Monday, May 4, 2009
Malone, Wharton Events Point to Different Conclusions
Posted by Jackson Baker on Mon, May 4, 2009 at 9:53 AM
Two prominent local officials made major moves last week in their quest for new political offices.
Shelby County commission chairman Deidre Malone had a coming-out fundraiser at The Racquet Club Thursday night on behalf of her campaign for county mayor. Meanwhile, current county mayor A C Wharton, campaigning for Memphis mayor, drew 1500 attendees for a “unity prayer breakfast” at the Cannon Center.
The two events had a connection of sorts and, considered together or singly, provided ample fodder for would-be analysts. Wharton was listed as one of the sponsors of Malone’s event but did not appear at it; nor, for that matter, did members of the county mayor’s inner circle.
Malone attracted some of the usual suspects among influential donors (e.g., cell tower magnate Billy Orgel and zoning lobbyist de luxe Homer “Scrappy” Branan) and the core members of her longtime support group (e.g., Calvin Anderson, Greg Duckett, Paula Casey).
But her gathering, while respectably sized, stayed in double digits, and didn’t provide a conclusive answer to the question: Can she raise enough money and support to keep out other name candidates?
[UPDATE: A post-mortem from the Malone campaign indicates that slightly upwards of 100 people did pariticipate in the fundraiser, either by attendance or by dropping off a contribution. And Mayor Wharton did arrive at the event — though after it had formally concluded and most guests had departed.]
Wharton’s event, on the other hand — held on a seriously rainy Saturday morning — was prodigious enough, both in quantity and quality of those attending (a Who’s Who of politically influential types), to stop potential opponents in their tracks. Whether it will or won’t remains to be seen, of course.
Employing one of the oddest analogies yet heard in a local political campaign, Wharton promised to be a “windmill,” generating positive change for the city. But, that metaphor aside, there was noting else in the event suggestive of the quixotic man of La Mancha. Wharton’s event was considered essential enough to draw two declared Democratic gubernatorial candidates — Kim McMillan of Clarksville and Mike McWherter of Jackson — and one probable one, state Senator Jim Kyle of Memphis.
Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
For Deidre the Bruce Thompson baggage (ethics) and her pro consolidation stance (wedge issue) will weigh her down in the county race. AC, on the other hand, is the "Show".
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A C is the emperor's clothes. Why the media and the general populace doesn't see it is beyond those of us who work in County Government and those that got burned campaigning for him. Smart Growth, Equitable Shelby - please! Has he ever produced or implemented ?anything
Jackson,
Were we at the same event? It was pouring rain on a Thursday evening right after work and there were over 100 people who attended Deidre’s event (that’s triple digits). And while the Mayor ran late that evening, he did make it to Deidre’s event along with some other county officials. I saw them with my own eyes.
I also was at Mayor Wharton’s breakfast and the tickets were $30. Deidre’s event was a fundraiser with suggested gift amounts starting at $500. This may be why there was a difference in attendance.
Plus, there was a diverse crowd that came out for both events. Young, old, black, white, wealthy and fixed income, etc. You get my point. I just think that if you’re going to cover a story about their events, you should list all the facts for faithful readers like me who need all the facts to draw a conclusion.
I hear people constantly talking about raising money. I think that you will be surprised at the turn out of middle income families like my own, where both members are paying off student loans and raising young kids but rally together in their neighborhoods for leadership we can depend on. There are hundreds if not thousands of families like mine with a couple of crisp hundred dollar bills in our piggy banks that we’re willing to give over to support our candidate. A prime example of that would be the Obama campaign. My husband and I gave repeatedly in small increments, even while he was in Iraq serving our country.
The numbers will speak for themselves when we arrive at the poles. It’s a new day in Memphis.
Regards,
Latrivia & Adam Nelson
The Malone campaign appears a little "touchy". JB, can you provide the exact head count and the precise time when each "check writer or cash giver" arrived and left? Also, were campaign staffers and reporters included in the number? How many drinks were served ? Please provide a graph and spreadsheet in your answer. Also define median, mean, and average in your report, along with the standard deviation from the double digit number of 99.
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