Tag: Jeff Warren

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Politics Politics Feature

Purgatory

When Judge Jayne Chandler (r) swore in Councilman Jeff Warren in early January, host and witness for the special ceremony was the iconic late former school board member Sara Lewis. It was her final official act. (Photo: Courtesy Jeff Warren)

The forced reaction of Mayor Paul Young in his interim appointment of Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis, coupled with the city council’s action this past Tuesday to defer action on reappointing Public Works Director Robert Knecht, suggests an emergent balkanization of power in the affairs of the newly installed city government.

Council chair JB Smiley has made it clear that he intends to position the council — and himself — as a counterbalance to mayoral authority. Smiley, who had taken the lead in the first deferral of action on Davis three weeks ago, reinforced his assertiveness last Tuesday in dressing down Knecht for “attitude” and alleged insularity and leading the council to postpone a vote on Knecht’s reappointment for two more weeks.

“Make sure you respond when we come calling on you,” was the thrust of Smiley’s message to Knecht. The contrast between Smiley’s firmness and Knecht’s docility was instructive.

And individual council members have their own axes to grind.

Councilman Jeff Warren, sponsor of the imminent council resolution that Young had to preempt and emulate in his interim appointment of Davis, has affirmed his position at the nexus of authority. Newcomer Jerri Green’s strong questioning of Davis underscored her determination to be a voice to reckon with.

Another new council member, previously seen as an unknown quantity, is Yolanda Cooper-Sutton, who has made a point of her intention to base her votes on her own independent researches. Yet another first-termed, Pearl Eva Walker, has to be regarded as a potential exponent of an abundant number of activist causes, including a reexamination of Memphis’ issues with TVA.

And so forth and so on. As the old saw goes: All have won, and all must have prizes. Young, who has yet to get his legs fully down, will be hard put to maintain the strong-mayor authority the city charter entitles him to — especially given a belated air of pushback against the relatively free hand enjoyed by former mayor Jim Strickland.

Not to be ignored, either, is the likely enhancement of self-interested power groups in the community. A key moment in the (temporary) resolution of the Davis matter was a come-to-Jesus meeting between Mayor Young and members of the Memphis Police Association on the Monday before the last council session.

The gathered police folk made it clear that they wanted more attention to their concerns that they had been used to in law-enforcement matters.

The bottom line is that rosy rhetoric does not apply to Davis’ case. Nor to her boss’. One noted pundit has hailed the interim appointment as a salvific opportunity for all the sides to get together in constructive kumbaya. The fact is, to employ the right existential terminology, Davis is in a form of purgatory and has, at best, an opportunity to expurgate herself. Meanwhile, she has to bear the ill-defined stigmata of public doubt. And so, sadly, must the mayor, as he still struggles to launch his mayoralty.

Some are already suggesting that Chief Davis might make her best contribution to the city’s welfare — and to her boss’ and to her own — by arranging for a graceful, voluntary withdrawal.

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Politics Politics Beat Blog

Council Resolution Forced Young’s Hand

C.J. Davis (Photo: memphispolice.org)

The backstory of Mayor Paul Young’s last-minute appointment of Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis to remain as interim police chief: He acted preemptively to stave off a council resolution that would have mandated a similar outcome.

The council resolution, prepared by member Jeff Warren, called for a five-month pause during which the council would measure Davis’ performance in office according to a scale of “metrics,” the nature of which had yet to be devised.

Reportedly, eight council members had committed to the resolution, more than enough for passage.

Confronted with the fact of the resolution’s imminent introduction on Tuesday, Mayor Young made the impromptu decision, with minutes to spare, to make the interim appointment of Davis.

It is understood that the council still has authority to assert its will on Davis’ tenure and, in reaching an ultimate judgment, will avail itself of the aforementioned package of still-to-be-arrived-at metrics. The council will vote again on Davis’ status in June, as called for in the resolution.

