Tag: Memphis City Council

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TDOT Provides Updates on Cleanup Efforts To City Council

Photo by Bernd 📷 Dittrich on Unsplash

City Council members are concerned about routine maintenance schedules, trash collection, road repairs, and landscaping in Memphis. They asked the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) about establishing a timeline for cleanup efforts as well as employment outreach during today’s transportation committee meeting. 

They mentioned that points of concern were Madison Avenue, I-40, and South Parkway, due to the “significant amounts of trash that accumulates in these areas. Councilwoman Jana Swearengen-Washington also asked about additional resources and partnerships that the city can implement to help in cleanup efforts.

Swearengen-Washington commended the work that had been done around the airport, saying that it’s looking better, but they need “long-term planning to maintain these areas consistently.”

Katie McGinnis, TDOT District 49 Manager, said since they last met with the council they have set up initiatives to clear out vegetation so that trash and debris doesn’t get trapped.  McGinnis added that most of their efforts are geared towards asphalt and potholes. TDOT’s railroad permitting has not gone through for a resurfacing plan for I-240.

“We’re constantly having to send out  forces to patch those repeatedly over and over again in lieu of having that resurfacing project,” McGinnis said. “That’s why you’re seeing a lot of the larger debris. We don’t have that time, so we handle the safety sensitive objects first which would be the paved surfaces — anything that could cause an accident. That’s where the lack is.” 

Officials said they are tackling sections of pavement and working to restore them, but noted they are still prepping for winter weather so they can meet onligations. They said last year’s winter storm “killed” their TDOT maintenance budget resulting in a “reduction in what they were capable of doing.”

Councilwoman Rhonda Logan inquired about graffiti and how they’re monitoring it.

McGinnis mentioned they were able to capture a 15-year-old who was known for spray painting “spicy” on the I-240 corridor with the help of the Memphis Police Department. They said they had noticed a significant decrease in graffiti, but they themselves  do not look into catching graffiti artists.

Council members also offered solutions for the department’s staffing issues, asking if their  outreach could extend to juveniles to help clean the city.

“Is there a program where they can get out here and clean this mess up and give them some accountability and responsibility? They’re terrorizing the city,” councilwoman Yolanda Cooper-Sutton remarked.

TDOT said they haven’t opened their hiring process for transportation workers as they are still filling in positions from reorganizing the agency. While they recognized the highway adoption program, they said they also work with the Department of Corrections to occasionally get crews to help with litter and light landscaping. 

Cody Joyner, TDOT’s team lead for Shelby County, explained that the department of corrections had experienced staffing issues, meaning they didn’t have enough officers to send over with inmates. Joyner said when they do have enough, they are typically staging them in places with “a lot of litter” such as Elvis Presley Boulevard and Lamar Avenue.

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City Council Replaces Entire MATA Board

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

All members of the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s(MATA) board of commissioners have been replaced following the recommendation of a consulting firm.

Mayor Paul Young announced Friday he was starting a “clean slate” on MATA’s leadership after a draft report from the consulting agency TransPro was released. TransPro said the previous board failed to “provide reasonable oversight.”

The previous board consisted of Michael Fulton, Angus Blair, Sara Burnett, Janice Holder, Anton Mack, Ed Stephens III, Shelia Williams, Martin Lipinski, and Courtney McNeal. It will be replaced with Brandon Arrindale, Cynthia Bailey, Emily Greer, Sandi Klink, Brian Marflak, Jackson McNeil, Anna McQuiston, Dana Pointer, and Maya Siggers.

Young told the council that replacing the board is an “aggressive action” and showed that this is not indicative of one person. His replacements include bus advocates, logistic, financial and legal experts, and more.

“[The MATA Board] has served nobly over the years and this is not an indication of them or their integrity,” Young said. “This is a hard reset.”

TransPro reviewed MATA from August 19 to October 11. During that time the board had passed a budget that not only included service cuts, but prompted the layoff of more than 200 employees. Board members said these cuts were made to ensure the viability of the agency, as officials had announced a $60 million deficit this summer.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, Young said they wanted an external analysis on how they were doing on an operational level, which is why they turned to TransPro.

“[The] existing MATA board fails to provide reasonable oversight,” the report said. “Just a month ago the MATA board unanimously adopted a budget with no questions…for a fiscal year that started more than 100 days prior.”

