Mayors’ Old Consolidation Tapes Defy New Realities For Future
Mayor AC Wharton, Memphis government, Shelby County government, government consolidation
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November 30th, 2008 10:47pm UTC
We get frustrated at times by the inescapable feeling that our city is trapped in a time warp. We are recycling old conversations, old charges and old complaints. But whenever we need perspective, we can simply say consolidation in front of the small town mayors of Shelby County and watch them respond in ways that [...]
November 27th, 2008 11:58pm UTC
Our colleague Carol Coletta is once again plowing new ground in exploring ways that cities can be more competitive and can fulfill their roles as engines for the national economy. To get an intriguing view of the profound impact that can come from incremental improvements in talent, green behavior and poverty, go to the CEOs [...]
November 27th, 2008 11:48pm UTC
This week’s guests offer advice on making your city greener, healthier and smarter. Lawrence Katz is the co-author of the book, The Race between Education and Technology. In it, he describes how the 20th century American education system made this nation the richest in the world. He’ll tell us why the third great education transformation, [...]
November 25th, 2008 6:33pm UTC
To follow up yesterday’s post, we wanted to put the issue of possible politicized indictments into context. Two professors – Dr. Donald C. Shields of University of Missouri in St. Louis and Professor John F. Cragan of Illinois State University – have been engaged in an ongoing study of investigations by the U.S. Department of [...]
November 24th, 2008 10:42pm UTC
Here’s our early Christmas wish: that the lame duck U.S. Attorney’s office leave its investigative file involving Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton for its successor. We hear that there are some spirited discussions taking place in the federal prosecutor’s office about the timing and extend of any action. While some zealous career attorneys feel that [...]
November 21st, 2008 7:21pm UTC
OK, now that we’ve all vented, what can we do to solve the divisive problem of police recruiting? Our problem has been that the vote was like many taken in legislative bodies from Memphis to Washington, D.C. It was cast with tunnel vision and without an understanding of its symbolic importance or its actual importance [...]
November 20th, 2008 10:39pm UTC
Memphis is not a city that is retaining and attracting young people with choices. That’s a critical problem, because if there is a mantra for cities today, it’s this: It’s the talent, stupid. Because there are several million fewer 25-34 year-olds – the fuel for the knowledge economy – these highly coveted workers have never [...]
November 19th, 2008 10:44pm UTC
What a difference 24 hours can make. We were actually planning to write today about the positive impact and leadership that the new, improved version of the Memphis City Council is providing. Traditionally, the elected officials with the lowest public approval rating, we have been impressed by the new sense of purpose and fresh thinking [...]
November 19th, 2008 12:57am UTC
Two-thirds of the schools in the Memphis district do not meet state benchmarks. That’s some of the worst news Memphians have ever received from the recent state report card on schools; however, it sets up new Memphis City Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash to appear to be a miracle worker in the next couple of years. [...]
November 16th, 2008 7:14pm UTC
It’s not just that Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin wasted $88,000 in scarce city money pursuing an obsession worthy of Moby Dick. It’s that with looming layoffs in City Hall, that money could have kept two rank-and-file city employees on the job and of the unemployment rolls in some tough economic times. We’ve been giving [...]