And, by and large, they are confident of City Council Chairman Myron Lowery's ability to take the reigns in the interim.
City Councilman Harold Collins said the mayor has been telling city officials for months of his plans, "so I'm not shocked."
And, not losing sight of Herenton's legacy amid talk of successors, Collins said the controversial mayor served the city well in the last 18 years. It was Herenton who spoke at Collins' Memphis State graduation in 1986 and first sparked his interest to get involved in city politics.
"He challenged us as college grads to get involved in our civic duty and public service," Collins said. "That inspired me."
Collins called Lowery a "wonderful chair" and said he doesn't believe any city services will be disrupted.
Councilman Bill Morrison called Herenton's vacancy a "great opportunity for our city."
"The mayor has done a good job," he said. "He's been there for a long time. He's moving on, and I think everyone wins."
Morrison said Lowery is "going to do a fantastic job" in the interim.
But Councilman Edmund Ford Jr.'s reaction to Lowery was more measured.
"He has 18 years of experience legislatively and he' been the chair and we'll just have to see what happens at the end," Ford said. "It's not like he's not qualified."
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