Quick impressions from Thursday’s mayoral forum at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church:
- For the first time, most of the candidates regarded as “leading” (either through polls or via money raised) were in attendance. That’s Paul Young, Floyd Bonner, and Van Turner. None of the three said much either to distinguish or damage themselves.
- The Elephant Not in the Room was Willie Herenton, the former mayor who intends to run strong without raising big bucks or taking part in forums. His presence at the top of several local polls produced a lot of wary discussion regarding him amongst other candidates.
- Paul Young’s claque, large and noisy and much in evidence on Thursday evening, is a major asset and, all things considered, is as impressive as he is.
- Michelle McKissack, though a distant second to Young, also drew some significant audience response.
- Bonner, in his first public foray with a mayoral-candidate ensemble, held his own in a clear, distinct voice and seemed fully conversant with the broad issues that were asked about.
- Businessman J.W. Gibson, dressed to the nines, looked like a casting-call mayor and made sure to promote a forthcoming South Memphis TIF that he still hopes to administer.
- Transgender candidate Brandy Price was introduced by her “dead” name and evidently had drawn a mayoral petition in that name. She answered to it when called upon, but demurred when, at one point, moderator April Ferguson of WREG-TV prompted her as “Mr. Price?” Price responded, “That’s ‘Miss.’”
- Joe Brown, the former Shelby County and TV jurist, said, when introduced by his name alone, “That’s ‘Judge’ Brown! I worked hard for that title.”
- Turner, Price, and Brown were all late arrivals and were allowed onstage once formal questioning of the candidates had begun.
- Meanwhile several “lightning rod” questions had been asked, with candidates raising YES or NO cards to indicate their answers. Among other things, the group was unanimous for legalizing marijuana, for curfews, and against any new sales tax (an impossibility since the county has maxed out its local options on the matter).
- Heterodoxical ideas were introduced by Price when she suggested that governments and grant agencies just step out of the way and let money be given directly to the people; by Reggie Hall, who kept demanding that the most important thing was to “shrink government”; and by Brown, who accused the other candidates of being “bought and sold” and who said he’d been dealing directly with “gangstas” to cut deals beneficial to both them and to the general population.
- Candidate Turner got into FDR/JFK rhetorical territory when he proposed “A New Breath” as a slogan for his governmental intentions.
- (making this a true Baker’s Dozen): Candidate James Harvey, a former County Commissioner, confided in a conversation before the event that he had commissioned a poll of his own which showed him — and not Bonner, Young, Turner, or Herenton — leading the pack. He promised to release the results in due time.
Stay tuned for more.