The resolution read as follows:

WHEREAS, in the wake of a new Administration, the Memphis City Council received presentations from Mayor Young’s prospective appointees to head each division of the City of Memphis; and

WHEREAS, in anticipation of the vote to reappoint Police Services Chief Davis, the Council has received numerous messages from its constituents, expressing their concerns about the state of crime in Memphis, and the need for effective leadership to reduce it; and

WHEREAS, the Council recognizes that the City of Memphis’s public safety is of the utmost importance, and, as such, understands the importance of appointing or reappointing the individual who will be tasked with ensuring the safety of our communities; and

WHEREAS, during the January 9th Council meeting, both Council Members and Chief Davis shed light on some internal issues amongst Police Services, in addition to external issues that have contributed to an increase in crime in our city; and

WHEREAS, to address these issues, it is the intent of the Council to gather further data as to the effectiveness of Chief Davis, and to determine the needs of the Memphis Police Department that will best aid them in their goal to reduce crime before voting on Chief Davis reappointment.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Memphis City Council hereby postpones the vote on the reappointment of MPD Chief C.J. Davis until the second Council meeting in June of 2024. In the interim, the Chairman of the Memphis City Council shall appoint a Council Member to confer with the Administration and other stakeholders to compile a list of expectations and metrics for the next 5 months to assess Chief Davis’ ability to address internal MPD issues and to reduce crime: these expectations and metrics shall be shared with the Members of the Memphis City Council and the public in advance of the reappointment.

Sponsor:

Dr. Jeff Warren

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Politics Politics Beat Blog

Poll: Tennesseans  Support  Gun Laws, Abortion, LGBTQ Rights

Photo by Brandon Hooper / Unsplash

In the wake of  local gun incidents that have prompted potential emergency action from the Memphis city council, a Vanderbilt University survey demonstrates a favorable attitude statewide for new firearms legislation.

The semiannual Vanderbilt Poll, released on Wednesday, finds “significant bipartisan support” for government action on gun control. The poll also indicates support for “basic protections for abortion” and for provision of health care options for the LGBTQ community.

Though Governor Bill Lee has said he intends to call a special session of the General Assembly to consider new gun laws, the legislature adjourned its 2023 session last week without considering such legislation. Meanwhile, the Memphis city council may test the resolve of the Assembly’s Republican supermajority against new laws by passing its own gun ordinances. 

The council’s action, signaled by Councilman Jeff Warren, is in response to the shooting of two people on Beale Street over the weekend, followed by a disturbed young gunman’s firing a round on Tuesday into the studio space of Fox-13  television.

The council will apparently consider action for a red-flag law, for banning assault weapons locally, and to require gun-carry permits. If it does so, it will challenge state government’s increasing emphasis on curtailing local options.

However the state might respond officially, its citizens would find such action agreeable, according to the Vanderbilt Poll.

The survey, conducted April 19-23 among 1,003 registered Tennessee voters, shows that 82 percent of those polled support Gov. Lee’s  recent executive order on gun background checks, and that three-quarters of them desire “red flag” laws to that end.

Support for the governor’s executive order, issued in response to the recent Covenant School shootings in Nashville, which killed six people, was 81 percent among self-described non-MAGA Republicans, 91 percent among Democrats, and 78 percent among independents.

The survey indicates that gun control ranked as the third-most important issue on the minds of Tennesseans, just two percentage points behind education and three points behind the economy. 

On abortion, 82 percent of those surveyed supported the right of abortion in cases of rape, incest, or threats to the life of the mother.

Further, says a summary of poll results, “At a rate of 3 to 1, Tennesseans oppose the idea that a person should be charged with a crime if they help a Tennessee citizen get an abortion in another state. Opposition to this idea is again bipartisan, with 93 percent of Democrats, 82 percent of Independents, 62 percent of non-MAGA Republicans and 53 percent of MAGA Republicans.”

And, though the survey indicates sentiment to control sexually suggestive entertainments in public, apparently including drag shows, “most voters oppose legislation that would restrict transgender individuals’ access to health care.” Such restrictions were opposed by 66 percent of those surveyed.

“It’s hopeful that while 58 percent of respondents view Tennesseans as divided, there is a fairly strong agreement on basic next steps in our most politically divisive issues,” said John Geer, co-director of the Vanderbilt Poll and Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. “At the same time, 74 percent of registered voters say they’d prefer their elected leaders compromise across the aisle rather than strictly pursue their own values and priorities.”

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News News Blog News Feature

Report: No Cancer Clusters Found Around Sterilization Services

Credit: Shelby County Health Department

No clusters of major cancers were found in a government investigation of the area around Sterilization Services in South Memphis after health alerts were raised on emissions from the company last year.

