If the mayoral election was today...

[Memphis Love]

If the mayoral election was today for the City of Memphis, who would you vote for and why?

[UptownNewOrleans]

Under normal circumstances, Herenton would be my 1st choice but he's ran his course. Put some new blood in there. He hasn't done much in regards to the crime increase. Being mayor of a predominantly black city, how he refuses to add more police presence in ghetto neighborhoods is beyond me.

[mandrws1]

I would vote for Herman Morris because he did a great job managing MLGW and a good manager is what this city needs right now. He's well educated and is already a high earner, so he won't be in the job for the money and won't be easy to corrupt IMO. Chumney would've been my choice, but she flip-flops on so many issues. Its seems like she just likes to get on t.v. and talk about all of the city's problems instead of coming up with some solutions. And the solutions/ideas that she does come up with, she can't seem to get everyone on board and thats an important part of politics. I think Morris would be able to get a lot of support from the city council, et al.

[bigshow1991]

unfortunately, i would vote for carol chumney. she talks a lot but hasn't done much. herman morris is kind of old, herenton has done a good job for the city (despite what others say) and has had a great vision, but whether purposeful or not, he's drawn a line as 'us verses them', and a lot of suburnites just don't like him, with reason or not. unfortunately, and don't beat me up for this, i think memphis needs a white mayor (i'm black, so i can say that). Someone that whites/people moving out/people moving in/etc can identify with, so Memphis want be perceived as this black ghetto lead by another black man that may be in office forever. With Chumney as mayor, i think whites would feel more empowered to make a change in memphis rather than just leaving. I don't think she can do any harm, and i believe that if she messes up, then the citizens will be quick to kick her out. With Morris, i feel the city would be a little more forgiving.

[qwertycc]

^There may be some truth to that perception, but looking at the County side, it is clear that many surburbanites and whites support and love A.C. Wharton as mayor. I'm not sure it's so much a racial thing as it is the manner in which Herenton carries himself and his belligerence. He has done some great things for the city, but he has also done as much bad with his attitude and approach toward people. You don't bring the city together by telling people to leave. You don't solve social and racial problems by taking sides. And you don't win over naysayers to yourself or the city by seeing your actions and ideas as infallible and your mayoral position as your birthright. That's why we need new blood--Herenton has been great for downtown and good for business, but he has been just as good for alienation and the development of the suburbs and outlying counties. Political corruption has seemed to thrive under his watch (whether he has been involved or not is yet to be determined) as has crime, and, sadly, in the midst of the great potential the city has and has developed under Herenton, people here and abroad have less of a view of the city now than when he took over. It is certainly time for change.

Though I believe Herman Morris a good candidate for the job, he will be hurt by the political corruption tag since much of the MLGW corruption fiasco started under his watch (and some contend that it happened at his blessing).

I have never really cared for Carol Chumney or her limited ideas for change. She has opinions but never answers to problems or council items. She would probably be great for conservative spending and growth, if that's what people think the city needs. I, however, think that the city needs to try to spend and grow smarter rather than less. She seems to lack the business savvy and progressiveness Memphis really needs.

Why doesn't anyone for our esteemed business community ever consider running? We need someone with ideas and progressive strategies, but without the affinity for angering people that Herenton has. We need someone who can embrace and implement changes, perhaps even radical changes, to city policies, direction, and most of all, perception. We need someone to give us more credibility to the region, state, and nation. The 17th largest city in the nation needs to be seen positively, a place worth visiting, and place worth living. I think someone who has had vision and strategy (and ethics) in business would be our best bet.

[Memphis Love]

very well said qwertycc!!!!!

[Fellowmann20]

Well if I could vote, I would vote for Herman Morris. Just like mandrws1 said, this city needs a good manager and he fits that position nicely.

[UptownNewOrleans]

Herenton has strong intent on running for a 5th term. Herenton has done a good job running Memphis but @ the same time, he caters more to the suburbs than the city. He should be trying to bring Memphis & Shelby County instead of further alienating them.

[Fellowmann20]

Herenton has strong intent on running for a 5th term. Herenton has done a good job running Memphis but @ the same time, he caters more to the suburbs than the city. He should be trying to bring Memphis & Shelby County instead of further alienating them.

[memphman]

I think Herenton has done a good job and will do a good job in another term if we get a better city council. Right now, the council is full of idiots. We have convicted felons, guys with bad credit in charge of finance committees, and goons who go along with everything the mayor says. Where is the system of checks and balances if everyone does what the mayor says?! Since I don't see a good council getting voted into office, I would have to vote for Herman Morris. I honestly wish Myron Lowery were in the running. He's one of the coucil members who isn't afraid to vote against Herenton and he's always coming up with creative ideas for city management issues. I also think Wharton would make a good city mayor!

I don't see Chumney getting anything done in office. She's trying to please too many people instead of doing/saying whats best for the city.

[hgupta]

Can I change my vote? I had picked Chumney in that poll above because she was the best of the bad picks. But I never stopped to reassess my choice after Morris joined the race.

After really thinking about it for a bit, I think I should have picked Herman Morris. He actually has worked in an executive position, and did a terrific job. Like Chumney, he is an attorney, and so he knows how the system works and will actually read legislation that comes before him (unlike most of the other goofballs on the council).

I have a big problem with Chumney's failure to realize that the city can simultaneously address different issues. I know that the schools need improvement, and that we have a crime problem. But we it is possible to address those issues while making capital improvements as well. Especially when it comes to smart growth and light rail (which she is opposed to). I think we need to make smart growth improvements like light rail now. It is a long term solution that will reduce sprawl in the future.

