Recently in City Hall Category

Mayor Wharton's office is hoping folks will go to the four sites participating in tonight's virtual town hall, but the office has provided a link for those who can't make it:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/virtual-town-hall-062910.

Click here for more information on where to go for the event, which begins at 6 p.m.

Last week's ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States significantly narrowing the use of the so-called "honest services" fraud law that prosecutors from around the country employed to fight corruption is one of those decisions that the public doesn't much follow but that will have a huge impact on how public business is done. It was used here to prosecute John Ford and was a key part of the federal investigation into whether former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton improperly mixed public and private business.

The CA's own Marc Perrusquia gave a nice overview of what that ruling may or may not mean. At the left-leaning muckraking political website, Talking Points Memo, the ruling was given not one but two treatments. And at the online magazine The Root -- which provides commentary from "a variety of black perspectives" -- a writer bemoaned the Supreme Court decision. 

The Wharton administration is making the mayor and members of his administration available to the public Tuesday via what it calls a "Virtual Town Hall," whereby citizens go to one of four locations to participate. The idea is that the mayor and his administration can reach more citizens at once using simple technology -- those attending will be able to watch via video conference (we presume on a big giant screen) from those locations and ask questions. One possible benefit to this is that citizens from different areas can get a better idea of the cross-section of concerns that the mayor's office addresses every day.

The event begins at 6 p.m. sharp, according to the release, and the locations are:

• Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library, 3030 Poplar Avenue
• Orange Mound Community Center, 2572 Park Avenue
• Bert Ferguson Community Center, 8505 Trinity Road
• Whitehaven Library, 4120 Millbranch Road

There will be online streaming available for those who cannot make it to those locations, with details to be available later at the City of Memphis website.

If you have not already heard, The Commercial Appeal is preparing for the departure of Otis Sanford, currently what we call the Opinion Editor though that does not begin to fully capture the role he plays for us. The University of Memphis has recommended him to the Tennessee Board of Regents to take over the Helen and Jabie Hardin Chair of Economics/Managerial Journalism, but, fortunately for us, he will not leave until the end of the year -- after this important 2010 election season has finished. And even after he leaves the newsroom, Otis will continue to write his weekly column. For a longer look at Otis's fascinating career, go here and jump to page 12.

In honor of Otis, check out some of the recent Opinion pieces, including Otis's analysis of why Memphis Mayor A C Wharton decided not to fight the City Council and public opinion on the issue of pay cuts for the city's highest-paid employees.

Otis and the editorial board (including citizen members) met with Wharton and Robert Lipscomb, the city's director of housing and community development, and came away impressed by the Wharton administration's plan to "right-size" city government by utilizing the BRAC process (Base Realignment and Closure) the federal government employs to find savings and efficiencies with the Armed Forces. The idea is to create a commission that looks at every corner of city government and makes recommendations that the City Council would approve with an up or down vote.

The Tennessee Newspaper Network's coverage of the gubernatorial campaign continued with a look at the distinctions between candidates on the issues of campaign finance and constitutional offices. Here is the article and our sister Scripps-Howard newspaper publication, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, has a great reproduction of the grid listing the candidates full responses to questions. Knoxnews.com also has a nice utility that allows readers to look at responses candidates have made on various issues and a database of campaign contributions.

Despite this story about a report that Bass Pro fails to deliver for communities who give the company big tax breaks in return for megastores, Memphis Mayor A C Wharton and Robert Lipscomb, the city's director of housing and community development, told The Commercial Appeal's editorial board this morning that they are very close to finishing the deal to remake The Pyramid into a Bass Pro megastore.

At the meeting, Mayor Wharton responded (sort of) to the harsh criticisms thrown at him from his predecessor, 9th Congressional District candidate Willie Herenton,
in a Wednesday press conference. Wendi Thomas responded much more directly to Herenton's assertion that he did not "give a damn" about the controversies that arose over the Memphis Animal Shelter and the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center. Meanwhile, 9th District incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen continues to try and persuade voters that he's focused on getting things done in Washington that voters care about -- filing a bill to aid non-violent offenders on Wednesday.

Wharton and Lipscomb were actually visiting to talk about long-term budget strategies, which is a reminder to go and read about the final budget approved Tuesday by the City Council, with a slight alteration on Wednesday at the request of Wharton to free up more funds aimed at recruiting businesses and promoting economic development.