The company uses ethylene oxide (EtO) in its Florida Street facility to sterilize medical equipment. The gas is odorless and colorless and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wasn’t aware emissions could raise cancer rates until 2016.

Now, the EPA says EtO emissions from the facility could pose a risk to those living in the neighborhood around it. The agency held public meetings in Memphis last year to warn the residents but said there was little they could do. 

Since that meeting, officials with the Shelby County Health Department (SCHD) and the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) reviewed areas around the company’s facility. Specifically, they were looking for heightened cases of leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, stomach cancer, and breast cancer.  

”This cancer cluster investigation did not provide evidence of increased amounts of leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, stomach, or breast cancers clustered near the Sterilization Services of Tennessee facility compared to a group of residents away from the facility,” reads the report. “Just because we cannot find evidence of increased rates of cancer that are associated with EtO does not mean there may not be increased risk.”

For the study, health officials compared the area around Sterilization Services to another area far from the facility, basically from Cordova to Eads in eastern Shelby County. To get a better context of any population shifts that may have happened, they also compared data from 2000-2009 and from 2010-2019. 

SCHD officials announced the findings of the study this week in a public meeting. SCHD director Dr. Michelle Taylor fielded questions from the a audience and from those watching a live-stream of the meeting. Taylor said the company has been “very cooperative” during the investigation process.  

“We’ve never had a problem with them, with our inspectors going in, asking questions, getting information for from them, none of that,” Taylor said. “So, really it is about finding out what the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] is expecting in the way of additional controls and then figuring out and negotiating how quickly that can happen.” 

The company has used EtO here since the 1970s. The SCHD has permitted the facility since 1985. The EPA did not begin regulating emissions of EtO until 1994. 

The company is now in compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations on emissions. The EPA is working on some rule changes to limit EtO emissions at places like Sterilization Services. 

Until then, the company can only be asked to make changes voluntarily, which is what the Memphis City Council asked them to do in a resolution in January. At the time, council member Dr. Jeff Warren said Sterilization Services has facilities across the U.S. and has already enacted emission interventions at some of them. 

Citizens asked Taylor this week if the health department could intervene and demand the company to act, even to get them to move. 

“If we learned anything from Covid, we know that our authority is limited at the health department,” Taylor said. “Industry is not just regulated by us, it’s regulated by code enforcement, it’s regulated by zoning, it’s regulated by many other divisions that are not the health department. So, when you’re talking about asking an industry to move somewhere else, the short answer is, we as a health department, as a single entity — we just cannot do that alone.” 

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News News Blog News Feature

Council Wants Regional One’s Help In Violence Intervention Program

Credit: Regional One Health/Facebook

An intervention program aimed at curbing violence in Memphis by speaking to shooting victims and their families encountered resistance from one of Memphis’ largest hospitals, prompting city officials to intervene. 

On Tuesday, Memphis City Council members voted to pass a resolution requesting the Shelby County government help facilitate an agreement between Regional One Health Hospital and the city-funded Group Violence Intervention Program (GVIP). Memphis launched the program in 2020 with $2.4 million in funding. 

Members of the GVIP team visit trauma units at hospitals to provide intervention to juveniles and their families who have been affected by gun violence. The program has partnered with the Methodist Le Bonheur trauma department, but efforts to connect with Regional One have been denied, citing HIPAA concerns.  

“I’m sorry but whoever is in charge of Regional One needs to wake up and let our people in,” said City Council member Dr. Jeff Warren, who helped launch the program.

GVIP is an alternative to policing by collaborating with the Memphis Police Department and examining weekly shootings to identify the shooters as well as their victims who may retaliate and promote further violence.  

“Today’s victims could be tomorrow’s suspect,” said Jimmie Johnson, GVIP spokesperson. “If my friend got shot yesterday, he might go and retaliate against the person who shot him, or my friend’s group could go retaliate.”

An intervention team of 50 trained members — including police liaisons — who know the dynamics of gangs and cliques are tasked with connecting with individuals and mediating “beefs” to discourage retaliation and encouraging positive community response. GVIP liaisons also offer services to at-risk individuals, such as paths to employment, in the hopes of reducing recidivism. 

“Right now, in our time and society, police officers get such a negative viewpoint from citizens, but now these individuals being contacted by law enforcement see them in a different light. They see them as a hand of redemption. ‘We’re trying to help you before we get to the point of having to arrest you and prosecute you,’” said Johnson.

