Tuesday, November 30, 2010
A New County Commission Endorsement of Consolidation? Mulroy Proposes Just That
Posted by Jackson Baker on Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 9:51 AM
- Mulroy (l); Guleff
This was the same county commission which (though differently constituted) had combined with the Memphis City Council a year earlier to create and subsidize the Metro Charter Commission which developed and proposed the referendum in the first place.
And, of course, the voters on November 2nd pretty much obliterated the consolidation concept. The referendum lost by a majority of 85 percent in the outer county, and though it passed muster in the city, it was only by the barest of margins, 51 percent. Decisive? Enough to put the issue on hold for the generation that usually passes before wiped-out consolidation proponents decide to try again?
Nah! Not by Steve Mulroy, the intrepid and decidedly un-bashful commissioner from District 5, an East Memphis-based swing district on the seam of city and county. Mulroy believes that what was defeated so badly on November 2nd was not consolidation per se but only the somewhat feckless variety that was proposed by the 2009-2010 version of a charter commission, one that was basically put together by Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, who transitioned from county mayor to city mayor during its formation and thereby was able to name all its members.
So Mulroy, less than a month after consolidation was rejected, has a brand-new resolution proposing that the county commission (yep, the same county commission that said no in October) give its approval to — are you sitting down? — a “Resolution In Support of the Concept of Consolidation,” which would provide for a new charter commission.
The measure was scheduled for discussion in committee this Wednesday and, presumably, will be taken to the county commission’s regular biweekly public meeting on Monday for a vote.
Mulroy professes to believe that the commission will be open-minded, particularly his fellow Democrats — several of whom joined the majority of the commission’s Republicans in October to reject consolidation.
At the time there was an ongoing backlash against the referendum among African Americans in the inner city, and both Sidney Chism, the current commission chairman, and James Harvey joined newcomer Justin Ford in voting no to consolidation, along with GOP members Wyatt Bunker, Terry Roland, Heidi Shafer and Chris Thomas — the latter three being new members representing suburban areas outside the city.
Mulroy’s resolution suggests that the commission’s October vote, like that of the voters on November 2nd, “could be misinterpreted as opposition to metro consolidation generally,” which is described as “appropriate and inevitable.”, .
The resolution proposes that “the City Council and County Commission have greater input into the selection of members of any appointed Metro Charter Commission;” that “[g]reater efforts are made to achieve racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity among any Charter Commission appointees;” and that “[a]ppropriate efforts are made to avoid any undue influence of corporate interests on the process.”
Lastly, the resolution declares, “The issue of school consolidation, if still applicable, should be given weight equal to that of any other major issue in Charter Commission deliberations.”
That, of course, is an allusion to the currently raging controversy between the city and county school boards, who seem locked in a race to transform the relationship between the two school systems of Shelby County. The Shelby County School Board may seek legislative approval in January for a separate county school district for county schools, while the city Board is considering a proposal to surrender its charter, a move which, if approved by city voters in a referendum, would automatically consolidate the two systems.
One of the ironies of the current situation is that the issue of school consolidation, carefully sundered from the November 2nd vote, is now front and center, and Mulroy’s more inclusive resolution clearly acknowledges the issue as relevant to his proposal -- which, at very minimum, is that the county commission formally withdraw its prior renunciation of consolidation and underwrite his suggestions for how a new Metro Charter commission might be composed.
Mulroy’s resolution had already prompted a response by one prominent opponent of consolidation, Tom Guleff of Save Shelby County, an organization formed last spring to combat the consolidation effort.
Guleff has emailed his network of consolidation foes, alerting them to Wednesday’s committee meeting and proclaiming the following:
“The pro-consolidation forces are back. To be honest, the cult-like fascination with Consolidation is creepy. After being soundly defeated by an 85% margin in the county, the losing side wants to re-write the narrative of its demise and bring it back to life. I could understand the current effort, if the vote was close, but it wasn’t. This small group appears disconnected from political reality. This is just plain weird.”
The fat, as they say, is once again in the fire.
Comments (14)
Showing 1-14 of 14
If my commissioner spends more of my tax money on consolidation I will vote against them when they're up for re-election. Note that I say "vote against" - it really won't matter what their opposition is for or against. Anyone so reckless with my tax dollars is incompetent, especially when the road being travelled has already been washed out by the voters.
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Guleff's "cult-like fascination" with opposing consolidation is no less creepy or weird...
Mulroy's flagrant disregard for the voice of the people is stunning. Just as stunning is that Mulroy's use of school children to promote his consolidation dream is no problem for him. Politicians such as this need to be removed from their positions...Mr. Mulroy...What part of "Public Service" do you not understand? Get on with running this county and let consolidation die...What a colossial waste of time!
