A day after Willie Herenton announced his resignation, residents from his childhood neighborhood in South Memphis expressed mixed reactions about the five-term mayor's decision to step down.
While every resident interviewed in the Gaston Park area - where Herenton was raised and later won more than 80 percent of the vote in 2007 -- applauded Herenton's achievements, many said perhaps the time has come for the 69-year-old to retire.
"He should enjoy what time he's got left," said B. Steel, 59, a South Memphis resident who watched Herenton's rise, from a strong student at Booker T. Washington High School, to an intimidating boxer and later as the city's first black mayor.
Dabbing himself with a towel on a sweltering afternoon, Steel said Herenton has served his neighborhood well. From early on, the community recognized the mayor, known affectionately by his boxing nickname, "Duke," as a success and helped "keep him out of trouble."
Steel said during his tenure, the mayor has revitalized South and North Memphis, remodeling the city's housing projects and upgrading the parks.
Yet, after 18 years on the job, "I feel his spirit is gone," he said.
James Williams, 31, agreed that "it's time for a change." Williams, who was seated outside the Gaston Park Community Center where Herenton used to box, said Herenton made a difference in Memphis, but "he's been here long enough and it's time for him to do something else."
Others weren't as willing to watch Herenton go.
Justin Walker, 21, said he was shocked by the resignation. "Who we got left now?"
Standing next to a bronze statue of Herenton across from LeMoyne-Owen College, Walker said he works at FedExForum and often sees Herenton watching the games from his private suite.
"He's tall, but he's down to earth," Walker said. "He keep it real.
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