In Nashville, the General Assembly finally adjourned, six weeks after they had hoped, and several last-minute votes made it, some did not. One bill that got killed was a super speeding bill, and another was a push to ban red-light cameras. It is interesting how little public attention is given to the deaths and injuries on our roads, given the human toll taken every day. We were reminded of that tragically when a 9-year-old in DeSoto County died in a wreck yesterday. We ran a story in December pointing out one of the most dangerous places for anyone in the Mid-South is, indeed, inside a vehicle.

In suburban government developments, a lot of candidates are lining up in Germantown, including a legitimate challenger for Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy, and Bartlett ponders whether to give raises to its elected officials.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton was at The Commercial Appeal this morning to meet with the editorial board in a meeting that had been previously scheduled. Although he and Robert Lipscomb, the city's director of housing and community development, were here to talk about long-range budget strategies, Opinion Editor Otis Sanford asked Wharton if he wanted to respond to the harsh criticism lobbed at him Wednesday by his predecessor, 9th Congressional District candidate Willie Herenton.

Though Wharton chose not to engage Herenton directly, what he said certainly sounded like a strong rebuttal. Some of Wharton's statements about the importance of the Memphis Animal Shelter and the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center certainly serve as potent rejoinders to Herenton's declaration that he did not "give a damn" about the controversies over them.

Read the whole thing here at this link.

While not an avalanche of policy news, Monday saw progress on some vital issues for the city and county, and we expect to see more today when the City Council votes this afternoon on the budget.

In reaching a settlement over control of Beale Street, Mayor Wharton brought his legal experience to bear, saying that "A good settlement beats out a bad lawsuit any day." Essentially, Performa Entertainment Real Estate, John Elkington's company which has filed for bankruptcy, has agreed to give Memphis back control of the entertainment district, though some financial terms of the settlement are favorable to Performa. Under former mayor Willie Herenton, the city had spent millions in legal fees, including more than $2 million to Ricky Wilkins to pursue a case against Performa.

Education reporter Jane Roberts was at Greater Mt. Moriah Baptist Church last night, where local ministers called for the City Council to give Memphis City Schools the $57 million it cut in 2008, citing a desire to stop what many members believe is double taxation of Memphis taxpayers -- once in county taxes and once in city taxes (no other Shelby County municipalies contribute municipal taxpayer dollars to their schools). Interestingly, City Council member Harold Collins and school board president Martavius Jones were in agreement on one point -- they believe it's vital that the legal appeals process be exhausted so the city and the schools will have definitive guidance from the courts about what funds, if any, Memphis is obligated to contribute to MCS.

"We'd be pushing the can down the road," Jones said, responding to Rev. LaSimba Gray's demand that the city drop the appeals. "If we abandon this appeals process, we will be at the same junction in five, 10 or 15 years. The whole purpose of the appeals process is to get a final answer."

The County Commission took care of some business on Monday, with a local bottler getting highest priority status for some federally-backed job-creation bonds, Ann Pugh getting the nod for General Sessions Criminal Court judge and supporters of the local county agricultural extension service applauding the Commission's decision not to reduce its funding.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton probably does deserve some benefit of the doubt, given that 60 percent of city voters selected him in a crowded special election in October that included several other candidates with proven electoral success. He also has a strong claim to slowing the rate of spending as county mayor, where he oversaw implementation of a plan to tame what had been an out-of-control debt. And it is of significance that he had nothing to do with the City Council, in 2008, voting to slash spending to Memphis City Schools but then basically spending every dime of the savings on other things, including 8-percent total raises to city workers during the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression.

All that said, Wharton knew when he decided to run for mayor that the No. 1 challenge that would face him upon election involved the budget and, more specifically, how to deal with school funding. In Amos Maki's story today on the budget, Wharton again makes the former point (he inherited the mess) but leaves out the latter (he had to know what he was getting into).

Wharton also said he is doing his best to fix a budget situation he inherited, noting that the City Council cut funding to Memphis City Schools two years ago and then spent much of the savings. Since that time, two courts have ordered the city to pay MCS $50 million. "I was not involved in the decision to eliminate MCS's funding," said Wharton in a statement he issued Wednesday. "I have only been involved in trying to repair the damage to our city's fiscal future."

This is less disingenuous than the email Wharton sent to email subscribers on Jan. 28 claiming that when he took office in October, he "did not anticipate having to make these kinds of drastic budget cuts" and that he "did not expect this latest challenge but I will embrace it."  Mayor Wharton, being a voracious newspaper consumer (you go, Mayor!), could have read our story from Oct. 18 just after his election that laid out in detail the budget and school-funding issues as the new administration's biggest early challenge:

Even putting aside the $34.6 million owed for (2009), the school system believes it will defeat the city in legal fights over $57.4 million dating back to a 2008 City Council vote to cut school funding. And that would bring into play another $80 million for city schools next fiscal year (2011). . . . "I think they're very tough decisions," said City Councilman Jim Strickland, a Wharton campaign co-chairman known for his focus on fiscal responsibility. "With the school funding you have to either reduce expenses, spend money from reserves or raise taxes, or a combination of all that."