The program has seen mild initial success. Due to COVID delays, the program began operating only in recent months despite receiving funding before the pandemic. As of September, 126 individuals were identified, 122 contacted, 29 accepted communications and 12 have been referred to services. Most of the identified individuals were between the ages of 16 to 25.  

In November, GVIP will begin call-ins to offer paths to employment and other services to those on active probation. Parolees will also be informed about the risk of death and prosecution should they or their associates continue to engage in violence.

“The violence must stop. The community is tired of it. We’re tired of it, but instead of just locking you away, we’re going to give you an alternative to change your behavior instead of incarcerating them,” said Johnson.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com. Follow Tennessee Lookout on Facebook and Twitter.

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Opinion The Last Word

The Last Word: The Truth About Extending Term Limits

Dr. Jeff Warren (Photo: City of Memphis)

I can understand why term limits are an attractive sell to the many Americans who are frustrated with the state of American politics. However, the data and research do not support these frustrations.

According to political science research, term limits have had little to no impact on diversity, more distributive fiscal policies, or incentivizing legislators to be more responsive to constituents. In an article for the Brookings Institution, Casey Burgat, assistant professor at George Washington University, writes, “Term limits — despite their broad appeal to a politically dejected public — simply don’t provide the benefits advocates promise.”

The broad consensus amongst political scientists is that term limits are not only gravely overestimated in their effectiveness but also come with a heap of unintended consequences.

The most devastating unintended consequence is the loss of qualified, committed, and experienced elected officials whom voters can no longer return to office. Experience handling emergency situations is an important point to consider as our world continues to deal with the immediate and long-term fallout of the pandemic. Facing inflation, a looming recession, and political instability overseas, I believe we will need the steady hand of leadership shown by Mayor Jim Strickland and my colleagues on the council.

Continuity and enough time in office is important for the city to continue to maintain the momentum we have worked so hard to achieve. Neither the mayor nor the city council have shied away from tackling ambitious projects during their time in office. However, short term limits threaten innovative public policy just the same.

The administration and council have shown excellent partnership and cooperation by collaborating on the creation and funding for the Group Violence Intervention Program, a new and holistic approach to combating gun violence in our city. Started in 2021, violence interventionists are out in our communities working with individuals who are at risk of committing violent acts, and they are also immediately on the scene after an act of gun violence is committed, to help reduce the likelihood of retaliation and get victims on the path to healing. This program is just starting to get off the ground but is showing immediate promise in reducing gun violence in our city. New policy approaches such as this are vulnerable without continuity of leadership.

In the winter of 2021, the city council approved Mayor Strickland’s Accelerate Memphis plan that made a historic $200 million investment in Memphis parks, community centers, libraries, roads, and pedestrian safety. Continuity of city leadership is important to make sure these important projects get done.

The lack of experience in municipal government caused by too short terms is another adverse impact. In fact, research shows that term limits are more likely to empower outside actors, such as lobbyists and bureaucrats, as newly elected politicians struggle to fill the knowledge and policy gaps. This lack of knowledge is not just related to the large bureaucracy at Memphis City Hall but also applies to the state of Tennessee and the federal government as well. So often our city is left out or behind on economic development, education funding, public works projects, and other investments. City leaders with intergovernmental affairs knowledge are crucial to advocating for our city getting the resources and respect it deserves from Nashville and Washington.

Opponents of extending term limits focus on apparent benefits that scholarly research tells us are overestimated at best. Because the research so clearly favors lax term limits, the public debate has become personal. Arguments against extending term limits are more about why certain officials should not be reelected. I feel this line of thinking jumps the gun as extending term limits does not bestow a mandate to anyone to run. Mayor Strickland and several of my colleagues on the city council would have to make their case to voters once more next year.

The term of any elected official ends with the next election; if constituents want change, they will vote change in. We saw during Atlanta’s city council elections last November six new officials unseat incumbents while, at the same time, long-serving and returning members retained seats. The different outcomes signal voters prioritize results over time in office. I hope Memphians will vote “yes” on the referendum to extend term limits, so we may have the opportunity to vote for civil servants and their experience and expertise.

Dr. Jeff Warren is a physician and a member of the Memphis City Council.