Councilwoman Jerri Green called the report “nothing short of scathing.”

“It talked specifically about how the board failed over and over again in finances,” Green said. 

John Lewis, principal at TransPro, said public transportation’s purpose is to give the community reliable service, and MATA has failed to do so. Lewis said the company has worked with the agency previously, however MATA failed to address their recommendations. As a result, TransPro “severed their agreement.”

“We find ourselves not surprised [by] the situation the agency finds itself in at this moment,” Lewis said.

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Public Still Unhappy With MATA’s Transparency After Public Meeting

Photo: Justin Fox Burks

While the city of Memphis has allocated $30 million to Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) for fiscal year 2025 (FY25), questions remain regarding the organization’s $60 million deficit.

During the June 2024 MATA Board of Commissioner meeting on Wednesday, several members of the public expressed their concern for the deficit. Prior to the meeting, organizations such as Citizens for Better Service and Memphis Bus Riders Union said they were unhappy with the organization’s previous ways of addressing the issue.

“MATA owes the city of Memphis, especially bus riders, an explanation of how it is going to solve the deficit without hurting bus riders,” Johnnie Mosley, founding chairman of Citizens for Better Service, said.

These comments came after MATA administration presented their budget proposal earlier this month to the Memphis City Council for consideration.

During the meeting, the transportation agency did not directly address the deficit. Instead, MATA said they were committed to increasing revenue and “refining [their] process of spending.” At the board meeting, MATA interim CEO Bacarra Mauldin said the council would be “more involved” with all organizations and agencies receiving money from the city. 

Mauldin also said, with the city being their primary funding source, they want to make sure they are being as “transparent” as possible.

Shelby County government has allocated $1.2 million towards MATA for FY25, which Mauldin said is “consistent with where they’ve been for the past few years.” She noted that while it may seem like a small amount, their consideration in the budget means there is still the “opportunity to move forward.”

As the city has wrapped up its budget season, Mauldin said she is focused on building relationships with county commissioners and administration to procure a “higher level of funding” in the future.

“We know that the money that we have from the city of Memphis as well as Shelby County will not plug the entire hole,” Mauldin said. “We’re going to continue to work with those funding partners, but in addition we’re going to look into some other ways to get funding to close that gap. Most importantly, we’re going to look in the mirror and we’re going to tighten our own belts, and we’re going to spend smarter on the right things at the right time.”

She added that they are putting safeguards in place in order to ensure they’re being “good stewards of all the taxpayer’s money.”

Hamish Davidson of J.S. Held LLC has been retained by the organization as an external CFO and presented on “financial controls” during the board meeting. Davidson remarked that finance is “an area where if you don’t have the proper controls then your finance department can leak like a sieve.” To prevent this, Davidson said they are working to “spend smarter” and make sure they know where every dollar is spent.

Davidson said they currently have an understanding of MATA’s “historical processes and procedures” as well as their accounting systems. They also have gained the trust of employees.

However, he said they still need to identify their risk profiles and “current and future state of their budget and headcount,” and “determine the appropriate controls, reporting, and policies necessary.”

“A lot of these processes need to be updated,” Davidson said. “They’re totally out of date and more importantly they also need to be followed to the letter.”

Davidson said when he was retained in February, he thought they would be “long finished” by now in addressing these things, but he said it’s been put on the back burner due to more “pressing issues” related to MATA’s financials such as preparing the budget for FY25.

He said over the next few weeks they could create a timetable to present to MATA’s Board of Commissioners.

Close to the end of the meeting, the board opened the floor for public comment. They noted that this portion was for receiving comments and that they would not engage in a “spirited debate.”

Some participants made comments about bad service from both the agency and bus drivers; however, most complaints were about the agency’s finances.

Joe Kent of the Taxpayer Justice Institute criticized the agency for saying they lead with transparency when he said they are “anything but transparent.”

“If you want to collaborate with the public you need to answer questions,” Kent said. “How are you operating with a negative $10.1 million in cash? I just don’t understand that.”

Another participant suggested that the organization was “being investigated and some indictments were coming down.”

The board said that while they were not going to go back and forth with participants, they would follow up with them individually.

