Speaking with reporters Wednesday, Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton said he's not intimidated by the number of competitors he'll have in an Oct. 15 special election for former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton's vacated seat. Ten have declared so far.
"This is America. This is the U.S. of A," Wharton said. "We have a democratic form of government. It does not change anything that I plan to do or will do."
Last month, Wharton had said he was "troubled" by the possibility that a crowded field might mean the eventual winner would have a thin mandate -- the person who gets the most votes in the mayoral election wins the job, even if he or she doesn't have a majority, and there are no runoffs.
A reporter asked if he's done any polling, and Wharton, who frequently makes appearances as community events, said he hasn't.
"I had last night probably 10 stops," said Wharton, referring to Tuesday evening's National Night Out. "And that's the best kind of poll. You go right into the hundreds of people who tell you one thing: that they just want us to come together . . . They want someone that's looking to the future, not looking at the past."
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