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Opinion Viewpoint

Viewpoint: A Referendum on Arrogance

Bryce Ashby (Photo: courtesy Bryce Ashby)

Over the last few weeks, we’ve heard a few grumblings of support for the Memphis City Council’s referendum seeking to extend its own term limits from two to three terms. Unfortunately for the council, those grumblings appear to be coming only from its own members and their cronies. Nevertheless, they continue unabated in their effort to rally support for this mistaken attempt to supplant the will of residents.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland has abandoned his previous promise not to seek a third term in office if term limits were extended. Now, showing a little mayoral leg to entice his voting bloc, Mayor Strickland said if the referendum passes, he will be more than happy to flip-flop his position to keep himself in office.

Meanwhile, Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren — the referendum’s most vocal supporter — seeks to garner votes in his quixotic quest to remain in power.

I’ve said this before: I like Jeff Warren. I appreciate his service. I appreciate his efforts to protect Overton Park. Although I’ve never voted for Mayor Strickland, he offered strong leadership through the pandemic and has offered a welcome, tempering voice as the city council unwisely sought to hop into bed with the Carlisle group and have the city carry far too much financial risk in the One Beale project.

I have strong disagreements with these men on a number of other issues, but even if I didn’t, their cynical efforts in backing the term limit referendum demonstrate a disappointing amount of hubris and/or frightening misunderstanding of the goals of public service.

Strickland and Warren have primarily argued in favor of the referendum because there is still work to be done. Well, of course, there is, but that’s not a good reason to extend term limits. There will always be work to do, challenges to overcome, and improvements to make. Extending term limits to three terms or eliminating them altogether will not change that fact.

Public service and governing should be about making as great a contribution as you can while you have the opportunity. Democracy is about making long-term, incremental progress, and a good public servant should work to make those contributions and that progress, but with an eye on developing young leaders to follow behind him or her and continue that work. That’s Strickland and Warren’s first mistake — contending that the work can ever be finished. Their second mistake and the much more troubling one is believing that only they are capable of doing that work.

Look around Memphis. We have so many talented, energetic, and creative people working to make the city better. Whether it is in business, nonprofits, or advocacy, Memphis’ greatest resource is our sheer abundance of smart and caring individuals working to build a more just and equitable city. Working to build a stronger education system. Fighting to ensure that as we develop, we do so in an environmentally sustainable way.

Instead of wasting their energy and spending political capital on keeping themselves in power, Mayor Strickland and Councilman Warren would be better off identifying young leaders who are already contributing to our city and encouraging them to bring their energy to public service.

Let’s bring this debate to a close on August 4th. What is on the ballot is not a referendum on term limits but one on the arrogance of a few. For the third time in 14 years, vote against this cynical referendum. Once that’s done, we can focus on what really matters, continuing the work of improving the lives of all Memphians.

Bryce W. Ashby is an attorney with Donati Law, PLLC.

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Politics Beat Blog

Mulroy Alleges Blacks Under-Represented in Shelby D.A.’s Office

Mulroy with supporters at Thursday press conference

“Racial equity” in the D.A. ‘s office was the subject of a press conference held by Democratic candidate Steve Mulroy outside the Shelby County office building Tuesday afternoon, and he got boosting on the point from three key supporters, two of them African-American notables.

Flanked by the Reverend LaSimba Gray and Memphis City Council members Patrice Robinson and Jeff Warren, Mulroy cited figures which, he said, showed that, under incumbent Republican D.A. Amy Weirich,  “we have a district attorney’s office that is 90 percent white, roughly in attorneys, and 90 percent white in supervising attorneys. This is unacceptable. It has been unacceptable for years, and it needs to change.”

Mulroy added, “African Americans in Shelby County are disproportionately the victims of violent crime. And they’re disproportionately the victims of systemic discrimination in our criminal justice system. Therefore, it’s especially important that we have diversity among the actual prosecutors that make the charging decisions.”

Backing up Mulroy, Robinson said, “It is so important to know that you are represented by your community in a like manner. What he’s saying to us today is that currently, we do not have the representation for African-American people in the district attorney’s office, in that most of the people who are being prosecuted don’t have people to represent them ….”

Said Warren: “ I had no idea those numbers were as dramatic. And I think I am certain that Steve Mulroy will make the changes necessary to make our district attorney office look much more like our city in general, like it should.”

