Tag: Carnita Atwater

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Politics Politics Beat Blog

Can Dems Compete in Poplar Corridor in November?

(Graphic courtesy of Memphis consultant Cole Perry)

Whatever it might mean for the November election results, the August voting in Shelby County showed an interesting pattern vis-a-vis the race for the Democratic nomination for governor.

As noted by Erik Schelzig of the Tennessee Journal and as demonstrated in the graphic above (image courtesy of Memphis consultant Cole Perry) the Democrats’ second-place finisher statewide, City Councilman JB Smiley of Memphis, dominated primary voting in Shelby County, perhaps as expected, winning 61.99 percent of the county’s vote as a native son, with 48,650 votes. Second place in Shelby County went to Dr. Jason Martin of Nashville, who garnered 22.72 percent of the vote, with 18,005 votes. Martin finished first in the state as a whole and, consequently, is the party’s nominee in November to oppose GOP Governor Bill Lee.

What will be noticed from the graphic is the lengthy pink salient penetrating the county map from the east. This is where Martin netted from 40 to 60 percent of the primary vote and was the source of his strength in Shelby County. That portion of the county happens to be synonymous with what Schelzig and others call the “finger of love,” a section of the county peeled away from what used to be the 9th District and assigned by Republican redistricters to the 8th Congressional District.

Another way of describing the salient is that it is the Poplar Avenue Corridor, site of a good deal of upscale business and residential areas.

So what can be deduced from the map? Several things; one in particular: At least to a modest degree, the Poplar Corridor is potentially competitive in November between Martin and Lee. The rest of the county should go to Martin, though turnout for Martin as the Democratic nominee in November may lag behind what Memphian Smiley was able to attract in August.

And not to be neglected is that the 12,604 votes won in Shelby by third-place finisher Carnita Atwater, also a Memphian, most probably took enough votes away from Smiley to prevent his becoming the party nominee. He lost to Martin statewide by only 1,472 votes.

Ultimately, in any case, the odds of a Martin victory in November remain remote in that statewide voting remains overwhelmingly Republican.

Still, Democrats would be well advised to give that finger a shake.

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Politics Politics Feature

Political Time Warp

Jason Martin, Carnita Atwater, and JB Smiley (Photo: Jackson Baker)

We’re all entitled to a brain freeze once in a while. Who among us has not suffered one in an embarrassing public moment? But Carnita Atwater, a Memphian and a declared candidate for governor of Tennessee, went for gold with one on the night of Tuesday, July 12th.

The first comment Atwater made from the stage of the Little Theater in the Alma C. Hanson Student Center at LeMoyne-Owen College was in response to a lead-off question that moderator Jasmine Boyd addressed to all three candidates for the Democratic nomination — the others being Nashville physician Jason Martin and Memphis Councilman JB Smiley.

Atwater, an activist for the New Chicago neighborhood and a former nurse, would say the following:

“Thank you for that question. As the next incoming governor, I will have a plan that affords all Tennesseeans to have a seat at the table of prosperity. I will go and do questionnaires across the 95 counties to identify and assess the needs of each county. Most counties are different. Most counties have different needs. So I want to dictate to the community. I want to meet their needs. So that’s why I’ll do a questionnaire, do the accessibility, and then draw up my plan.”

Quote unquote.

Martin was next, delivering a well-considered statement stressing, among other things, the need to shore up public education, vo-tech and otherwise; to renew the matter, so far rejected by the Republican legislative supermajority, of accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion; and to bring broadband to all corners of the state.

In his turn, Smiley — who is equal parts demonstrative and reserved and who would consistently feature some aspect of himself to answer to all questions — noted that he lived only three blocks away from the site of the forum in an underserved community and made a pitch for instituting a living wage and for workforce development programs because “the jobs are coming, the global city is here.”

At this point, Atwater had a question of her own, addressing it to Boyd: “I want to make sure I understand the rules. Do we have 90 seconds to respond? Because I noticed that others are getting one minute and 30 seconds. So I want to make sure we follow the rules.”

Very politely and without missing a beat, Boyd explained: “Yes, ma’am, one minute and 30 seconds is the equivalent of 90 seconds.”

And the forum went on from there, Atwater’s first questionnaire having gotten an answer of sorts. (More on the forum and the Democratic gubernatorial primary will be featured online at memphisflyer.com.)

• In addition to the state, federal, county, and judicial races covered in the July 14th issue of the Flyer (in this space and in that week’s cover story), several other races on the August 4th ballot, listed below, deserve attention. Only contested races are included for the categories indicated. Incumbent’s names are italicized.

Memphis Term Limits Referendum — One of the most widely anticipated measures on the August 4th ballot is a referendum for Memphis voters that would alter the current limit of two terms for mayor and City Council members, extending that limit to three terms. Interest in the referendum has been enhanced by a declaration from current Mayor Jim Strickland that he would seek a third term in 2023 if it should pass.

