YYo, yo, yo. Dig it. Britney Spears’ latest soon-to-be-ex-husband Kevin Federline went on an LA hip-hop station and said he could whip Memphis homeboy (and former Britney love object) Justin Timberlake. No word yet from JT, but we’re expecting a throwdown any day now. Listen to the inanity here.
What hath Shelby Countians wrought? Well, a brand-new county commission, for one thing, with eight of the 13 commissioners to be newcomers.
Question: Can Henri Brooks and Wyatt Bunker co-exist? What will he do if she won’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? (The question could be moot if Republican Novella Smith Arnold pulls an upset over Democrat Brooks in the August general election.)
SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION RACES
Whatever happens in the August general election, there will
be a wholesale changeover –of faces, names, profiles, and missions – on the
Shelby County Commission. The defeat of District 4 incumbent Tom Moss
(and third-place finisher Jim Bomprezzi) by county school board member
Wyatt Bunker means that eight of the 13 positions will be filled by
newcomers.
Six of those are known; a bit of mystery
remains in District 5, where Democratic winner Steve Mulroy (who will be
favored for demographic reasons, if nothing else) will take on the GOP’s Jane
Pierotti. Both are novice candidates. And District 2, Position 2 has the Brooks-Arnold matchup.
The district-by-district breakdown:
District 1, Position 1:
REPUBLICANS – As expected, retired bank
executive/county planner Mike Ritz won easily with 63 percent of the vote
over FedEx administrator Mike Rude (25 percent) and process server
Charles Fineberg (12 percent).
Ritz, one of the most experienced newcomers
ever to be elected to the commission, ran a well-funded race and had diverse and
influential support.
No DEMOCRATS ran in 1, 1.
District 1, Position 2:
REPUBLICANS – Incumbent George Flinn was
unopposed.
No DEMOCRATS ran in 1, 2.
District 1, Position 3:
REPUBLICANS – Mike Carpenter, an
experienced political operative and local head of the Associated Builders and
Contractors, easily beat educator Karla Willingham Templeton, 72
percent to 28 percent.
Like her father – outgoing commissioner John
Willingham, who won the Republican nomination for mayor in an unexpectedly close
race – Templeton espoused “tax reform,” a terminology that , rightly or wrongly,
spelled out new taxes to voters. But Carpenter had solid support in any case.
No DEMOCRATS ran in 1, 3.
District 2, Position 1:
DEMOCRATS – Businessman J.W.
Gibson, with 41 percent, won a three-way over Walter Bailey (a
term-limited incumbent who could not have served, in any case), with 33
percent, and Democratic operative Darrick Harris, with 26 percent..
Gibson had good and diverse support but had
been formally repudiated by the Shelby County Democratic executive committee on
account of his long-term and close Republican associations. But an
ill-considered scheme to “elect” Bailey so as to give the party naming rights to
a successor (probably his son Jay Bailey) deprived the underfunded
Harris of enough regular-party support to overcome.
No REPUBLICANS ran in 2, 1.
District 2, Position 2:
DEMOCRATS – State representative
Henri Brooks came close to getting an absolute majority, with 47 percent in
a field that also included Melvin Burgess II (35 percent), Reginald
Fentress (12 percent), and Teddy King (6 percent).
This was a case of name recognition plus established organization
for controversial political veteran Brooks.
REPUBLICANS – Social activist and former
broadcaster Novella Smith Arnold was unopposed.
District 2, Position 3:
DEMOCRATS – Incumbent Deidre Malone
was unopposed.
No REPUBLICANS ran in 2, 3.
District 3, Position 1:
DEMOCRATS – Businessman James Harvey
won easily with 42 percent of the vote in a seven-candidate field that also
included Adrian Killebrew (18 percent); Georgia Malone (15
percent); Del Gill (13 percent); Johnny Hatcher (5 percent);
Bob Hatton (4 percent); and Paul Springer (3 percent).
Harvey, a veteran performer in local Gridiron
shows, had some experienced support and started earliest.
No REPUBLICANS ran in 3, 1.
District 3, Position 2:
DEMOCRATS – Veteran political broker Sidney
Chism won easily with 85 percent of the vote to 15 percent for term-limited
incumbent Cleo Kirk, who followed longtime colleague/ally Bailey’s
example in allowing a campaign to be run in his name. The difference lay in the
fact of their opponents. Chism, a confidant of Mayor Willie Herenton’s, has
helped organize campaigns for many a local candidate to office; he used the same expertise and
network on his own behalf.
No REPUBLICANS ran in 3, 2.
District 3, Position 3:
DEMOCRATS — Incumbent Joe Ford was unopposed.
No REPUBLICANS ran in 3, 3.
District 4, Position 1:
REPUBLICANS — Incumbent Joyce Avery
was unopposed.
No DEMOCRATS ran in 4, 1.
District 4, Position 2:
REPUBLICANS — Incumbent Tom Moss,
a homebuilder who survived a three-way outcome in 2002 that included former
Lakeland mayor Jim Bomprezzi, out-polled Bomprezzi again, 33 percent to
28 percent — but not county school board member Wyatt Bunker, who ran
hard and pulled 39 percent of the votes to win.