Rev. Gray, who in the past has made a point of backing African Americans in primaries where both blacks and whites were candidates, explained why he was supporting Mulroy against two African-American opponents in the Democratic primary:”Obviously, he’s a better candidate. See, in this race, you’re talking about experience. You got some running with no prosecutorial experience. And they are saying that all around the campaign trail.” 

Asked about an accusation by state Senator Raumesh Akbari, in a TV campaign commercial, that Weirich’s office was practicing “racial profiling,” Mulroy  said, “In a 30-second commercial, that was shorthand for the fact that we have disproportionate charging of African Americans, disproportionate treatment of African Americans with respect to pretrial detention, with respect to adult transfer from juvenile court to criminal court, with respect to sentences that are meted out.”

Mulroy contrasted the amount of blacks participating in the Shelby D.A.’s office with the number of those in the D.A.’s office of Davidson County  (Nashville), which has far fewer African Americans in its population. “I can tell you the raw number of African-American attorneys, not just the percentage, but the raw absolute number is higher in Davidson County, even though their total attorney complement is 75 compared to our 115.” 

Responding to the Mulroy press conference, Weirich issued this statement:

“The data Professor Mulroy provided is not accurate but that’s not surprising since his entire campaign is based on false data and dangerous ideas like releasing more criminals from jail.  The percentage is 31 and I have 223 employees – not 148 as he stated. 

“As the first female District Attorney in Shelby County, I have worked hard to hire people who best reflect the community and I’m proud to have increased the percentage of minorities in the office since I was elected.  More minorities hold supervisory positions than any other time in the history of our office.  It is indeed hypocritical that Professor Mulroy, a white male who chose to run against three women, is  making diversity his platform. Electing him alone sends a disturbing message that women shouldn’t be in leadership roles.”

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Politics Politics Feature

Apropos the Crisis

Among the consequences of the current pandemic is that various public events, some of them long-scheduled, are now off the calendar until some undefined future point — or canceled outright. There is, of course, a third option, involving reliance upon the various forms of virtual presence the cybernetic age has made possible.

An example of the latter is the Democrats’ selection of delegates to the party’s upcoming summer convention.

Local Democrats met at Kirby High School for two major-party presidential nominating conventions the weekend before last to choose “selectors” for the official party caucuses, which, for Democrats in the 9th Congressional District, were set for the same location this coming weekend. Those for the adjoining 8th District, which includes part of Memphis and Shelby County, were designated for the Carroll County Fairgrounds.

In either case, not anymore. Instead, the party will be conducting its delegate selection online at various times across the state on Saturday. Each candidate’s selectors will caucus on conference calls via separate phone lines. Procedures have not yet been decided on for at-large delegates and those in a P.L.E.O. category (for “party leaders and elected officials”).

political consultant Michael Life, City Councilman Dr. Jeff Warren, and state Representative Dwayne Thompson.

• When he made his successful race for the City Council Super District 9 last year, Jeff Warren, a physician, used medical metaphors for the improvements he proposed to bring to city government. “For a Healthier Memphis” was his catch-all slogan.

As a member of Mayor Jim Strickland‘s newly convened COVID Task Force, the councilman is now involved in such a clinical role in earnest. This week, he dispatched a prescription of sorts to constituents via email. Included in his recommendations:

1. Please do not panic and stockpile food and supplies. Our supply chain can provide what we need. Reach out to a neighbor and offer to sell or donate supplies if you did and this will allow our stores to restock and address everyone’s needs.

2. Practice social distancing and avoid crowds of any kind. Many restaurants and businesses are leading the way in removing tables and chairs, and the city is now limiting any gathering to fewer than 50 people. 

3. Wash your hands, practice good hygiene, and avoid touching your face.  

4. Stay home and avoid contact with as few people as possible until we have actual local data to see where we are on the epidemic curve.

Apropos the latter point, Warren was among the attendees at what may have been the last organized public political event to be held in these parts for a while, a fundraiser last week for Democratic state House District 97 candidate Allan Creasy, held in a back-tent area at Celtic Crossing, where Creasy serves as a bartender.

• Another legislative candidate, Jerri Green, a Democrat seeking the state House seat in District 83, suspended campaigning and also issued some similar online advice, part of which read as follows:

All of the following are looking for donations of goods, monetary gifts, and some even need volunteers to help: Mid-South Food Bank, Hope House Memphis, Dorothy Day House, Trinity United Methodist Church.

