Tag: Pearl Eva Walker

Categories
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.

Categories
Politics Politics Feature

In Their Own Words II

Pearl Eva Walker (Photo: Courtesy Pearl Eva Walker); Rev. James Kirkwood (Photo: Courtesy Rev. James Kirkwood)

In the emailed responses below, the District 3 council candidates outline their plans and priorities.

Pearl Eva Walker, activist/community organizer: I’m running for city council District 3 because I believe in the power of public service to affect positive changes in our community. For the past 20 years, I have been working across our district to inform our community of its hidden gems, history, and opportunities.

I am committed to addressing the concerns of our district to improve the future for all residents of District 3. Once elected, I plan on helping with community organizing to strengthen neighborhoods, and [will] work to ensure the community stays well-informed. I will bridge the communication gap between the community, police, and leadership by engaging District 3 on multiple platforms to include a monthly newsletter with an option to share feedback.

As councilwoman, I plan to focus on three key areas:

1. Safer & cleaner neighborhoods: I will address public safety by working closely with local law enforcement to enhance public trust thus supporting community policing efforts [to] reduce crime and increase residents’ overall sense of security. Data shows that safer neighborhoods are cleaner, so addressing litter, blight, and illegal dumping must be a priority as it relates to safety as well.

2. Economic development: Just as I have been supportive of businesses and economic development in Whitehaven, I want to be sure we increase economic development across all of District 3. I will advocate for small business support and local job creation to boost our economy and revitalize our neighborhoods.

3. Youth programs and young adults: I am committed to improving our public education system by expanding access to after-school and youth-development programs to ensure our children have every opportunity to succeed. I also want to support our young adults 40 and under as District 3 has the largest millennial population in Memphis.

By prioritizing these areas, we can create a stronger, more prosperous District 3 that benefits everyone. Together, we can build a brighter future for our community.

Rev. James Kirkwood, pastor, former MPD official: While canvassing, I’ve noted the following are significant issues to the people: crime, city services, reducing poverty, blight, and the lack of youth engagement.

We must work together to move our city forward to becoming the city that welcomes people like it used to and encourages people to live, work, and visit. I love District 3, and it pains me that three of the highest crime zip codes (38115, 38116, and 38118) are in my district. My priority is to ensure District 3 is a safe place for all. I will rally the communities to support community policing to reduce crime. Colonel Davis at Raines Station and Colonel Adair of Ridgeway Station need the help of the entire community to create a safe district.

My game plan also includes working with our division director of Solid Waste and Street Maintenance to support a major District 3 cleanup alongside our churches and neighborhood watch groups to implement Councilwoman Rhonda Logan’s Code Green program.

People want to see District 3 grow and prosper. I will work to bring our CDCs together with investors and developers to turn our empty lots into booming businesses, emphasizing the importance of creating housing and fortifying small businesses. Poverty is also taken into consideration when addressing blight.

Children are our most valuable assets, and I am committed to their success [and will continue] to support organizations that work to engage youth programs that build character, cultivate dreams, and inspire hope for a promising future.

District 3, it’s time to make Memphis the city we love, one of the best destinations for living, working, and visiting.

Categories
Politics Politics Beat Blog

Downtown Town Hall Leads to Dialogue on City Issues

CREDIT: JB

JB

Candidate Walker (l) at her downtown town hall.

The town hall format, whereby a political figure presides over an open-ended group discussion of public problems and issues, has long been a staple of elected officials; it is also coming into increasing use by candidates for office, and, at best, can be a showcase of Socratic inquiry, as was the case last week in town hall on downtown issues, presided over by City Council candidate Pearl Eva Walker at Robinson Gallery.

Walker is one of several candidates seeking Position 1 of Super District 8. The others are Nicole Cleaborn, Gerre Currie, Derrick “Dee” Harris, and J.B. Smiley Jr., and while most public attention (such as exists) has focused on the candidacies of Currie, the current District 6 Council incumbent, and Smiley, Walker clearly has an open-minded approach to issues and a constituency responsive to it. Earlier this year, she won the endorsement of the 2019 People’s Convention.

After a brief self-introduction in which she expressed support for solar energy and re-designation of MATA bus routes, Walker led an energized group of attendees through two hours of highly charged discussion on specific downtown issues, in the process posing a challenge to the reigning assumptions of city government.

One pathway of discussion led into questioning the current mode of downtown development, whereby what one participant labeled “para-governmental” authorities had without much in the way of public sanction imposed a growth strategy on downtown that favored the “live, work, play” formula and entertainment projects over the needs of the area’s residents.

As that idea was explored by others, a consensus seemed to develop that fundamental problems were overlooked:

That, for example, there was a pell-mell rush to turn downtown into a high-density center for upscale residence and recreation without regard to the needs of existing residents or attending to what is already an outmoded and overworked sewer system in the area.

That the development of Downtown and of the city’s medical district has failed to provide the infrastructure, including schools and adequate local transportation, needed by working-class residents.

That PILOTS (“payment-in-lieu-of tax” inducements to new business and industry) had been failures as factors in economic rejuvenation, in that, among other things, the higher salaries brought to town by new industry go principally to imported executives who often find residences outside the city.

That projects like the planned redevelopment of Tom Lee Park are brought into being without adequate public vetting or proper consideration for their effect on existing institutions.

There was more such thinking out loud, adding up to a coherent critique of things as they are, and, right or wrong, all of it was the sort of stimulant that ideally should be part of the public dialogue. Last Thursday’s town hall downtown followed one in the North Hollywood area and precedes one to be held Tuesday evening at Abyssinia Baptist Church in Whitehaven.