Tuesday, November 17, 2009
No Ordinary Joe!: Ford Elected Interim County Mayor as Votes Change Sides
Posted by Jackson Baker on Tue, Nov 17, 2009 at 11:07 PM
- JB
- Interim county mayor-elect Joe Ford
No rice and no dice either for John Vergos, the former Memphis city councilman who sat hopefully in the county building auditorium last week and did so again Tuesday. Nor for Jack Sammons, still serving as acting CAO for departed county mayor A C Wharton, now residing as the newly elected Memphis mayor over at City Hall across the way.
Nor for county commissioner J.W. Gibson or his once-and-future colleague, commissioner and acting mayor Joyce Avery, who once again let themselves be nominated and took front row seats, prepared to wait it out the as their fellow commissioners voted again on appointing an interim Shelby county mayor.
Only there was no wait this time Nothing like the marathon 24 separate ballots that took place Monday of last week as Gibson and commissioner Joe Ford deadlocked over-and-over again with repeat vote totals of 5-to-5, interrupted only by the occasional spurt of tentative votes for someone else — Avery or commissioner George Flinn or county CAO Jim Huntzicker. But the stalemate never broke.
It did this time around. On the second ballot, commissioner James Harvey shifted away from Gibson and, in the manner of the talented Gridiron Show thespian he is, delivered a properly cadenced and dramatic apologia for reversing himself, all in the name of ending the commission’s ordeal, then cast his vote for commissioner Joe Ford, and — Bingo! There was your new county mayor for the next several months, the first member of his politically illustrious family to hold the executive title of mayor.
And there was celebration and jubilation all around, as much because there would be no ordeal like last week’s as because of Ford’s victory over Gibson. The palpable mood of deliverance would doubtless have been there had the nod gone to Gibson — who, as if anticipating the outcome, had earlier, in obligatory remarks making the case for himself, had pointedly, almost concessively, expressed gratitude merely for having been nominated.
Also having an earlier moment had been commissioner Steve Mulroy, a dedicated Ford supporter (and no mean thespian himself), who also seemed to have seen what was coming, making a speech renouncing whatever hopes he might privately have nursed of being a fallback mayoral choice.
Standing off to the side of the post-selection hoopla, eschewing any dramatics whatsoever, was commissioner Henri Brooks, who had really been the decision-maker on Tuesday. It was Brooks, an immovable Gibson vote last week, who had made the first break toward Ford, from the very first ballot. All Harvey had done was follow through on the implied offer he had made during last week’s session to cross over if he had company.
Why did Brooks provide the occasion? “I just listened to my constituents,” was her only explanation.
When Ford made an impromptu acceptance speech, he promised as mayor to institute the same kinds of “task forces” on this or that governmental issue as he had while serving as the commission’s chairman a few seasons back. And he could hardly be blamed for expressing a bit of resentment at the public venting that had been given his several personal problems — mainly financial — during this last week.
Ford advised his listeners to believe “very little” of what they saw on television and “nothing” they read in “the newspaper.”
Ah well, now that this showdown is over, maybe there’ll be an easing up of the odd polarization on the commission — one that owes nothing to either ideology or political party but rather to the kind of personal motives and ad hoc alliances you could expect to find on any organized body of people. Maybe commissioner Mike Carpenter, a co-chair of Memphis mayor Wharton’s transition team and the subject of nonstop rumors that he’s City Hall-bound himself will feel free now to make his move.
As for Ford, he maintained a poker face, even in triumph.. That eased up for good only when somebody remarked to him that, after all those years of people conjecturing about there being a “Mayor Ford,” meaning his brother Harold Sr., a former congressman now doing high-stakes lobbying from a base in Florida, there is one such. And this Mayor-elect Ford is named Joe.
At that thought he finally smiled.
Comments (9)
Showing 1-9 of 9
I know I'm supposed to be outraged and angry about this, but I'm having a really hard time working up the bile. I don't know Joe Ford, but he's never been a firebrand like Harold, the money he owes is nothing but a distraction, and his son is a straight-up class act. I can't figure how the next ten months are going to be the apocalypse that people are making them out to be. I always thought Joe was the exception to the rule when it came to the Ford Family.
This all reminds me of how just a few months ago, Herenton was playing Cassandra over Lowery becoming interim mayor. In the end, nothing that was predicted about that affair came true. I think Joe Ford will do just fine.
like
dislike
With the vote in of Joe Ford we get is a statement that says its just fine to break the law and live in a district other than the one you represent, its ok to just decide you don't want to live in your home anymore and just "Let the bank take it back", its dandy to be in debt and can't manage your personal finances, its all someone elese fault and EVERYBODY does it, and then expect to manage the finances of the county.
Its just Memphis being stuck on stupid ALL OVER AGAIN !!
I've said it once and I'll say it again, Memphis is utterly doomed to failure and deserves to be flushed down the crapper.
Here'a ANOTHER thing for you to chew on:
THE BUFFOON PUPPET WINS
It is 5:03 and the foolish Shelby County Commission has just selected a buffoon and a puppet to be the new county mayor, ignoring the county's call for a truly qualified county mayor.
Joe Ford is the new county mayor after an under the table deal that will require fumigation of the entire Shelby County Building.
What this means is that Harold Ford Sr. will be pulling the strings on his puppet brother from Florida. Harold Sr. is really the new Shelby County mayor.
Smart City Memphis... It ought to be Dumb Ass City Memphis.
Hoodsville, USA.
pffft. in 10 months he'll be gone. not worth getting all worked up about it. if his skin color and last name were different, nobody would care about where he lived or his financial problems.
This Ford may not be a firebrand, but I still have bad vibes about this choice. I also wonder if he is to be believed about not running for a full term.
After extensive therapy the terrifying Ford family nightmares I had so often during slumber were subsiding a bit until now. Last night was a real doozy, where Joe was vaporizing us, and his multitudes of giant tripods were harvesting our blood and tissue. I keep telling myself it's just a dream...or..is..it?
The Coen brothers' movie "Miller's Crossing" was on last night... it could have been titled "Memphis."
Anytime a member of the Ford crime family is elected to an office in Memphis, it can't be good. What have they ever contribued to the betterment of this city? I can't think of a thing.
Do I know my City or WHAT???
I said it back in September.....
http://www.memphisflyer.com/CityBeatBlog/a…
THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
SPECIAL ISSUES
