Mayoral Race Malaise

I gotta tell ya, this has been one of the most disappointing election seasons ever. One would think that with an election as important as choosing our city leadership there would be some fireworks, some…something. Nope. It’s been as interesting as watching paint dry.

You have to wonder if that hasn’t been the strategy of our incumbent mayor. Keep it low and slow, make them come to me, and then don’t acknowledge them. It’s as if Herenton believes that if he doesn’t act like there’s an election going on people will forget and maybe not vote against him. Not necessarily a bad strategy for an incumbent in a three-way race with a sure 30% of likely (crazy) voters backing him.

So, if the Mayor won’t act like there’s an election, what about the challengers? What have they been up to? By all accounts, not much. I signed up for the Morris and Chumney email lists back at the beginning of the campaign and have heard not a peep from them since (though I hear tell of 4 a day from Morris from others, maybe they just don’t like me). What gives? It’s two days from Election Day, and not even a “hey go vote” email. Hmmmm. Something’s gotta give.

I hear tell of TV commercials and all this advertising stuff, but I don’t watch local TV if I don’t have to. In fact TV is just background noise for me when I happen to be home, which is not all that often. So, maybe I just missed that part.

I tried watching local news and found that it made me drink more, which for those of you that know me, know that’s not good. I just about need another bladder as it is.

Then there’s us bloggers. Where the hell have we been? Aside from the multiple daily screeds that emanate from ThaMATT who knows? I know where I’ve been…at the airport every damn week, where have the rest of us been?

Maybe I’m just too tuned into the national scene, which has always been my primary focus. Or maybe I just don’t know enough people to get the tasty morsels that I used to in Little Rock, but it seems to me like the entire establishment, traditional and independent, has let this one slip by.

Luckily, the voters haven’t. According to the CA, 74,000 of us have already voted. The Elections Commission figures around 150,000 will vote when it’s all said and done. For those of us supporting one of the challengers, like myself, I think that bodes well, Polar Donkey disagrees, but I guarantee at least one of us is right. In any case, I commend everyone who has already voted and those of you who will vote, regardless of choice, on the 4th. If nothing else, it shows you care about Memphis.

If you’re not planning to vote, change your plans. I don’t care if you’ve disagreed with everything I’ve ever written, it’s your civic duty to get out there and make your voice heard.

Here is a pdf of the voting locations and times.

If you don’t know your voting location go here.

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