He said there will be announcements of other retirement in his administration. But he said he will be working to try to bring closure to a number of important city matters. Big ticket items like The Pyramid and The Mid-South Fairgrounds will be put on hold.
He's now answering questions from reporters and even bantering. Commercial Appeal reporter Amos Maki asked if he was still planning to finish his book.
Herenton responded: "Amos, you're going to be in that book. I have a section on media bias and the mayor."
Everyone in the room laughed.
Herenton said frankly he felt his time had come. During the course of his tenure as mayor he came to work everyday, he said.
"I came to work everyday. I go to work everyday. Vacations or Sunday I never take. But the challenge, I don't know how to explain this. It was just time for me..... You don't have the zeal to face it everyday and I'm the kind of guy, I got to climb mountains.
This was getting to be routine for me and then, I'll be honest with you too, I saw some trend lines and I don't want to speak disparagingly. I saw trend lines in relationship between the administration and the City Council...I knew at some point would probably evolve and not be positive. I didn't need to be part of it. I saw the trend lines with regards to the future fiscal crisis the city is going to face. I wanted to leave, quite frankly, at the highest point. I am leaving when there is 89 million in the bank. We balanced the budget, virtually no layoffs. The incoming administration is going to be in for some major challenges. This is a good time you know for me to move on."
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