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Nonprofit Wants More Money from Taxpayers to Boost City’s Image, “Combat” “Negative Headlines”

The Memphis Brand Initiative (MBI) wants up to $300,000 from city taxpayers to help it continue to tell the city’s story, including ways to “combat” “negative headlines” from local media coverage.  

MBI president David French told Memphis City Council members Tuesday morning his organization is on track for a $300,000 funding gap this year in the face of economic headwinds. To narrow the gap, French said the group has already reduced media partnerships, cut marketing nearly in half, reduced media trips, and moved out of its office space.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s communication budget already includes $100,000 for the nonprofit, French said, which began work here in 2016. French asked for another $100,000 from the city council budget Tuesday but proposed a total $300,000 package from city coffers to help the group “return to some of the activities that…have been impacted by our budget cuts.” 

French said the group’s operating budget is nearly $1.5 million each year. In 2019, it had more than $1.9 million in revenue and more than $2.1 million in expenses for a loss of $137,255, according to its latest tax documents. Though, it ended 2019 with a positive fund balance of $982,447.

That year French’s salary was $249,277. Total annual employee salaries and benefits were $511,276, the group’s biggest line item. The next largest was $480,887 for conferences, conventions, and meetings.  

Memphis Brand Initiative

In Memphis, MBI is responsible for the billboards proclaiming “We Are Memphis” and “Soul.” It also hosts the We Are Memphis website with information about Memphis neighborhoods, restaurants, live music, the city’s economy, and more.

Outside Memphis, the group tests perceptions of the city, pushes positive stories in national news outlets, and hosts a “Why Memphis?” campaign on billboards and through digital marketing in markets like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, and San Francisco. 

Memphis Brand Initiative

Since 2016, French said the group is responsible for 350 news stories from Memphis, creating about 4.2 billion positive public relations impressions, all of it worth about $61 million in advertising value. Thanks to MBI, French said Memphis has been seen positively in The Washington Post, NBC, The New York Times, Forbes, Essence, The Associated Press, and more. 

Memphis Brand Initiative

The group’s work has yielded $61 million in advertising value for Memphis since 2016.

Memphis Brand Initiative president David French

MBI’s goal is to “elevate Memphis,” French said, “pushing the boundaries forward on what Memphis is known for and what Memphis can be.” This can help drive job creation, investment, tourism, and civic pride. 

“We like to call that soul,” French said. “Soul to us is more than just food or music. It’s heart. It’s compassion. It’s giving back.”

The city’s positive perception has risen since the group began keeping tabs on it in 2016, according to charts shared with council members. However, those figures took deep dives in the wake of the 2022 kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher and the shooting spree of Ezekiel Kelly. 

Memphis Brand Initiative

The city’s profile was raised again after the January police killing of Tyre Nichols, MBI’s data show. The incident generated 600 news stories and broadcasts. It also generated 31 billion public relations impressions, dwarfing the 9 billion combined impressions from the Fletcher and Kelly stories.  

Memphis Brand Initiative

“I have to say that right now with the current situation we have with our crime and our murder rate and everything else going on, we need you guys more than ever,” council member Dr. Jeff Warren told French. 

Warren said he’s heard many locals saying that if the situation does not improve here, they’ll leave, and “we don’t need that.”

Council chairman Martavius Jones said, “Memphis has always been…a city that needs to be sold.“  

”We need to tell our story,” Jones said. “We’ve let negativity sell our story more than we’ve let positivity sell our story.” 

“Memphis has always been…a city that needs to be sold.“  

Memphis City Council chairman Martavius Jones

In a discussion about local media’s role in telling that story, French noted that “negative news coverage is dramatically on the rise.”

“The trajectory of negative headlines and the emotional impact it is having is not a Memphis problem; it is happening across our country,” he said. “So, we have to combat that in a way.” 

To this, council member Rhonda Logan agreed, saying “absolutely.” 

“The trajectory of negative headlines and the emotional impact it is having is not a Memphis problem; it is happening across our country.”

MBI president David French

To do this French said, “we really love to go around [broadcast media].” Younger generations consume media “and it is not through TV,” he said. They’re more tuned in to social content and “we tend to focus more in that direction, knowing we can do a bit of an end around [broadcast media].” However, he said his team stays in touch with local producers and often shares good-news stories with them.  