Wharton said he intends to make all sides on this complicated issue see past the short-term skirmishes to find agreement on feasible long-term partnerships. "I am optimistic we will be able to reach some accord that does not bring financial jeopardy to either the city or the school system," Wharton said.

Now, at this point, Wharton is correct -- the focus should be on the future and nobody should be under any illusion that this budget process will not involve "pain." But picking the poison will reveal priorities, especially given that potential challengers to Wharton are already trying to determine if they want to run against him in 2011 city elections. Strickland is correct -- Wharton could come out strong for a budget that rolls back those raises and apply pressure to council members. But Wharton may be smart not to pick a fight he believes he won't win, choosing instead to save political capital for other items on his ambitious agenda. By the end of this process, we will certainly have a clearer idea of the top priorities for this mayor and his administration.

That vastly more people in Shelby County are aware that there is a disagreement between Willie Herenton and Steve Cohen over the logistics of a debate than are aware of the battles being waged in local and state budget hearings is an unfortunate but unavoidable reality. But right now at City Hall, at the Shelby County Administration Building and at the State Capitol, there are public policy fights being waged that will eventually lead to real-world consequences.

Richard Locker in Nashville lays out how Memphis is caught in the crossfire of a budget dispute pitting Senate Republicans against -- well, against everybody else: Senate Democrats, Republicans and Democrats in the House and, of course, Gov. Bredesen. As much as $30 million is at stake for Shelby County institutions including the Regional Medical Center at Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Despite the high stakes, the Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to take the rest of the week off. According to the story:

The Senate Finance Committee unexpectedly recessed for the week Tuesday without voting on Gov. Phil Bredesen's budget proposal, an alternative proposed by Senate Republicans last week, nor a plan presented by Democratic Leader Jim Kyle that Republican House Speaker Kent Williams says is backed by a bipartisan majority of House members.

Rick tracked down Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, in New York for a Council of State Governments meeting, and he claimed that "very productive negotiations" were underway with the House.

Back in the Bluff City, that old saying about being careful what you wish for seems appropriate for A C Wharton as he presides over his first budget as Memphis mayor. Wharton claims, correctly, that he inherited a mess caused in large part by the City Council's decision in 2008 to slash the city's contribution to Memphis City Schools, though there is no question that throughout the special mayoral election campaign, Wharton and every serious candidate was well aware the first budget would be difficult because of the school funding. Wharton is saying he would not veto a budget that included salary cuts for city workers, but pointed out that seven votes for such a measure are not likely from on a City Council that has given those workers raises of 8 percent since since 2008. However, Wharton also made some bold claims after election about using the "political muscle" that came with his resounding victory, and the Council's leading budget hawk, Democratic District 5 representative Jim Strickland, said "we need his leadership on this issue."

Across Main Street, the County Commission approved additional funding for The Regional Medical Center at Memphis. And many current and future commissioners of both parties joined Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Wamp at The Med to show their appreciation for his decision to sign a pledge they sent candidates to make a commitment to return all federal funds generated by The Med to The Med.

Perhaps it's not always fair to local politicians, but reporters tend to read these stories about budget battles with an eye on the politics of various responses. Sure, every politician is duty-bound to do what he or she feels is best for their district/city/county, but it's also true that they become elected officials because they are driven by a certain amount of ambition, ego and thirst for power. Budget seasons often mean a clash of those motivations, and so keep that in mind as you read some of the stories linked below.

Some Shelby County Commissioners are questioning the $35 million cost for a new emergency-operations center that would bring together the various agencies (Memphis Fire, Shelby County Fire, Memphis Police, Shelby County Sheriff) under one very-protected and disaster-proofed roof.

Some City Council members are questioning Mayor Wharton's priorities for the city budget, which calls for closing two libraries (Cossitt and Highland) and two nine-hole golf courses (Overton and Riverside). Councilman Jim Strickland wants Wharton to roll back the 8 percent raises the Council approved over the previous two budget cycles, which would save $28 million. ""I think this shows a terrible lack of judgment," said Strickland.

Just a few weeks after helping broker peace between Memphis and Memphis City Schools, Councilman Harold Collins gets into a name-calling contest with MCS officials. On this they agree: Somebody's telling lies.