Live in Memphis long enough (say, two weeks or so) and Mayor Willie
Herenton will do something to tick you off or, at least, confound the
hell out of you. I’ve been living in Midtown Memphis since 1993, long
enough to have been ticked off and confounded dozens of times.
Herenton is the media’s go-to guy for a good story — and has
been for more than 20 years. His angry naiveté, his unbridled
willingness to play the race card when it suits him, his proclivity for
surprise announcements (“Hey, let’s build a stadium.” “Hey, I’m
resigning.” “Hey, I wanna be the director of Memphis City Schools.”
“Hey, I’m running for Congress.”), his pugnaciousness (actual, in the
case of his boxing match with Joe Frazier, or potential, in the cases
of former Councilman Brent Taylor and newsman Cameron Harper) all make Herenton a lightning rod for controversy and a sure ratings/readers magnet for local media.
His is a cult of macho personality. He is our Hugo Chavez, our Kim
Jong Il, our Fidel Castro — seemingly destined to stay in power
as long as he chooses. His statements last week to the City Council on
the MSARC issue are just the latest examples of a man so confident (or delusional) that he was almost daring the council to confront him.
The mayor also played the race card, suggesting that influential
(read, “white”) groups were behind all the controversy. A week later,
in another classic Herenton about-face, he agreed to let the county
take over the center.
There’s little doubt in my mind that in a one-on-one race with
almost anybody, black or white, Herenton would lose a mayoral election if it were held today. But there is no upcoming election and no assurance that Herenton will follow through on his recent profession of interest in running for Congress.
So, is Herenton a clever provocateur or an insecure megalomaniac? Is
he in over his head and past his prime or a smart politician who knows
that if you spell his name right, even bad publicity will appeal to
some of his constituents? The long-lingering FBI “investigation” just
adds to the puzzle. Is Herenton in real trouble or a businessman with
solid-gold connections? But the biggest mystery of all is this: Will he
ever leave office? Or are we destined, like Cuba, to have a leader for
life?