Also, I've written her a couple of times to address issues in my neighborhood, and her response was always "thats they mayor's responsibility, and he's not taking caring of it." I know that he is stubborn, but I expect her to be able to work with him and other council members to get things done. Because that's what LEADERS do. If she wants to lead this city, then she needs to be able to get things done. She needs to be able to persuade other politicians and business leaders to get aboard her plans and ideas. I don't think she can do it. She has burned too many bridges to be able to work with others, and that makes her a Lame duck before she even gets into office.

[G-townTN]

Why doesn't anyone for our esteemed business community ever consider running? We need someone with ideas and progressive strategies, but without the affinity for angering people that Herenton has. We need someone who can embrace and implement changes, perhaps even radical changes, to city policies, direction, and most of all, perception. We need someone to give us more credibility to the region, state, and nation. The 17th largest city in the nation needs to be seen positively, a place worth visiting, and place worth living. I think someone who has had vision and strategy (and ethics) in business would be our best bet.

[Memphis Love]

Wow you might be right, Fred Smith would probably be a great mayor, but for the reasons you mentioned above, he would be stupid to run!

Accusing someone of being racist is a cop out, just ask the Fords.

[bluff2085]

Wow you might be right, Fred Smith would probably be a great mayor, but for the reasons you mentioned above, he would be stupid to run!

Accusing someone of being racist is a cop out, just ask the Fords.

[G-townTN]

I'd like to ask Harold Ford why he's commentating on Fox News and not considering a run for office.

[bigshow1991]

I think one reason why people from our business community don't run is because they are very competitive. Our city government is not competitive at all. They are more interested in fighting each other, taking bribes, and calling people racist when they step in the way of the bribes they are receiving. Our esteemed business community doesn't want conflict it wants a business environment.

Another reason is if they are white they probably wouldn't win because they are white. If they did win and they proposed a huge project to stimulate growth in the city, they would be called racist and accused of only catering to the wealthy.

If a white mayor goes after crime (everyone knows where the crime is located) he would most likely be considered racist and accused of racial profiling. There are just too many burdens that would weigh a truly worthy mayor down. It has almost gotten to the point where nothing can be done because of all the corruption and lack of forward thinking.

[sleepy]

His visit to Memphis and tour of Biomedical industries here, concluded with a town hall meeting in of all places....Oakland, TN. He is learning quickly from Pres. Bush on how to stick to his base. Ford was definitely the best choice to represent west tennessee.

[Rural King]

Off Topic: I agree Corker will never probably return to much of West Tennessee until he runs for re-election. One thing I can say about Lamar Alexander is that he does represent the entire state and works hard to support projects every nook and corner of every region. I have not seen that from our Junior Senator yet, so I hope he will learn from Alexander and start taking notice of the whole state and not just regions were he will get a friendly reception from donors.

On Topic: I have no dog in this fight, but Herenton was very nice and very personable the time I met him as a non-constituent (which was refreshing, as he seemed very sincere and interested in talking to me), and he seems to have been a pretty good mayor. The city definitely has a better image now then when he took office and has promoted good solid economic development despite crime and high taxes being drags on the city's efforts to bring in new industries and residents. The city may need a new mayor, as change is sometimes good for the sake of change, but I'm not up to speed enough on any of the candidates besides Chumney to give my opinion yet on the alternatives.

[mandrws1]

On Topic: I have no dog in this fight, but Herenton was very nice and very personable the time I met him as a non-constituent (which is was refreshing, as he seemed very sincere and interested in talking to me), and he seems to have been a pretty good mayor. The city definitely has a better image now then when he took office and has promoted good solid economic development despite crime and high taxes being drags on the city's efforts to bring in new industries and residents. The city may need a new mayor, as change is sometimes good for the sake of change, but I'm not up to speed enough on any of the candidates besides Chumney to give my opinion yet on the alternatives.

[Clobber]

There was an article on the Landing proposal, and it revealed something notable about Chumney's approach to progress. It showed that she didn't like the "modern design" of the landing. That, combined with many of her other objections, concern me regarding whether Chumney can do what's necessary to push Memphis ahead toward its potential. She may be good at plugging holes, but not dreaming the big dreams necessary to catapult the city to the next level.

Article: http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/...5550228,00.html

[Memphis Love]

clobber i actually somewhat agree with that, if she takes an old fashioned approach to something like this, then what's to say she will do it with every proposal once she is mayor.

[Clobber]

Yeah, part of being a leader is plugging up leaks, but another part of being a leader is vision to see world-class potential, risk to think big and be a pioneer, and leadership to pull disparate forces together and move a community forward. She seems too risk averse, much more suited for a suburban mayoral position than the mayor of a major metropolitan area.

They aren't mutually exclusive. And the latter is the part, particularly the vision and risk, is where Herenton was good at. He brought the NBA and major boxing. He brought up Memphis and the Olympics in the long term without joking. I appreciate and value that level of faith in our community's future. He has problems plugging leaks and over time lost his ability to pull disparate forces together. Hopefully our next leader retains that level of faith and optimism in our community, and is able to couple it with an ability to plug leaks and bring folks together.

[Memphis Love]

my question to you clobber is, who do you think would be the best person to replace Herenton that could do this? Wharton, Morris, Chumney, etc? I don't know that we have anyone that has stepped up that could produce those results, do u agree?

[Clobber]

my question to you clobber is, who do you think would be the best person to replace Herenton that could do this? Wharton, Morris, Chumney, etc? I don't know that we have anyone that has stepped up that could produce those results, do u agree?

[ballard100685]

i can't see myself voting for chumney. She seems to be anti-business to me and is also camera happy and for some reason thinks that the city can only tackle one issue at a time. i like the Fed Ex executive, Jim Perkins personally.