Bunker, who was probably the most conservative
member of the county school board, at least on social issues, may own that
distinction on the commission as well.
No DEMOCRATS ran in 4, 2.
District 4, Position 3:
REPUBLICANS – Incumbent David Lillard
was unopposed.
No DEMOCRATS ran in 4, 3.
District 5:
DEMOCRATS – High-powered newcomer
Steve Mulroy, a respected man of many causes, won with a convincing 60
percent of the vote against political veteran Joe Cooper‘s 34 percent and
Sherman Perkins Kilimanjaro’s 6 percent.
Kilimanjaro never figured, and Cooper’s dogged
one-man show was no match for a well-organized Mulroy campaign that united
Democratic reformers with their Ford-organization opponents in last year’s party
battles.
REPUBLICANS – Jane Pierotti, a newcomer
with a well-known last name, easily beat novice Joe Townsend with 86 percent to 14 percent for the
right to take on Mulroy in the commission’s only genuine swing district (one
designed as such).
OTHER COUNTYWIDE PRIMARY RESULTS
“Just goes to show you the power of a name.” That was
Shelby County mayor A C Wharton, as he watched some televised election
returns at his Park Place headquarters Tuesday night and saw the unknown
Roderic Ford, who happens to have the same last name as a famous local
political family, pull ahead of opponent Johnnie Ruth Williams in the
Democratic primary for Circuit Court clerk.
When Wharton, who was easily renominated himself, took the
dais to thank a crowd of supporters, he had another thought. “I think people are
trusting government more now,” he opined.
Maybe so, but there was an awful lot of flux in the major
parties’ primaries for other countywide offices, just as in the commission
races.
THE RESULTS:
Shelby County Mayor:
DEMOCRATS — The aforesaid incumbent A C Wharton,
probably the most invincible politician in Shelby County, defeated opponent
Jeffrey Woodard, a jailers’ advocate and frequent mayoral critic, by 95
percent to 5 percent .
REPUBLICANS – Retiring commissioner John Willingham
with 58 percent had a tougher time than expected with political newcomer Brent
Todd with 42 percent, the apparent reason being voter wariness of Willingham’s
proposed “tax reform” package, which features a payroll tax.
District Attorney General:
DEMOCRATS – Lawyer Gail Mathes was unopposed.
REPUBLICANS – So was incumbent Bill Gibbons.
Sheriff:
DEMOCRATS – With 49 percent of the vote, Reginald
French, a businessman and former aide to Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton
dominated three opponents: Bennie Cobb (23 percent); Elton Hymon
(19 percent); and Jesse Jeff (9 percent).
REPUBLICANS – Incumbent sheriff Mark Luttrell was
unopposed.
Trustee:
DEMOCRATS — Becky Clark was unopposed.
REPUBLICANS – So was four-term incumbent Bob Patterson.
Circuit Court Clerk:
DEMOCRATS – The aforesaid Roderic Ford beat the
aforesaid Johnnie Ruth Williams, 53 percent to 47 percent.
REPUBLICANS – Incumbent Jimmy Moore was unopposed.
Criminal Court Clerk:
DEMOCRATS – Veteran bail bondsman Vernon Johnson
beat lawyer Kevin Gallagher by an unexpectedly large margin of 58 percent
to 42 percent – perhaps a testament to the simple demographics favoring Johnson,
an African American.
REPUBLICANS – Incumbent Bill Key was unopposed.
Juvenile Court Clerk:
DEMOCRATS – Former clerk Shep Wilbun beat city
school board member Wanda Halbert 56 percent to 44 percent – an outcome
that owed much to a sympathy vote for Wilbun, who was widely regarded as having
been done wrong when put in legal jeopardy during his brief term of service from
2000 to 2002.
REPUBLICANS – Incumbent Steve Stamson was unopposed.
Probate Court Clerk:
DEMOCRATS – Former assistant clerk Sondra Becton
beat Leon Dishmon, by the whopping margin of 82 percent to 18 percent,
for the right to take one more shot at her former boss, whom she has opposed
both on the ballot and in court.
REPUBLICANS – Republican incumbent Chris Thomas is
that former boss and was unopposed.
County Clerk:
DEMOCRATS – Otis Jackson edged out
Charlotte Draper, 10,829 to 10, 695, 37 percent to 36 percent Others were Joe Young,
with 22 percent, and Zoltan Scales, with 5 percent.
REPUBLICANS – Debbie Stamson, husband of the
Juvenile Court clerk and endorsee of outgoing clerk Jayne Creson, turned back
outgoing county commissioner Marilyn Loeffel by a surprising margin of
55 percent to 45 percent. In retrospect, it would appear that Loeffel peaked a
month ago when her first signs went up. But name recognition in this case proved
less valuable than the good funding and establishment support possessed by
Stamson.
Register:
DEMOCRATS — Coleman Thompson was unopposed.
REPUBLICANS – So was incumbent Tom Leatherwood.
