Author: Smart City Memphis

There are times when the Religious Right would try the patience of Jesus Christ Himself. The growing battle over “intelligent design” is the latest evidence of the literalism that threatens the independence of school districts...

In response to Thursday’s blog on how Memphis and Shelby County lead Tennessee in the number and amount of tax freezes, we received several calls and emails. One reminded us that Agricenter International and all of the...

Reading Chicago Metropolis 2020 plan tonight, I ran across the following… “The sustaining force of this historic process of renewal is Chicago’s strongest spiritual asset: its swaggering self-confidence. This...

Every war seems to bring with it an unexpected aspect unforeseen by The Pentagon. The War in Iraq – whether being called by The White House the War on Terror or the Struggle Against Global Extremism, depending on which is...

If you haven’t read it, it’s still news. And in that vein, consider a study on the impact of tax abatements on education by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR) that failed to cause even a...

This week’s column by longtime urban commentator Neal Peirce has special meaning for our community, where the amount of taxes waived for businesses approaches $100 million a year. When tax freezes given by Memphis, Shelby...

With the search for the next president of the Memphis Regional Chamber now down to five candidates, the decision looms as one of the most important that will be made in setting the course for the city’s future.It has not always...

In recent years, Memphis has shown a welcome appreciation for doing things right – National Civil Rights Museum expansion, AutoZone Park, FedEx Forum and Stax Museum of American Soul Music. The cumulative effect of these...

From the New York Times:By THOMAS L. FRIEDMANI’ve been thinking of running for high office on a one-issue platform: I promise, if elected, that within four years America will have cellphone service as good as...

If term limits are an idea whose time has come, perhaps a good place to start would be the members of the more than 150 public boards in Memphis and Shelby County.Media attention regarding terms limits concentrates on elected...