Then, look for other simple things you can do: Support your favorite small business or restaurant if you can now, or buy gift cards for later use.

Tip folks extra if you can. Uber Eats drivers, bartenders, baristas, you name it, they need it!

Find your local favorite musician’s latest album and BUY it. They will be booking fewer gigs.

Check on friends, neighbors, co-workers (text them!). This is intense, and we need to vent a little.

Say a prayer for RBG. Seriously.

What I won’t be doing during this time: campaigning. I won’t be fundraising or door-knocking or generally being a politician.

• Interesting message received from MoneyGeek, a start-up company proffering financial information and advice: In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the White House recently released a statement announcing that it would once again seek to repeal Obamacare after the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments challenging the ACA. MoneyGeek recently completed a study analyzing the risk to patients with pre-existing conditions and found that over 12 million Americans could lose coverage, and that would include losing coverage for vaccines and treatment related to coronavirus. Tennessee would be one of the most impacted states if these laws change:
* Over 325,000 people (8.2 percent of the population of Tennessee), are either uninsured or on the ACA today, and have a declinable condition. This population would suffer the most, either losing coverage or having difficulty securing new coverage.

* 11 percent of the population is on ACA programs/direct-to-consumer insurance plans.

* Over 500,000 people (14.7 percent of the population) are currently uninsured.

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

Council Switch; New House Speaker; Legislative Alteration

CREDIT: Jackson Baker

A decision by the presiding officials of the local AFL-CIO on Sunday to prohibit speeches by political candidates at their annual picnic at AFSCME headquarters downtown — even by those whom the union has chosen to endorse — has stirred some disquiet. Jackson Baker

Charley Burch (l) with K.C. and Jeff Warren

It has also prompted some action on the city-council-candidate front. Charley Burch reacted to the unprecedented acton by arranging a press conference for Monday afternoon involving himself, state Representative G.A. Hardaway, and fellow council candidate Jeff Warren. The purpose of the press conference?

Said Burch: “It’s to make the point that couldn’t get made at the picnic because we didn’t have the opportunity to say it — that those of us friendly to labor have to bond together in support of common goals.”

In Burch’s case, those common goals would be served by his using the Monday press conference to endorse Warren, who, along with Burch, Cody Fletcher, and Tyrone Romeo Franklin, is on the ballot for Position 3 in Council Super District 9. Presumably Burch would have availed himself on this option on Sunday if allowed to.

Eighth District Congressman David Kustoff addressed a National Federation of Small Business group at Regions Bank on Poplar last week and, as he has in the past, made a point of backing as many of President Trump’s initiatives as possible, including one that has been somewhat overlooked in the crescendo of recent political developments.

Said Kustoff: “An issue that I’m going to continue to fight on is the U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement (CAFTA), which will replace the old NAFTA. The president renegotiated NAFTA, I think, to the betterment of the United States. Mexico’s ratified it. Canada’s ratified it. So we need Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi to put it on the floor. And the challenge that I see right now — should we go back on September 9th in Washington — is that we’ve got 41 legislative days or something like that.

“You’ve  got some Democrats who say they want to do it. But some who don’t, who say it’d be a win for Donald Trump. It’d be a win for the United States of America.  But that’s the mentality. That’s the mindset. And I’m concerned that with the presidential election, which is already in gear, that the longer she waits, the tougher it’s going to be to to get it to get it done.”

At the same NFIB meeting, state Representatives Ron Gant (R-Rossville) and Tom Leatherwood (R-Arlington) both attested to their belief that Representative Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), newly nominated by the majority Republican caucus to be speaker of the state House of Representatives, will be a positive antidote to the confusion and mistrust that accompanied the one year-reign as speaker of Glen Casada (R-Franklin), who lost a vote of confidence in his caucus to remain in that position of leadership.

Gant told an affecting story about how Casada called him to the front of the assembled House in the last session and tried unsuccessfully to get him to change his No vote on the issue of private-school vouchers. Eventually, the then-speaker did manage to get another representative to change his vote, breaking the tie and allowing the voucher measure to progress.

As it happens, new Speaker Sexton was a No voter on the issue and has expressed a desire to postpone implementation of the new voucher law, which, as written, applies only to Shelby and Davidson counties. Gant allowed as how he thought some “tweaking” on the law might occur in the 2020 legislative session, which begins in January.