City of Memphis Special Election — Municipal Court Judge, Division 1: Kenya Hooks, Carolyn S. Watkins.

Shelby County School Board races — District 1: Chris Caldwell, Michelle McKissack, Rachael Goodwin Spriggs; District 6: Charles Everett, Timothy Green Jr., Kenny Lee, David Page, Tiffani Perry, Keith Williams; District 9: Joyce Dorse-Coleman, Rebecca Jane Edwards.

Arlington Municipal Election — Alderman, Position 4: Oscar L. Brooks, Jordan D. Hinders; Alderman, Position 5: Harry McKee, Steven Smith. School Board, Position 3: Jonathan Dunn, Hugh Lamar; School Board, Position 5: Dale A. Viox, Cathy Wilson.

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News News Blog

Memphis 3.0 Includes Items Opponents Say It Lacks

CREDIT: Facebook- Carnita Atwater

Facebook- Carnita Atwater

Atwater speaks against the Memphis 3.0 plan at a rally Saturday

A lawsuit filed by members of the community caused the Memphis City Council on Tuesday to again delay voting on the Memphis 3.0 plan.

Carnita Atwater, president of the New Chicago Community Development Corporation, told the council that they were being “disrespectful to the African-American community because the 3.0 plan is “blatant racism.”

Atwater and about a half a dozen more attendees at Tuesday’s meeting spoke in opposition of the plan, saying that it was not inclusive.

In a Wednesday press release, Atwater, who is African American said that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of the “impoverished African-American communities that have endured decades of disinvestment.”

“The Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan fails to include any relevant or substantive financial investment in beleaguered African American Communities,” Atwater said. “The benefits of the plan are not inclusive, nor does it address racial equity in a city experiencing selective disinvestment, targeted gentrification, and low-income displacement.”

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The lawsuit was filed in federal court Tuesday against the council, the Shelby County Commission, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, and Gov. Bill Lee. The move is meant to stop the city council from voting on the plan.

Atwater’s key argument is that the Memphis 3.0 does not include plans for the New Chicago neighborhood and other African-American communities in the city.

However, the 465-page document does detail improvements for New Chicago, the surrounding North Memphis neighborhood, and other predominantly African-American areas in the city.

Within New Chicago itself, the plan outlines two anchors to be nurtured. The document says nurturing means providing stability to areas not experiencing growth.

Atwater has said that the plan does not give funding to the most “dis-invested in neighborhood in the city.”

But, based on the 3.0 document, anchors to be nurtured will see investments by the city and philanthropies to support improvements.

The first anchor is the intersection of Chelsea and Ayers, where the document suggests creating a garden district with the vacant land there and conducting an urban farming feasibility study.

At the intersection of Breedlove and Firestone, just a half a mile away from the New Chicago CDC headquarters, the plan lists 11 action items.

Some of them include improving the aesthetics of the area, supporting small businesses and community-based organizations and initiatives, identifying funding sources for facade improvements, and conducting an environmental assessment.

Near New Chicago, the crossing of Watkins and Brown is another anchor where the plan looks to support affordable housing, create adaptive reuses for abandoned buildings, and identify alternate uses for vacant land such as urban agriculture and parks.

The other anchors in North Memphis include Jackson and Watkins, Chelsea and Hollywood, Jackson and Hastings, and the Douglass Park Area.

Finally, for the entire North Memphis district, the plan indicates a slew of issues that need to be addressed, such as the need for a full-service grocery store or other ways to access fresh foods, improved sidewalks, additional bike lanes, and other infrastructure improvements.

In South Memphis, another area of the city largely populated with African Americans, the plan lists six anchors to be nurtured and two to be accelerated, or boost existing changes in the community.

Those anchors include Mississippi and Walker, Third and Belz, Elvis Presley and Alcy, and Soulsville.

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Actions for this district touch on affordable housing, neighborhood beautification, as well as improved public parks, sidewalks, and accessibility. Like North Memphis, accessible fresh foods is also a priority in the plan.

Read the priorities for each district here beginning on page 243. 

Atwater also expressed concern Tuesday about how the plan will gentrify African-American communities, while displacing communities of color and “forcing them out of the city of Memphis.”

Beverly Clay, who is African American, is another opponent of the plan. She said Tuesday that the 3.0 plan has “obvious omissions of our areas” and that it is “inexcusable.”

Supporting the plan Tuesday, Roshun Austin, president of The Works CDC in South Memphis, said the plan is a “map and a guide, because it provides us with what’s here today and suggestions for a brighter future. “

“It does not dictate the route we will take to get to our destination,” Austin said. “It does not detail all of the opportunities or encumbrances.”

Gary Rosenfeld, president and CEO of the Memphis Area Transit Authority, also spoke in support of the plan Tuesday, saying that the plan has “already demonstrated its ability to have a positive effect on our community.”

Ultimately, the council decided to delay the first of the three votes on the plan for two weeks to allow the council attorney Allan Wade and city of Memphis attorney Bruce McMullen to review the lawsuit.