Warren and council member Edmund Ford Sr. advised French to also ask the Shelby County Commission for funding.

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Politics Politics Feature

Answering the Bell

Meggan Wurzburg Kiel (Photo: instagram @megganformemphis)

Election fever is beginning to show not only at the level of mayoral hopefuls but among city council aspirants as well.

A key race will take place in council District 5, focused on Midtown and East Memphis, where former Councilman Philip Spinosa will be seeking a return to office. It won’t be easy for Spinosa, who’ll be opposed by newcomer Meggan Wurzburg Kiel, whose fundraiser Monday evening at the East Memphis home of Frank and Jeanne Jemison turned out well over a hundred supporters. The attendees ran the gamut from the well-to-do, many of them prominent in business and civic circles, to familiar activists of the political center and center-left.

Kiel ran through her extensive rĂŠsumĂŠ, which includes service in a variety of educational missions among inner-city youth and a prominent role in the Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH).

She noted that the council was “kicking the can down the road” in setting exact district boundaries, but urged those present to be ready on May 22nd, when candidate petitions can first be drawn, and “we will sign the petition together and have a really good time picking up officially the campaign.”

• On Saturday, some 100 or so cadres of the Shelby County Republican Party had a dissent-free reorganizing convention in which chairman Cary Vaughn, who was re-elected by acclamation, called for “turning the page” and distancing the party from the monolithic influence of former President Donald J. Trump.

As Vaughn commented to the crowd, “We need boots on the ground. We need new people. … We can’t get there with the same core group. … We have to truly look at how we market the Shelby County GOP. … We have to work on the depth chart, right?”

The chairman cited a recent conversation of his with an African-American acquaintance, who told him, “We as African Americans want to be a part of the Republican Party in Shelby County.” Vaughn quoted the man as saying many Blacks were “pro-life, pro-God, pro-business, pro-traditional marriage, [and] believe in core values. But we’re not coming over under the Trump brand.”

Said Vaughn: “We have to find a way to say, look, there is room for everybody at the table with the Shelby County GOP. Now maybe we tear down the silos just a little bit so that we can come together [and] move this party forward.”

That didn’t sit well with Terry Roland, an absentee Saturday and Trump’s local election chair in both 2016 and 2020. Roland reacted with fury. “There are more Trump [voters] than not” among the county’s Republicans, he said, “and we aren’t taking a back seat to anyone. … Most of us won’t support anyone else, so I’m done with the Shelby County party after 36 years.”

• It is remarkable that Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis’ 9th District was the only Tennessean now serving in Congress that MSNBC could find to say something both sensible and sensitive in the wake of Monday’s fatal school shooting in Nashville.

In a lengthy interview, Cohen empathized with the victims and their families, expressed the need for significant gun-safety legislation (while despairing of finding enough Republicans on Capitol Hill to support it), and even doubted the safety of himself and others in the House, given the inclination of some GOP members to try to smuggle weapons onto the floor.

Nashville is a majority-Democratic city, in some ways more so than Memphis, but gerrymandering by the legislature’s Republican supermajority has contrived to split the state’s congressional districts in such a way that Republicans — like Andy Ogles, who sends out family Christmas cards showing everyone toting a firearm — are guaranteed to represent all the larger districts containing fragments of Nashville.

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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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“One of the Poorest Cities” Asked to Back Loan for Another Luxury Hotel

Hyatt Centric Beale Street Memphis

A private company wants Memphis taxpayers to pay for its luxury hotel if it doesn’t do well. 

That was, essentially, the ask before Memphis City Council members Tuesday. Officials with One Beale, the development that now has two luxury hotels open at the corner of Front and Beale Streets, came to Memphis City Hall Tuesday for the fourth time Tuesday asking for financial support of its development. 

The company is helmed by Chance Carlisle, brother of council member Chase Carlisle. Over the years of the One Beale project, Carlisle and his company has asked for — and received — a 30-year tax break on the project, the city’s first-ever rebate of the local option sales tax back to the company, and an unprecedented 50-percent backstop of the loan to build the hotel. 

Carlisle was back at city hall Tuesday to ask city leaders to backstop the entire loan — $161 million — for the project, payable only if revenues for the hotel fall below around 50 percent. This means if the city backs the loan (ever had a co-signer on a car loan?) and the hotel tanks, city taxpayers are left holding the bag. Why the ask? 

