Lobbying in Nashville And Defending Big Shelby
Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald, returning from a lobbying blitz at Tennessee Legislature in favor of more state interference in local educational decisions, said “the feeling (there) is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Apr 2, 2012 | Tennessee Legislature, Trends and Issues
Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald, returning from a lobbying blitz at Tennessee Legislature in favor of more state interference in local educational decisions, said “the feeling (there) is...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 29, 2012 | Politics and Government
Thank God the majority of the Tennessee Legislature are small government right wingers . We’d hate to see what they’d do if they weren’t. If the suburban rush...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 27, 2012 | Cartoons, Civil Rights
It is clear from Memphian Bill Day’s recent three cartoons that he takes the killing of Trayvon Martin personally. The award-winning cartoonist is well-known for his cartoons on themes of equal rights, justice, and reason....
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 26, 2012 | Education, Leadership, Politics and Government
We have an inviolate rule: we don’t argue with women who say something is sexist and we don’t argue with African-Americans who say something is racist. They know it...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 22, 2012 | Economic Development
We’ve written a lot about FedEx’s three-hub global strategy that links Paris’ DeGaulle Airport; Guangzhou, China aiport, and Memphis International Airport. We know that freight boxes don’t care what...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 21, 2012 | Economic Development, Transportation
We continue our MEM theme this week by looking at some other peer cities’ airports: Jacksonville Raleigh Orlando ...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 19, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, Planning and Urban Design, Uncategorized
In the past 15 years, Memphis has pursued an NBA team and spent $250 million for Pyramid improvements and construction of the FedExForum to lure the Grizzlies. We have devoted years to considering how to make our convention...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 16, 2012 | Economic Development, Transportation
There is an emerging sense of frustration by some members of the Memphis and Shelby County Airport Authority that may make it more assertive about dealing with the economic...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 14, 2012 | Economic Development, Education, Memphis City Schools, Poverty
“We are a nation of idiots about infancy.” It was unquestionably a slap-in-the-face wake-up call, but there was no rebuttal to offer after recently listening to the convincing...
Read MorePosted by Smart City Memphis | Mar 12, 2012 | City of Memphis Government, Education, Politics and Government, Shelby County government
The two most impactful public processes in recent history aren’t judged as complete successes, but it’s hard to think of any citizen-driven processes that have...
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 solve 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.