The event has gone off program!
In a surprise speech, Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton has taken the podium to speak on Henton's legacy. He said he's written down his comments because his wife reminded him that he has "a tendency to say some crazy things."
Wharton, who has announced his intention to run in the special election to replace Herenton, is unfailingly flattering to the Memphis mayor and his legacy, calling the five-term mayor his "neighbor."
"I happen to be living in this neighborhood," Wharton said. "I was allowed to move into this neighborhood because a few years before I was able to move in, another fellow came in who stood taller than I do, who was a pioneer and knocked down the doors so I could move in a few years later."
He read a list of accomplishments under Herenton, including the improvement of the city's public housing stock, the Memphis Zoo, the expansion of Graceland.
Wharton suddenly became a preacher. He started quoting songs and poems and galvanized the audience.
Wharton said a poem by Harlem renaissance poet Georgia Douglass Johnson reminds him of Herenton: "I shun no hardship, I fear no foe, the future calls and I must go, I charge the line and I dare the spears as I go fighting down the years."
Wharton said for those who want something more contemporary, Frank Sinatra summed it up: "Yes there was a time, I'm sure we knew when I'd bit off more than I could chew; but through it all when there was doubt, I ate it up and I spit it out.... I did it my way."
The audience actually started singing along. The room erupted in applause.
Obsequious twit. First Wharton consorts with algae like Thaddeus Matthews, and now he is sniffing under Herenton's tail. The man had some dignity once but I would never vote for him now.
There's nothing "obsequious" about being gracious as the invited guest at another man's retirement event. I'm not sure there's anything less dignified than attacking somebody else with name-calling and slurs while hiding behind the veil of anonymity.
Calling a spade, a spade is not racist. Willie Herenton is the most racist person in this city. How many white women did he father children with? NONE. Case closed.
Wharton is dead to me.
Wharton says he was only able to move into his house because Herenton allowed him to
Wharton recites poetry about Herenton
Wharton sings a hymn in praise of Herenton
What does "obsequious" mean to you, Mr. Campaign Flack?
We know everything we need to know about Wharton's judgement and his priorities. If we didn't know it before, we learned it today.
It's evident every single day that thousands of Memphians value and applaud Mayor Wharton's judgement on a number of issues that affect their lives much more deeply than remarks made as a guest at Dr. Herenton's event. His single greatest priority is to bring our city together for the shared safety and prosperity of all its people. Divisive (and anonymous) personal attacks are the politics of the past. Memphis is ready to move forward.