“The bond market has gone south,” Carlisle told council members early Tuesday morning, noting that the deal — as it is now —  “can not go forward as structured.” 

With that, Carlisle said his company has three options: approval of the 100 percent backstop, adding more company money to the project and dilute the ownership stake (“primarily our minority equity partners”), or “we can walk away and call it quits.”  

Why is it good for the city? Several council members said Tuesday that if the hotel deal falls through, the city won’t have enough “quality” hotel rooms to lure conventions to the Renansant Convention Center. 

”We know that we lose conventions because we don’t have the Downtown hotel rooms,” said council member J. Ford Canale. “So, I think that everybody would agree that the [Grand Hyatt Hotel]  is needed. 

“We’ll never be great and this city will never get to the next level or the next step without taking some risk.”

Memphis City Council member J. Ford Canale

“This project is needed to come to completion. And is there some risk involved? Sure there is. But every big decision, every bold decision has risk. We’ll never be great and this city will never get to the next level or the next step without taking some risk.”

While many council members were ready and eager to sign the dotted line, Shirley Ford, the city’s chief financial officer, said financial experts had not had time to fully vet the move. The adminIstration sent the proposal to Tennessee State Comptroller Jason Mumpower who, Ford said, had “very grave concerns about the direction the this investment has now taken.” With that, Ford reiterated numerous times that she wanted council members to have “complete information” about the project. 

The Tennessee State Comptroller has “very grave concerns about the direction this investment has now taken.”

City of Memphis chief financial officer Shirley Ford

If the city signs on, it does not mean money will flow from the coffers immediately or, maybe, even at all. Should Carlisle fail to make its money at the hotel, tax payers would then be expected to pay. 

“This is a contingency,” said council member JB Smiley. “We use the word if that means ‘possible,’ but doesn’t mean ‘certain’ that the city will ever pay a dime to support this project.”

But the city would have to carry the debt on its books. That could affect its bond rating, sort of like the city’s credit score. So, if a city is carrying $161 million in potential debt, it may mean it could have trouble borrowing money down the road.

Should the city have to pay back the loan, it would put an annual hole in the city budget that could go toward paying for police, fire, parks, and all the other things citizens expect their tax dollars to do. Council member Patrice Robinson put it plainly Tuesday. 

It is our responsibility to make sure that we make the best decision for the one of the poorest cities in the United States. And if we make a mistake, we can make them even poorer.

Memphis City Council member Patrice Robinson

“It is our responsibility to make sure that we make the best decision for the one of the poorest cities in the United States,” Robinson said. “And if we make a mistake, we can make them even poorer.

The council was slated to take up the measure during its full meeting Tuesday evening. This story will be updated later this week.   

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Council Members Request MPD to Decline Trump Escort

Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash

Two Memphis City Council members will request that the Memphis Police Department (MPD) decline to escort former President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to the area.

Trump is slated to speak during the American Freedom Tour stop at Landers Center on Saturday, June 18th. That tour includes Donald Trump Jr., Candace Owens, Mike Pompeo, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Dinesh D’Souza, Sheriff Mark Lamb and more.

Billboards advertising the visit have popped up around Memphis, claiming “Memphis loves Trump”. However, many on social media have pointed out that Trump will be visiting Southaven, Mississippi, not Memphis, Tennessee.

At next week’s council meeting, council members JB Smiley and Martavius Jones plan to present a resolution to request that the MPD decline escorting Trump to the tour stop.

As we know, the Memphis Police Department is already experiencing a shortage of officers to patrol our communities.

Memphis City Council member JB Smiley

“I’m sure many Memphians have seen the billboards advertising former president Donald Trump’s visit on June 18th,” reads a statement from Smiley. “The fact of the matter is that he will not be coming to Memphis, but to Southaven, Mississippi, and he will most likely be flying into Memphis International Airport.

“As we know, the Memphis Police Department is already experiencing a shortage of officers to patrol our communities. I do not believe that it is a prudent use of police manpower and Memphians’ taxpayer dollars to escort the former president to an event in Mississippi.”

The resolution is slated to be heard in the council’s Public Safety committee and voted on at the full council meeting on June 7th. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Chef Tam Honored by Memphis City Council

Tamra "Chef Tam" Patterson (right), who was honored by Memphis City Council, was a lead chef at the Miami Grand Prix Formula One.

