Month: July 2007

Democrat Jeanne Richardson was the easy winner in a three-way special election race to determine the new state representative in House District 89 (Midtown).

Richardson polled 69 percent of the vote against Republican Dave Wicker’s 16 and write-in candidate Steve Edmundson’s 14.

She succeeds both Beverly Marrero, who vacated the seat after winning a special election to fill the District 30 state Senate seat, and interim state representative Mary Wilder.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards will end the first full day of his “Road to One America” tour in Memphis Monday night, with an appearance at the headquarters of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) at 910 Vance Avenue.

Edwards, who was the Democrats’ vice-presidential candidate in 2004, is considered one of his party’s three main contenders this year. His current three-day tour, designed to spotlight the problem of poverty in America, began in New Orleans and will end on Wednesday in Prestonburg, Kentucky.

Former state Senator Kathryn Bowers, who at times had seemed vulnerable during the two-odd years of her indictment for bribery and extortion in the FBI’s Tennessee Waltz sting, was composed and articulate Monday morning as she changed her plea from not guilty to guilty in federal court.

Consistent with the judicial formula for such pleas, Bowers accepted “responsibility” for Count 6 of a six-count indictment, admitting having received $11,500 from undercover agents to do legislative favors for the fictitious computer firm E-Cycle.

After Judge Daniel Breen read the government’s chronology of payments accepted by Bowers from March 2004 to January 2005, he asked Bowers if the account was accurate. “Basically,” she responded firmly. Breen thereupon entered her plea of guilty (counts 1-5 were dismissed) and, on assistant U.S. Attorney Tim DiScenza’s recommendation, released Bowers on her own recognizance. Sentencing will be on October 24th.

During an extended interchange with reporters outside the federal building, Bowers enunciated another plea – that citizens not be deterred from voting by disillusionment with the political process as a result of the Tennessee Waltz sting and other evidence of corruption among elected officials.

Asked if her change of plea had been prompted by the government’s unbroken string of successful prosecutions of Tennessee Waltz defendants – the latest coming with a guilty plea from state Senator Ward Crutchfield of Chattanooga on Thursday – Bowers said no, she had just consulted her conscience and decided to atone for her wrongdoing. She said she thought the sting had resulted in an increased awareness among legislators and potential legislators of their responsibilities and limitations under the law.

On her way out of the federal building toward her rendezvous with the media on Front St., Bowers had complained about pain in her right foot. “It’s the shoe,” she said, pointing to a pair of new taupe-colored open-weave high-heeled shoes. She had dropped something on her foot on the 4th of July, “and it still hurts,” she said, but she was determined to “wear something cute” on this day of accountability.

“I’m only 4 feet 10,” she said, smiling, “and when you’re that short, you’ve got to do something to help you stand tall.”

Maybe she did. Maybe she didn’t. But in the judgment of several reporters after her plea change and press conference, Bowers had managed a pretty good try, all in all, at doing just that.

Leaders of the “Draft A C” movement threw in the towel on Monday, after confirming reports that Shelby County mayor A C Wharton will not enter the race for city mayor against Mayor Willie Herenton.

One leader of the group, Rev. Bill Adkins, said he had the bad news from Wharton as early as Sunday and that nothing had changed by the time he talked again Monday morning with the county mayor, who is on official business in Washington, D.C.

“We’re disheartened. We thought he was the solution to Memphis’ problems,” Adkins said in an interview at Greater Imani Church in Raleigh, where he is pastor. Adkins credited “consultations with his family” as the main reason for Wharton’s decision.

“But he was always aggravated by having to make the decision. That’s how he is. He called us up when he first heard about the committee and said, ‘What are y’all doing?'”

Adkins said neither he nor, as far as he knew, other members of the draft committee would attempt to find another candidate.

“It’s over,” he said, but conceded, “There are still lots of problems out there, as there have been for the last eight years.” Adkins said a major sore point with him was Herenton’s disinclination to hire minority contractors for major building projects.

“But other people had other reasons. He [Wharton] appealed to a wide constituency. The polls said he would have won, but I didn’t need a pollster. A pastor is a pollster every week, and I knew he’d have won.”

Adkins acknowledged that a battle between old friends and allies Herenton and Wharton might have been bitter and bruising, however, as did the Rev. LaSimba Gray, co-founder of the draft committee.

“It would have been a battle royal,” said Gray, “and that’s probably one thing he [Wharton] wanted to avoid. But there would have been peace and harmony in the city afterward.”

Neither he nor Adkins expressed any interest in endorsing one of the remaining mayoral candidates.

The county mayor’s disavowal left city council member Carol Chumney and former MLGW head Herman Morris — in that order, according to the most recent polls — as the leading challengers to Herenton’s reelection. Another candidate with support in some quarters is former county commissioner John Willingham.

Candidates Chumney and Morris had quick responses to Mayor Wharton’s decision to forgo a race for city mayor.

Said Chumney: “I respect Mayor Wharton, and I respect his decision. We both want to focus on cleaning up government and making our streets safe for hardworking Memphis families. When I’m Mayor, I know we will work together to make our communities a better place for everyone.”

Said Morris: “I am pleased that AC Wharton has decided it is best to continue in the job of Mayor of Shelby County to which he was re-elected two years ago and where he is doing a great job. I look forward to working closely with him starting next January.

“We have in effect a whole new election starting today. I invite all Memphians interested in real change in City Hall to join my campaign for mayor.”