What hath Shelby Countians wrought? Well, a brand-new county commission, for one thing, with eight of the 13 commissioners to be newcomers. Question: Can Henri Brooks and Wyatt Bunker co-exist? What will he do if she won’t stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? (The question could be moot if Republican Novella Smith Arnold — here with the GOP’s George Flinn — pulls an upset over Democrat Brooks in the August general election.) See who won and why for the commission and in the other countywide primary races as well by going here.
With the Beale
Street Music Festival taking shape this week at Tom Lee Park, I found myself
considering the marriage between music and sports. From “One Shining Moment” at
the Final Four to Hank Williams Jr. on Monday Night Football, it’s hard to love
one without some affection (if only latent) for the other. So what if we took
some of the biggest hits by some of this weekend’s biggest music stars, and
dedicated them to a member (or members) of the sports world? It might sound
something like this.
“I
Feel Good” by James Brown, dedicated to DeAngelo Williams. And you’d feel good,
too, if you’d just been picked by the Carolina Panthers with the 27th selection
in the NFL draft. Here’s a case where good things happen to good people. Having
become only the fourth player in college football history to rush for 6,000
yards, all the while leading the University of Memphis to three straight bowl
appearances, Williams stuck around to graduate when the cash registers started
ringing in his ears more than a year ago. And you just might have to find the
Godfather of Soul to match the fancy footwork Williams will display on Sunday
afternoons this fall.
“The
Thrill is Gone” by B.B. King, dedicated — as a question — to Memphis Grizzlies
fans. Despite the home team playing in a swanky new arena and marching toward a
third straight postseason appearance, Memphis ranked near the bottom of the NBA
in attendance. With ticket prices commensurate with those in other pro
basketball cities, you start wondering how ready for prime time Bluff City hoop
fans really are. As for those clamoring for the acquisition of a “superstar” to
boost interest, consider that Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and
Tracy McGrady are sitting home watching the likes of Pau Gasol and Shane Battier
in this year’s playoffs.
“Breathless” by Jerry Lee Lewis, dedicated to Albert Pujols. Okay, okay, so the
Killer was singing about carnal desire. Let’s tame our metaphorical
interpretation, just long enough to allow a few of the mighty Pujols’ immaculate
swings to accompany the soundtrack. In measuring the first five years of Pujols’
career (over which he averaged .332, with 40 home runs, 124 RBIs, and 126 runs),
there are only two baseball immortals who can qualify for comparison: Joe
DiMaggio (.343, 34, 138, 123) and Ted Williams (.353, 33,, 128, 126). When
Pujols hit a major-league record 14 home runs in April, Cardinal Nation had yet
another chapter in the ever-growing volume of heroics by the team’s modern-day
Musial.
“Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams, dedicated to the 1969 New York Mets. Ahh, the
Miracle Mets. No artificially inflated muscle on this team for the ages. This
may be the last team in baseball history that belongs in the “fable” category.
This was pre-Watergate, remember, when media was three network channels and your
daily newspaper (two if you were lucky enough to live in a big city). Tommie
Agee, Ron Swoboda, and the immortal Donn Clendenon. The Amazin’s beat a mighty
Baltimore Orioles club (109 wins) that featured Hall of Famers Jim Palmer,
Brooks Robinson, and Frank Robinson. And the Mets won with the same strength
that has carried almost every World Series champ: pitching. A 22-year-old Nolan
Ryan couldn’t crack the starting rotation for this team. Gotta love a club led
by a guy remembered as Tom Terrific.
“I
Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis & the News, dedicated to Barry Bonds. I know, I
know. This was too easy. But with Mr. Lewis wearing his loyalty to the San
Francisco Giants on his sleeve (his band’s from Frisco), the match is too
perfect to pass up. What kind of drug might the aspiring Home Run King turn to,
what with the ‘roid watchdogs on his tail? I’d suggest some old-fashioned
Tylenol, for all the headaches he must endure, what with the ceaseless booing,
insulting signage, and constant questioning of his credentials as an heir to
Ruth and Aaron. But something tells me Bonds’ head is the last body part he’ll
be concerned about 10 years from now.
When he presented the city budget last week, Mayor Willie Herenton noted that Memphis is in better shape than many big cities, including Detroit. Nearly everything Herenton has proposed to close the budget deficit in Memphis — selling assets, combining offices for efficiency, holding the line or cutting back wages and benefits — is old news in Detroit. Here‘s how a columnist for the Detroit News explains it.
U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr. announced today he supports a resolution in the Senate calling for the singing of the National Anthem in English. “The National Anthem should not be lost in translation,” Ford said in a Monday press release. “Our Anthem describes more than ideas. It details what Francis Scott Key saw on a night in our history when our very freedom hung in the balance. The words, the phrases, the expressions — they all count for something irreplaceable.”
Like votes?
Ford continued: “Freedom and liberty are the same in every language. But we sing our nation’s Anthem in the language of our historic common understanding and language of Francis Scott Key. We sing it in English.”
O, puede usted ver por el bullshit temprano del amanacer?
You have to wonder if the Carolina Panthers fully realize the gem they found near the end of the first round in Saturday’s NFL draft. However much talent DeAngelo Williams may bring coach John Fox’s squad, the Carolina locker room has already gained a notch in class. Read the Panthers’ first Q & A with DeAngelo here.