Roy Exum
Tennessee got quite a peek at its political barometer Thursday night in Memphis when A.C. Wharton, a once-popular black leader who has been mayor since 2009, was thoroughly trounced by Jim Strickland, currently on the City Council. Strickland, a white Democrat, may be the first step in bringing the now much-maligned West Tennessee city back to hope and reality. What no one can believe is that Strickland won with 42 percent of a relatively light vote and by a whopping 20 point -edge.
Memphis, as you may know, has turned into a nationally-recognized cesspool.
It ranks fourth on the FBI list of the worst cities for crime in the United States. In 2013, 124 murders, 437 rapes, 3,133 robberies, and 7,200 assaults were reported in Memphis - a total of 10,894 violent crimes. It’s a wonder Governor Bill Haslam hasn’t ordered the National Guard into the once-thriving river city.
But here’s what you must know: With Strickland’s overwhelming win, the city will soon have a white city mayor, a white county mayor, a white Congressman, a white sheriff, and a white district attorney. Is that racial? You bet, and the reason why is because the city has a 63 percent population of African-Americans and the county has a 53 percent majority of blacks. The black community wants change. They want better and now confirm the color of a person’s skin has zero to do with what’s right for everybody.
Is a white public official better than a black one? Absolutely not and anyone who buys into such bunk is an idiot. But a good leader is better than one who is average, or ordinary, and what the Memphis voters have just done is put the candidates they feel will serve everybody the best into office. I can’t tell you how refreshing I believe that is in our current social climate.
As the vote clearly illustrates, a huge crossover by the black voters is precisely what put a white man into city hall for the first time in the last 25 years. Memphis citizens, no matter which race, are furious over what recent leadership has done to their city. It’s been atrocious as the entire nation can see.
Most of all, they’ve watched as good, solid people – both blacks and whites – have left town. Get this, since the year 2000 the population has plummeted. As Strickland pointed out, “From 2000-2010 we lost 80,000. From 2008 (when Wharton was elected) to 2010, we annexed 110,000. We didn’t grow; we coerced them by annexing them. They voted with their taillights. But annexation days are gone,” he said, pointing to the fact that now under state law any suburb must approve annexation. “If we lose more population we are in trouble.”
He’s right. “Population loss is the No. 1 problem,” the mayor-elect said candidly “Detroit didn’t fail because of the economy – it (was because) it went from 1.8 million to 700,000.” Detroit, the most dangerous city in America, is No. 1 because in 2013 the FBI reported 316 murders, 618 rapes, 4,774 robberies, and 8,796 assaults -- a total of 14,504 violent crimes. Nobody alive wants to live in a place like that. Now Memphis wants better.
“The top two reasons people leave are crime and schools,” the mayor-elect said. In 2011 when Wharton unwisely ceased a higher police presence in high-crime areas – guess what -- criminal activity flourished to the point Memphis is today among the Top Five worst in America. "Crime is absolutely the worst thing holding Memphis back. We're not growing in population or jobs because of crime."
“The school situation depresses me, too. Last year we tested reading levels of third graders. Only 28 percent can read at that level,” the lawyer said, noting that the city council has no control over education any longer. (Watch to see what is going to happen with the Shelby County Board of Education.)
Strickland also pointed out the ousted Wharton tried to restructure the city’s debt to address the mounting financial problems. Wow, did he ever! “Now it will cost us $23 million more in debt payments than before. In 2020 it will be $40 million more.”
The black community is as disenchanted as the rest of the city, be it white, Hispanic or “other”. The proof is easy to see -- there is no way Strickland could have beaten Wharton without a huge racial crossover at the polls. And it’s hardly over.
There will be a record five run-offs for city council seats on Nov. 19, and, depending on the outcome, before the newly-elected officials take office on Jan. 1, there is a real possibility that the lame-duck mayor could be joined by at least 12 City Council members who will no longer be in office on New Year’s Day. What does that register on your anger meter?
The bitter truth is that Memphis is much like the rest of the nation. Americans, both black and white, are fed up with inept politicians who over-promise and under-deliver. And you’d better know this year’s voters are paying attention to everything. For instance, you have to wonder how much the Deidre Malone caper cost the ex-mayor.
Wharton had announced he would push for body cameras on all police officers, playing hard into the ‘black lives matter’ hysteria, and apparently a $4.5 million contract was awarded to TASER Corp. Shortly after that, Malone’s public relations company received an $880,000 check from TASER Corp. to provide “public relations and marketing for the new technology.”
But Malone, saying she was proud her minority-owned business had been chosen, was also Mayor Wharton’s campaign manager. There was an immediate outcry and, as Councilman Harold Collins quipped, “It looks sort of strange to me."
Mayor-elect Strickland said at the time: “I wouldn't have my paid campaign manager bidding on work involving the city. I just don't think that's the right way to do things."
So about a week before Thursday’s election came the announcement: “The contract between The Carter Malone Group, LLC and Taser International has been cancelled effectively immediately by mutual agreement. I want to reiterate that nothing was done that can be considered unethical or improper. I stand by the fact that I obtained the contract based on my firm’s qualifications and body of work and not for any other reason.”
Be that as it may, a lot of disenchanted people are fed up with Memphis politics and, obviously, they have now spoken. What is going to happen when the rest of Tennessee realizes they can be part of change during this election cycle?
royexum@aol.com