Monday, July 27, 2009
County School Board's Pickler Eyeing Stanley's State Senate Seat
Posted by Jackson Baker on Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 1:01 AM
If this is the year that the mayor for life, Willie Herenton, finally retires, it may also be the year that the school board president for life, David Pickler, leaves office, too.
Always assuming that Herenton’s departure from City Hall takes place as scheduled on Thursday, we do know that the outgoing Memphis mayor intends to change his venue to Washington, D.C., inasmuch as he’s thrown down a challenge to incumbent 9th District congressman Steve Cohen.
Should Pickler (whose day job is that of investment counselor) decide against another term as president of the Shelby County School Board, he, too, may try to move on — in his case to Nashville as successor to Paul Stanley, the currently beleaguered state senator from District 31 (Germantown, Cordova).
Pickler has thought out loud before about running for the legislature — for this seat, in fact — but thought better of it. Now that Stanley is all too clearly a lame duck because of a lingering — nay, mushrooming — sex scandal involving his former legislative intern, various other Republicans from the eastern suburbs of Shelby County are coveting his seat.
Among those known or presumed to be interested in running are state Representatives Steve McManus and Brian Kelsey. McManus, who represents Stanley’s former state House District 96, is actively campaigning, while Kelsey, the high-profile state representative from District 83, is considered a likely candidate.
“Serving in the legislature is something I’ve always wanted to do, and this time I’m giving it very serious consideration,” said Pickler, whose opposition to school consolidation and his energetic pursuit of special school-district status for the Shelby County schools have marked his long tenure at the helm of the county board.
Pickler said he assumes that, while Stanley is clearly regarded just now as persona non grata by the state Republican establishment and rank and file alike, the incumbent will not be pushed into retirement before his term expires. “Republicans are afraid that the county commission’s Democratic majority would try to appoint an interim senator who’s one of their own,” he said.
UPDATE: Shelby Republican chairman Lang Wiseman has called on Stanley to resign immediately.
Comments (12)
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Rantboy - Ive heard that as well. If he runs and that comes out, that's going to be really sad for the voters in that district. This is getting absurd.
He'd be great for that district with his "It's all good as long as we don't have to pay for it" mentality.
But it's still a damned shame we can't trust the County Commission to appoint an interim senator acceptable to the Republicans on said Commission.
Can they settle it gladiator-style, with a fight to the death instead of a primary? It would be for the greater good.
His first honey is still on the SC school board, but he cheated on her with his second honey, who is no longer in politics.
Can't Repubs find some dude or dudette who isn't always trying to boink their co-workers?
Boink??!!! Define please? And don't try to wrap that brain around answering with some smart reply!!! God forbid another politician!!! And while your explaining Boink to me, explain please how these pathetic politician's can seem so innocent.... "I'm waiting on my wife to come home from a PTA retreat" before I throw in the towel (AKA.... time will tell if they they DO or DO NOT have hard core evidence that I was really boinking her (or in this case them) or yes, my innocent self is running for the senator seat ! God, can I throw up now.....
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