Tamra “Chef Tam” Patterson, owner of Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe, was given a resolution for her accomplishments from the Memphis City Council on May 10th at Memphis City Hall.

“It’s really nice to receive an honor in the city,” Patterson says. “Especially not being a native authentically of the city. It’s really cool to see the city taking notice of the hard work I put in to bring good press and amazing food to the city.”

Patterson, who is from Ft. Worth, Texas, moved to Memphis seven years ago. She also opened a Chef Tam’s Underground Express in Arlington, Texas. And she opened her food truck, Smoke and Ice, in April.

The accomplishments listed in the resolution are staggering. The resolution lists eight “Whereas-es.” Among them are her first-place wins on Food Network’s Chopped and Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)’s Great American Cookout, for her “soul food recipes,” including fried mac and cheese and shrimp and cheddar grits; launching a line of cookware and a collection of juices; and opening her second restaurant in Arlington.

And, referring to her win on the April 5th episode of Chopped, the resolution states, “WHEREAS to appease the judges’ palates even more, Tamra “Chef Tam” Patterson created the Stuffed French Toast BLT stuffed with strawberry and tomato puree, lettuce, whipped cream, and candied bacon.”

The resolution was signed by chairwoman Jamita E. Swearengen, Memphis City Council, District 4. 

The amazingly energetic Patterson made it to City Hall the day after getting back from working as a lead chef at the 2022 Miami Grand Prix Formula One motor race, which was held May 8th at Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida. Formula One races are “normally out of the country. This is Miami’s first time hosting it.

“I was invited down to be one of the lead chefs of their VIP lounges. They had 10 VIP lounges,” Patterson says. “Everyone from JPMorgan Chase to Mercedes-Benz to McLaren to Ferrari. It was myself and 20 other lead chefs. We had a team of 80 to 90 cooks, and we just cooked our toes off. Literally. We were crying our feet hurt so bad.”

They were “cooking” in every sense of the word during the weekend event, which featured races for three days beginning May 6th. “We went to bed at 1:30 in the morning and had to be back to meet the shuttle at 5 a.m.”

They were cooking for 5,500 people a day, Patterson says. “It was three days. But we fed them breakfast. Then we fed them lunch. Then they had something called a ‘Soak Up’ where we just gave them greasy food to soak up all the alcohol they drank all day.”

The VIP lounges hosted celebrities as well as GOAT (Greatest of All Time) athletes, including Michael Jordan, Dwyane Wade, Serena Williams, Tom Brady, and David Beckham. “It was superstar-studded.”

And, she says, “There were only a handful of African-American chefs, and we cooked for the world’s wealthiest people. And that was an amazing experience.”

They prepared a range of food, including croissant sandwiches, sushi, sashimi, watermelon and feta salad, mustard pork loin, skirt steak, filet mignon, and lamb. “We were all in the kitchen at the same time. It was about a 15,000-square-foot commissary we cooked in.”

And they “kept cooking until they cleared the entire menu.”

They cooked during the event, but, Patterson says, “We got there at the end of April, and we started prepping as soon as the kitchen was set up.”

That included everything from cleaning lamb to shucking oysters. But once they got “near the actual race,” she says, “It was a 24-hour operation for three days straight. The other days were between 12- and 16-hour days. All the rest of the day I was icing my knees and taking my leave.”

For her cooking, Patterson, who personally did the lobster mac and cheese, quinoa salad, truffle mashed potatoes, and German potato salad, got “great feedback and everybody loved it.”

It sounds like a cooking marathon, but, Patterson says the event was not “the most tedious” time she’s spent in a kitchen. “We actually cooked for 3,500 at Chef Tam’s. And we did it with less than 20 people.”

Patterson returned to Memphis late Monday. “I was back in the kitchen the next day.”

And, she says she has to head to her Texas location at 3 a.m. May 12th.

So, what’s next for Patterson? “What’s next for me is a vacation,” she says. “I need somebody who loves me to take me somewhere I don’t have to be Chef Tam. I can be asleep.”

Laughter was heard in the background. It was Patterson’s husband, Nicholas Patterson, who’s probably going to be that “somebody” who’s going to give her that well-earned vacation.