vibinc

It’s Really a Simple Question

Today, the Shelby County Commission voted the Metro Charter Commission Resolution out of committee. The final vote on the resolution will be this coming Monday. Tuesday will likely see a spirited debate in the Memphis City Council on the same issue.

There have been a lot of things said about this resolution, and a lot more worry and conjecture, but to my mind the question is simple:

Do you want to have a frank discussion with actionable results about local government or not?

That’s all the resolution does. It sets up a legal framework under Tennessee state law for a frank discussion of what our government in Shelby Co. should look like and makes it actionable by the constituents in Shelby Co.’s jurisdiction.

What are those actions?

This resolution would give us the opportunity to engage in a conversation with people who have the authority to help us craft a government that is more responsive to us in a way that we want to be responded to. I won’t cast aspersions on either of the primary governing bodies here in Shelby Co. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think ANYBODY, including many of the members, believes they are as effective as they could be. This gives us the opportunity to have some say, other than who we vote for, in the way our government operates.

Once a draft charter is crafted, we can vote it up or down. It’s that simple.

Isn’t that what most of us have been asking for for years?

The resolution passed Committee in the County Commission today, meaning it’s very likely that it will pass again on Monday. The outlook on the Memphis City Council is not so clear. Contact your City Council members, tell them you support a frank discussion of local government and ask them to support the Metro Government resolution.

If you don’t know who your Council Members are, use the precinct locator to find them.

REMEMBER you have as many as 4, one single district and 3 super district members. Contact all of them at the email addresses below.

Memphis City Council

Bill Morrison, District 1
Bill Boyd, District 2
Harold Collins, District 3
Wanda Halbert, District 4
Jim Strickland, District 5
Edmund Ford Jr., District 6
Barbara Swearengen Ware, District 7
Joe Brown, District 8 Pos. 1
Janis Fullilove, District 8 Pos. 2
Kemp Conrad, District 9 Pos.1
Shea Flinn, District 9 Pos. 2
Reid Hedgepeth, District 9 Pos. 3

Update: Fixed the link to Kemp Conrad’s email address.

Posted

in

, ,

by

Steve Ross

Tags:

Comments

  1. Tom Guleff

    Steve,

    Thanks for posting. I live in midtown. I’ve been “broken into” 4 times in the last 3 years. That’s not counting the 4 times my lawn mower shed has been broken into. Also, the numerous times (+8) that something comes up missing or stolen from my yard, my backyard, my car, my porch, etc. If the government can’t provide the most basic services, then we have a problem. The 16 above events are symptoms of a crisis that is bigger than consolidation. The frank discussion of local government is taking place outside of Shelby County and outside the city limits. I don’t see this move toward consolidation fixing the core problems of my city. I guess we’ll see how this plays out.

    Reply
  2. Steve Steffens (LWC)

    This is about several things. First, the realization that it is going to take all in the region to help solve this problem, because the region requires a solid core in Memphis if it is to prosper and survive. This means finding a way to equalize the tax burden among all its citizens and not penalize Memphis for staying and fighting for the city.

    It’s going to take a commitment from all of the citizens of the region (as you have done, Tom, by staying) to make this work. The region cannot survive without a healthy core, running away will not work and those who think that they can move far enough away to avoid dealing with the issue are deluding themselves.

    Reply
  3. Why Now – Metro Government Resolution– Rebuild Government

    […] I said before, regardless of whether this is ultimately successful or not, we DO need to have a frank and actionable discussion about local government. We’d just as well start that discussion now. (No Ratings Yet)  Loading … […]

    Reply
  4. Be a Part of the Conversation– Rebuild Government

    […] in August, before the Metro Charter Commission was formed, I wrote a post about having a “frank and actionable discussion” about government. Yesterday, at Shelby Farms, […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.