Finding A Voice To Speak Out Against ICE
10 Bullets: A cartoon by award-winning cartoonist Bill Day. The National Guard members who appear...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 29, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Federal Government, Federal Policy | 1
10 Bullets: A cartoon by award-winning cartoonist Bill Day. The National Guard members who appear...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 26, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Taxation, Tennessee Legislature | 2
Tennessee Senator Brent Taylor and Tennessee Representative Tom Leatherwood have filed a bill in...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 22, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Civil Rights, Memphis History | 0
Thumbnail: It’s incredulous that we are still working to shake off the vestiges of the Confederacy and incredulous even more that some fanatically hold up traitors who fought to destroy the United States so they could own human beings as property. Southern states not only lost the war but by clinging to racist myths of the Confederacy, they also sacrificed the future. In light of the continuing discussions about Confederate statues and the Confederacy itself, I’m posting this column written for MLK50.com on July 27, 2017.
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 14, 2026 | Arts and Culture, City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development | 1
Part 1 of this post can be read here. ** The Mud Island Amphitheater is an issue that offends few...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 12, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization | 6
Sometimes, Memphis has a habit of mistaking familiar ideas for good ones. There’s the...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 8, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Data Points, Economic Development, Leadership, Planning and Urban Design, Shelby County government | 0
As this blog approaches its 21st year, looking back at the past two decades conjures up events...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Jan 2, 2026 | City of Memphis Government, Economic Development, State Government | 4
By Susan Adler Thorp In the many years I’ve observed and written about local business, government,...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Dec 23, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Economic Development, Parks and Greening, Tourism | 0
After months of high-powered negotiations involving Memphis in May International Festival, Memphis...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Dec 15, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Shelby County government, Taxation | 0
The Shelby County Board of Commissioners is expected today to once again perfunctorily approve Tax...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Nov 17, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Parks and Greening | 0
The following is my October 2025 City Journal column in Memphis magazine. You can subscribe to...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 30, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Downtown Revitalization, Federal Government, Memphis History, Parks and Greening | 0
Grit and grind began as a slogan that aptly defined the Memphis Grizzlies’ identity during the...
Read Moreby Smart City Memphis | Oct 23, 2025 | City of Memphis Government, Federal Government | 0
On May 12, this blog warned of the rippling impact of federal cuts in three areas – nonprofit...
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by 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.