One might ask "why" Mulroy is so fascinated with consolidation. The big problem with Rebuild Government to begin with was their fanatical assertions that it was the silver bullet to fix all of Memphis' ills. Seems like Mulroy has drunk the same kool-aid.
If Memphis (and SC) would address the rampant corruption and mis-spending that is present, then perhaps the voters would express more confidence in them. After all, it is a trust issue. No matter how much money RG had spent, the issue would have failed at the ballot box. Candidates may seem great when we vote for them, but when they get into office, there is nothing done to address any of the trust issues with the voting public.
It's the elected officials that need to be the whistle-blowers, not the rank-and-file. When that happens, there'll be some real trust built. And that is the ONLY thing that will give consolidation any hope of passage.
No amount of lip stick put on this pig would have made consolidation anymore palatable. One man-One vote, and the people spoke up very loud and very clearly.
No Consolidation-No way-No How. BTW, I attended several of the charter commission meetings and no amount of statistical evidence was going to convince the charter commission to find another route. Personally, I relied on sociological surveys from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before I made up my mind when Milwaukee was considering consolidation.
The residents of SC have voted against this three times and now its time to let it go. Its people like Mulroy, Fullilove, Herenton, Criner Cash and etc are the reasons why alot of us didn't vote for consolidation. We were told, if we didn't like what was going on in Memphis to pack up and leave-Guess what? We did!
I find this matter about as humorous as Mr. Mulroy's failed attempt at humor during his swearing-in ceremony as a County Commissioner, where the crowd was simply dumbfounded by his actions! Also, if they can do the math, they will find that on a composite basis, 64% of the votes cast were opposed to the idea of Consolidation. As I have pointed out, there are more pressing issues for the county commission to be addressing: crime, jobs, education, budget issues, rather than consolidation. Oh, and in the Charter, schools were to be exempt from the issues of consolidation - nice try but were are not barefoot in the county!!! Yes, the matter of consolidation is still a raw nerve but not one that will likely heal any time soon. Remember, I was around the previous times the matter was defeated and this time, I have the time and energy to STAY connected to the issue, as do many of the other residents. Things have changed dramatically since the first failed attempts. A sleeping giant is awake and not going into hibernation for the winter.
Open the dictionary to the word "quixotic," and there's a picture of Steve Mulroy there (not that there's anything wrong with that). All I can say, Steve, is: illegitimi non carborundum.
I'm not certain that the people have overwhelmingly spoken out against actual consolidation. Participating voters did beat down a specific proposal that was more effectively defined by its opponents than its supporters.
It always seemed to me that, while supporters were certainly spinning the best case, the idea was sold as a foundational first step: an opportunity to rebuild without which many systemic problems in both governments would remain. They were accused of selling silver bullets, and the charge stuck.
There are many examples where the people are hearded in the same direction repeatedly before they finally make a change. When Bush won his second term the people had spoken, Democrats were passe. When Obama crushed McCain the people had spoken, the Republicans were now a Southern regional party. The people speak all the time. And out of both sides.
Mulroy may be shortening his political future. He may be Quixotic, not very funny, and on the losing side of this battle (for the time being, anyway). That doesn't mean that, by keeping options alive, he's not still working for "the people." Even Sri Tom Guleff.
CHris, I agree with you, but it's going to take a crisis of huge proportions and/or some kind of legal action from 'above' to enact consolidation. As long as the county residents who reside outside Memphis have veto power, it's not going to happen and Mulroy would be well-advised to use whatever political capital he possesses elsewhere, for the time being.
Maybe so Pack. Mulroy is many things, but stupid isn't one of them. He knows the taint of the recent vote will get all over him politically. But there's something to be said for the tenacity of a true believer.
"Political capital" accomplishes nothing without will. We've been worn out on consolidation, as its been branded and sold, but color me interested. Quixote begins as a comedy but the old man dies shattered and tragically sane, the laughing stock of the ruling class. Even when I disagree with them I have a soft spot for politicians who go out crazy but fighting for some mad vision. Or at least a Hollywood ending.
We all jaw on endlessly about change and our disappointment when it never comes. Then we mock the few people who refuse to give in to inertia. Me too. Me especially. But I have this weird feeling that the Councilman in the Star Trek uniform isn't too worried about being cast as a fool. He may even count on it.
You got me there, Tom. 85% is indeed a "beat down." Sadly, of that 85%, I feel that only a handful had any idea what they were voting against.
GKE, If that's the case, folks wasted millions of dollars educating the voters about consolidation. www.ReadTheCharter.com :)
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