessee Democratic Party is pleased to announce that Democratic National Committee Chair and Florida Congresswoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Jackson Day Dinner.
“Tennessee Democrats are so pleased to welcome Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to Nashville,” said Mary Mancini, Chair of the TNDP. “Tennessee will be an important state for Democrats in the upcoming year and we are excited to hear her plans to help turn Tennessee blue again and for her to see how energized and determined we are to move our party forward.”
“I’m thrilled to join Democrats in the Volunteer State to celebrate their hard work and to chart a path forward for Democrats not only in Tennessee, but across the South and across the country” said DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “While Democrats are talking about strengthening the middle class and their plans to move the country forward, Republicans are promising to take us backward to the failed, trickle down policies of the past. Our candidates in Tennessee will continue to make that contrast clear.”
The Jackson Day Dinner, the TNDP’s largest fundraiser, will take place at 7:00 p.m., Friday, October 23, at OZ Arts Nashville, 6172 Cockrill Bend Circle, Nashville, TN 37209.
Wasserman Schultz, who has been Chair of the Democratic Party since 2011, is a strong leader in the House and an effective chairwoman for the Democratic Party. She was elected to Congress in 2004 and represents Florida’s 23rd Congressional District.
OZ Arts Nashville is the former CAO Cigars headquarters transformed by the Ozgener Family into a contemporary performance & installation space and event center.
To purchase tickets to Jackson Day, visit www.tndp.org.
I have serious and severe issues with the Jim Strickland 2015 campaign and his focus on youth crime. I think its reactionary. I think it plays to a group of voters who know nothing about youth outreach and how to improve the plight of back youth. I almost decided to vote for Mike Williams as a result. HOWEVER, Mayor A C Wharton has done little for the last 6 years he has held the Memphis Mayorship and little in the 7 years before that holding the Shelby County job to combat these either. He has continued the failing policies in all areas of Wharton. The same cronies are still there (Jack Sammons and the former CAO still being on the payroll). Jim at least would be open to changing his policies and his mind if and when they prove to not be working and would lead us in a new direction. Memphis deserves better than continuing the status quo. That is why I am not voting for Jim Strickland, that is why I VOTED for Jim Strickland.
I tweaked this post about the refusal of Memphians and Shelby Countians to elect women to executive positions, and with some excellent editing from my mentor, Jackson Baker, this is the result.
Also, if you see a copy of Lexie Carter's SHELBY DEMOCRAT on your newsstand, pick it up as well, as it has a copy of the original post, thanks to Lexie for that!
