The 2011 Memphis mayoral race is now officially on: Shelby County Commissioner James Harvey, who nearly made a run for city mayor in 2009 and has talked up a race against the winner of that special-election race, incumbent mayor A C Wharton, ever since, is now in it for real.
A “Campaign Kick-Off Fundraising Event” for Harvey, at a suggested contribution range of $250 to $1000, is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 Tuesday evening at the Blue Suede restaurant on Elvis Presley Boulevard.
Businessman Harvey has made it increasingly clear that he intends to make an issue of Wharton’s industrial recruitment policy — one that he regards as offering too many concessions at the expense of the city’s revenue base.
Harvey has been especially critical of the $20 million incentive offered by the city (and matched by the county) in order to attract a large new Electrolux plant from Canada. And he insists that elected officials should be actively involved in recruitment efforts and kept informed about the nature of incentives being offered.
