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Mayor wants to strip suburbs' say in merger { King Willie of Memphis }
Memphis Commercial Appeal ^ | 1/3/8 | Michael Erskine

Posted on 01/03/2008 1:38:31 PM PST by SmithL

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, who for more than a decade has advocated for the consolidation of Memphis and Shelby County governments, would like to eliminate a major obstacle in his way: the veto power of suburban voters.

In his annual state of the city address delivered Wednesday, Herenton said he plans to seek legislation that would eliminate the requirement that suburban voters separately ratify city-county consolidation, thus making a merger of the two governments more likely. Such a proposal could require a change to Tennessee's Constitution.

Not surprisingly, suburban mayors did not respond favorably.

"It's just a bad idea," Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman said.

"That destroys any kind of teamwork," added Lakeland Mayor Scott Carmichael. "Obviously, I am vehemently opposed to that mentality of not having a say in where we are going."

Herenton, who began an unprecedented fifth term in office Tuesday, said in his speech to the Kiwanis Club at The Peabody that he's putting consolidation back on the "front burner."

"Yes, I'm singing out of this choir book again," he said, calling the current city-county governmental structure "wasteful."

Under the traditional Tennessee approach to consolidating governments, Herenton would have to follow the legal process set out by both the Tennessee Constitution and state statute -- a countywide referendum that requires separate majority votes of residents inside the city of Memphis and those outside the city limits in Shelby County, including residents of the suburban municipalities.

If consolidation wins inside the city but is rejected among Shelby voters outside the city, or vice versa, it fails to win approval. Two previous referendums in Shelby County -- one in 1962, the other in 1971 -- failed. In both, county voters rejected a metropolitan government.

Herenton wants to change the process, which could mean a constitutional amendment, though the mayor did not offer specifics.

"It is no longer acceptable to me as a citizen that Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville -- those suburban communities who for whatever reason think they can be islands entirely unto themselves -- should be determining whether or not we consolidate these governments," Herenton said, noting that a majority of citizens in Shelby County live inside Memphis.

"We need to seek legislation that can change that paradigm."

County Mayor A C Wharton said Wednesday that he and Herenton have recently talked about the idea of changing state law to eliminate "dual" referendums and require a simple majority of voters countywide to approve a merger.

"I don't know precisely what his proposal is, but it's a concept that seems fair and equitable," Wharton said.

In Collierville, Mayor Linda Kerley said Wednesday she has opposed consolidation since becoming mayor in 1999 and would continue to fight it.

Meanwhile, Millington Alderman Linda Carter said as long as Millington residents pay county taxes, they have a right to have a say.

"Otherwise, it's taxation without representation," the retired educator said. "You're going to alienate a group of people who pay county taxes? I don't think so."

State Senate Republican Leader Mark Norris, who lives in Collierville, called Herenton's proposal to change the voting process "just nonsense."

"It would disenfranchise ... the people who would be the subject of that decision," Norris said. "I can't believe that that's really what he has in mind."

The mayor should forget about getting anything through the legislature anytime soon, he added.

"There's not sufficient time to take up a vote like that this year. And even if we did, it would likely be tainted by the unconstitutionality of it; that would take years for something to be resolved."


TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: abuseofpower; herenton; kingwillie; memphis

1 posted on 01/03/2008 1:38:37 PM PST by SmithL
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To: SmithL

What he needs to do is find a federal judge who will mandate it on some 14th amendment basis.


2 posted on 01/03/2008 1:41:12 PM PST by kjo
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To: SmithL
"It is no longer acceptable to me as a citizen that Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville -- those suburban communities who for whatever reason think they can be islands entirely unto themselves -- should be determining whether or not we consolidate these governments," Herenton said, noting that a majority of citizens in Shelby County live inside Memphis.

Translation - we want their tax money

3 posted on 01/03/2008 1:42:33 PM PST by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: 2banana

Is Germantown in Shelby County?


4 posted on 01/03/2008 1:44:25 PM PST by Clemenza (Ronald Reagan was a "Free Traitor", Like Me ;-))
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To: Clemenza

Yes.


