I’m Asking For Your Support

As you probably know by now, Mike Carpenter has left the County Commission to work on education issues in Nashville. While Mike and I have very different views on a lot of things, I respected the way he conducted himself, including the way he was willing to cross party lines for things he believed in.

Several years ago I was writing a series of posts about the Metro Charter Commission. In the process of those posts, Mike and I struck up a series of conversations. It is through those conversations, and his actions on the County Commission that I came to know Mike. We agreed on some things and disagreed on a whole lot of other things. Regardless of whether we agreed or disagreed on an issue, we were always cordial. I appreciated that about him.

When Mike announced his resignation some weeks ago, Ellyn and I talked about the possibility of seeking the appointment. We had a good long talk about the process that was ahead, and the realities that we were up against. Despite all the challenges, we made a decision, together, to go for it.

Tuesday I put in my application for the appointment to the Shelby County Commission, District 1, Position 3. Over the coming days I hope to talk to the members of the Commission as well as friends and supporters about this opportunity to serve the people of Shelby County.

I’m seeking this appointment because I am committed to transparency, accountability and public involvement. I believe that the only way we can really have a government of, by and for the people is to get people involved. Looking at the turnout numbers over the past several election cycles, it seems like this has been lost in our community. If appointed, I promise to do everything I can to involve the community and bring people together for the betterment of our county.

Several weeks ago I wrote a post called 10 Things to Make Memphis Stronger. The 10 things I laid out there apply not only to Memphis, but Shelby County as a whole. These things can only be accomplished together.

Regular readers of this blog know a lot more about me than you might think. Everything I publish in this space is a direct reflection on my philosophy about government, governing, policy and ways to make our community a better place for all of us to live, work and raise a family.

I’m asking you, the readers of this blog, to use your voice and support my candidacy for the appointment to this position. Doing this is really simple. All you have to do is write or call your County Commissioners and say you support Steve Ross for the appointment and hope they will too. You can find the email addresses for your County Commissioners here.

If you’re not sure who your County Commissioner is, just go here, type in your address, and on the 4th line of the second row is your County Commission district.

2 Replies to “I’m Asking For Your Support”

  1. I wish you the best of luck. You will make a wonderful commissioner. I used to live in your district, do I know a lot about the issues currently facing that section of Memphis. Thank you for taking a stand and action, Steve.
    Robin Wilson-Beattie

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