Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Herman Morris Kept MLGW Closed to Public Scrutiny
Posted by John Branston on Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 4:47 PM
A C Wharton wants Morris to be the city attorney, replacing Elbert Jefferson. When Morris ran MLGW, the place was an island fortress, as hostile to the notebooks and cameras of the media as any agency in town. Sham public meetings. Severance packages for Morris and other top executives. The Herman Morris bobblehead doll. The confused reaction to Hurricane Elvis. Memphis Networx. The place needed fresh air. Willie Herenton got that one right.
Herenton kept Morris around for two terms. They fell out over a big bond deal. Herenton thought local firms and black attorneys should get more of the business. Then Herenton went and, after an initial rejection by the council, installed his own puppet, Joseph Lee.
Wharton says he believes in open government. So the council should ask Morris why MLGW did business by having a closed executive committee meeting to do the real work and a quickie public meeting after lunch to go through the motions. The city attorney can open or close (or hide) important public documents. Interim mayor Myron Lowery and Jack Sammons opened the doors.
Morris seems more comfortable with privacy than publicity, which is fine for someone who doesn't run for mayor or keep coming back to public jobs. Maybe he has changed his ways. But the council should pin him down. Why does he want to be city attorney? Does he believe public records should be open to the public and easily accessible? What are his views on labor contracts? He has a record, not just a nice resume.
Comments (10)
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John, don't rock the boat, and here, have a sip of this kool-aid. There, don't you feel better...it tastes good, doesn't it? Now, what was your question ?
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What a politician says and what i politician does are two completely different things.
Branston raises some excellent points. Unfortunately, with the exception of Myron Lowery and maybe one or two others, most Memphis City Council members don't really seem to give a darn about open government. The majority of City Council members clearly couldn't care less.
So it will be up to A C Wharton to set the tone. If openness is not a true priority for Wharton, don't expect Herman Morris to turn a new leaf.
Myron Lowery should be mayor. I am truly sorry Myron did not win. I hope Wharton will find an effective position for Lowery on his team.
We can only hope that Wharton will continue on the path of open-ness started by Myron. I seriously doubt it, as is apparent in his city attorney selection, but one can always hope.
Did Willie Herenton ghost write this article. Lots of innuendo, but little factual information here. Sounds more like a vendetta. Morris is not above criticism for his time at MLGW, but the writer ignores the biggest factor in the bond deal (Morris balked, not because Herenton wanted to steer business to "minority" firms, but because he wanted to steer business to his family!). Nice omission, Branston.
Mr. Branston,
Either you have a VERY faulty memory, or you simply want to take personal shots at Mr. Morris. During his tenure, MLGW went almost 10 years with NO rate increases. He led MLGW to a host of state, regional and national awards for excellence, including the JD Power award. He was twice nominated as a finalist for the Energy Executive Award by Platz.
During Hurricane Elvis, he led a restoration effort that was recognized as one of the best in the industry--a rebuild of over 82% of the entire Shelby County electrical infrastructure in less than two weeks, with NO reportable injury to any workers.
As to a severance package, Mr. Morris got nothing exceptional, and it was principally composed of vacation and sick leave time, time ANY MLGW or City employee has a right to upon departure. Mr. Morris got no extraordinary payments. And, he certainly did not have a friend rush through payments that were in any way improper.
As a journalist, if you are going to report fantasies, you have a responsibility to identify it as such in the opening of the article. To offer erroneous memories or personal opinion as factual information is irresponsible and unprofessional.
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