5 posted on 01/03/2008 1:49:56 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~~~Jihad Fever -- Catch It !~~~ (Backup tag: "Live Fred or Die"))
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To: SmithL
“It would disenfranchise ... the people who would be the subject of that decision.”

Just guessing here — Mayor Herreton is a Democrat?

6 posted on 01/03/2008 1:49:57 PM PST by BenLurkin
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To: 2banana

This will never get the support needed in the legislature for it to happen. Memphis politics is just too big an embarassment to us all as it is. Expanding their ugly tentacles to the unwilling suburbs won’t be allowed to happen.


7 posted on 01/03/2008 1:53:19 PM PST by Emmett McCarthy
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To: Clemenza; GailA

BTW, King Willie’s ego was already fairly big. He manipulated White voters into supporting him by saying it was either him or the Ford family completely controlling Memphis politics. Now that he won yet another term with a plurality, largely absent prior White support (that was divided amongst other candidates) that will take him to 20 years as Mayor, he thinks he is absolutely unstoppable. He has always favored consolidation (as what has happened here in Nashville), but it has become an obsession. He may very well get what he wants, but it will get very, very ugly before it’s over.


8 posted on 01/03/2008 1:56:10 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~~~Jihad Fever -- Catch It !~~~ (Backup tag: "Live Fred or Die"))
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To: BenLurkin

Technically non-partisan. He is a rodent but would go after White Republican votes (following his first win in 1991). He didn’t get them last October.


9 posted on 01/03/2008 1:57:33 PM PST by fieldmarshaldj (~~~Jihad Fever -- Catch It !~~~ (Backup tag: "Live Fred or Die"))
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To: 2banana

Right on target. All about the tax money.


10 posted on 01/03/2008 2:00:47 PM PST by Parley Baer
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To: Parley Baer
"It is no longer acceptable to me as a citizen that Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville -- those suburban communities who for whatever reason think they can be islands entirely unto themselves -- should be determining whether or not we consolidate these governments,"

As if your "citizenship" is more valuable than the citizenship of those who would obviously vote against you...another POS politician.....throw the ahole under a bus.

11 posted on 01/03/2008 2:03:40 PM PST by Alright_on_the_LeftCoast
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To: BenLurkin
Actually King Willie is a alpha hilo.
12 posted on 01/03/2008 2:06:22 PM PST by Coldwater Creek
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To: fieldmarshaldj

Willie will NEVER get what he wants. There will be no base for him to rule.


13 posted on 01/03/2008 2:07:51 PM PST by Coldwater Creek
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To: Parley Baer

Actually it is about power. King Willie’s.


14 posted on 01/03/2008 2:09:15 PM PST by Coldwater Creek
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To: SmithL
I'd love to hear how King Willie pronounces "paradigm".

I've heard it pronounced PAIR-uh-diggum and puh-RAH-dih-jem by people before. *sigh*

15 posted on 01/03/2008 2:12:15 PM PST by TChris (Cartels (oil, diamonds, labor) are bad. Free-market competition is good.)
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To: SmithL

Mayor to People: “Just give me your damn money and STFU.”


16 posted on 01/03/2008 2:16:18 PM PST by Ditto (Global Warming: The 21st Century's Snake Oil)
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To: SmithL
"It is no longer acceptable to me as a citizen that Germantown, Bartlett, Collierville -- those suburban communities who for whatever reason think they can be islands entirely unto themselves...

Sounds like Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton is collectivist wanting the suburbs to give him more of their money and the suburbs are declining that privilege.

17 posted on 01/03/2008 2:16:52 PM PST by RJL
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To: RJL

The sheep are vetoing the wolves and the wolves don’t like it.


18 posted on 01/03/2008 3:22:44 PM PST by BenLurkin
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To: SmithL

My property is getting more valuable every time King “Hump” Willie opens his mouth.


19 posted on 01/03/2008 4:51:25 PM PST by vetvetdoug
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