Memphis Finest Hour: Attacking Voter ID
The City of Memphis lawsuit to overturn Tennessee’s Voter ID law is the Wharton Administration’s finest hour. In the face of the most widespread...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 7, 2012 | Politics and Government, Tennessee Legislature
The City of Memphis lawsuit to overturn Tennessee’s Voter ID law is the Wharton Administration’s finest hour. In the face of the most widespread...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Sep 4, 2012 | Economic Development, Education, Talent
There’s so much talk out of Nashville these days about state government’s big plans for economic growth and new jobs, and yet, there are fewer investments that could yield bigger returns...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 29, 2012 | Livability, Planning and Urban Design
A little over a year ago, we wrote this post: “We’re thinking that Family Dollar Store may have gotten its name because that’s how much it spends to erect its flimsy buildings. At a time when city and county officials talk...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 27, 2012 | Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Livability
It is easier to imagine Memphis without music than without the Mississippi River. After all, the city’s name itself stems from the impact that the...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 24, 2012 | Politics and Government, Shelby County government
Hannah Sayle’s cover story in this week’s Memphis Flyer confirmed the worst fears we had when Shelby County Government politicized family planning last year and added an overlay of religiosity. For no factual reason,...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 22, 2012 | Livability, Parks and Greening, Transportation
The Sierra Club is holding a meeting Thursday about the proposed Kirby-Whitten highway through Shelby Farms Park. It’s one of those projects that proves that no matter how many times we think we have contained the paving...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 20, 2012 | Education, Shelby County government, Taxation
Municipal school districts are the educational equivalent of I-269, and that’s why the Shelby County Board of Commissioners is right to be deeply concerned about them. Both...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 16, 2012 | Economic Development
We’re hearing from news reporters that the mayors praised the work of the people charged with managing the airport at today’s Airport Authority meeting. In response to requests: “There has been a pattern of...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 15, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Education, Shelby County government
Some Memphis officials can be forgiven for feeling like the guy at the bar whose drunk friend tries to defend him, throws a roundhouse punch, and knocks him...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Aug 13, 2012 | Politics and Government, Tennessee Legislature
Well, now what? The voter ID gambit didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to in Shelby County with Democrats winning reelection to countywide offices. One thing’s for...
Read Moreby Bill Day. Memphian Bill Day is two-time winner of the RFK Journalism Award in Cartooning. His cartoons are syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons. Cartoons Archive →
Since 2005, this has been Smart City Consulting’s blog with the aim of connecting the dots and providing perspective on issues and policies shaping Memphis. Editor and primary author is Tom Jones, City Journal columnist at Memphis magazine, author of two books and a museum exhibition, and consultant on public policy and strategic planning. He has written articles for MLK50, The Commercial Appeal, and USA Today. The blog was called one of the most intriguing blogs in the U.S. by the Pew Partnership for Civic Change; The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal said it “provides some of the most well-thought-out thinking about Memphis’ past, present, and future you’ll find anywhere,” and the Memphis Flyer said: “This incredibly well-written blog sets out to solves the city’s ills – from the mayor to MATA – with out-of-the-box thinking, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ideas.” If you have questions, submissions, or ideas for posts, please email Tom Jones, at tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.