After more than 100 rounds of voting, the Memphis City Council was unable to reach a decision and fill the vacant District 1 seat Tuesday night.
The meeting stretched into the early hours of Wednesday morning, as council members stood deadlocked on the the top two vote-getters from earlier rounds: Rhonda Logan and Lonnie Treadaway.
Throughout the rounds, Logan repeatedly received six votes — one shy of winning. While, Treadaway consistently received two or three votes. In many of the rounds, Council Chairman Berlin Boyd passed.
Tensions flared Tuesday night about three hours in as councilwoman Jamita Swearengen told the council “it’s a shame” that they’ve been there for so long when Logan only needs one more vote. Swearengen also told Boyd he should “join us in the process,” and vote for one of the candidates.
“Don’t get pissed at me because I don’t want to vote for someone,” Boyd said.
Councilman Reid Hedgepeth, also looking to reach a decision in a timely manner, said “vote for Lonnie Treadaway and end this.”
Logan, the executive director of the Raleigh Community Development Corp., said she has been involved with the community in District 1 for over 20 years now. Treadaway, sales manager of Flinn Broadcasting Corp., told the council that he’s only lived in the district since July.
Supporters of Logan were council members Swearengen, Martavious Jones, Patrice Robinson, Joe Brown, as well as Edmund Ford Jr. and Janis Fullilove, whose last council meeting was Tuesday.
Council members Worth Morgan, Frank Colvett Jr., J Ford Canale, Hedgepeth, and on a handful of occasions Boyd, supported Treadaway.
After three motions to recess the meeting failed, Boyd, despite objections, calls for the meeting to picked up in two weeks.
After an earlier attempt to recess the meeting, Brown told Boyd that was “corruptible,” and was echoed by Swearengen who expressed concern that recessing until December 4th would mean that Fullilove and Ford won’t get to vote, as their resignations become official November 23rd and 25th respectively.
Now, a 10-member council will vote on the District 1 appointee at its Tuesday, December 4th meeting.
