Category: Memphis Politics

  • Shakedown 2: Role Reversal

    After the announcement from Memphis City Hall that Jack Sammons would be taking over as the City’s CAO, I wrote this post, pondering the issue as either a shake-up or a shakedown. At the end of the post I posed a question: Is this shakeup the move of a leader who recognizes he’s got a…

  • A Shake-up, or a Shakedown?

    Monday’s announcement that Jack Sammons was Memphis Mayor A C Wharton’s choice to take over as the City’s CAO is only surprising in that it took so long to happen. The mayor’s administration has been mired in criticism from city employees, and citizens who don’t feel they’re getting much in the way of anything (tax…

  • District 5 free-for-all

    The entry of District 5 Councilman Jim Strickland into the race for Mayor of Memphis has set up a free-for-all in the race for his district. Right now there are four people who have either declared, or are openly considering a run. I’ll be honest with you, I only know two of them, and a…

  • Outsourcing Substitutes…#sigh #scsk12 #budget

    Saving money is one thing, but the math doesn’t even work on this deal. Tonight the Shelby County School Board is going to consider a proposal to use Kelly staffing services to place substitutes for the district in the upcoming year. According to this article at the Commercial Appeal, the district doesn’t have the in…

  • ‘Bangers, Budgets and Bosses…a week in Memphis

    So it was kind of a weird week in Memphis. That’s not unusual I guess, but the way things worked out leaves a couple of bad tastes in my mouth…so, I’ve taken to writing aging for now. ‘Bangers Open carry is one of those things the NRA and groups like it have been pushing just…

  • On the proposed Peabody Place Convention Center

    Monday, Mayor Wharton opened the possibility that Peabody Place might be a good opportunity for increasing Memphis’ convention space on the cheap, without throwing more good money after bad (like we did in 2002) at the Cook Convention Center. Peabody Place has been vacant for the better part of four years, though it didn’t officially…