by Jackson Baker
Shelby County's Democrats remained in a state of disarray after the disclosure, last weekend in The Commercial Appeal, that a forthcoming fund-raising dinner for Shelby County Mayor Jim Rout, titular leader of the county's Republicans, had drawn the apparent support of various name Democrats. But an inner core soldiered on, with growing optimism that they had found a worthy adversary for Rout in 1998.
The would-be champion of these diehard Democrats? State Senator Jim Kyle, who acknowledged this week that various party members had contacted him about carrying the Democratic standard against Rout next year. Kyle said he had not finally settled on a race but insisted he wouldn't be influenced by the presence of several Democrats on the host list for Rout's $1,000-a-head dinner on March 17th at the Crescent Club.
Among those Democrats are one former party chairman, retired Teamster leader Sidney Chism, and -- more ominously for the party faithful -- the current chairman, attorney, and longtime Democratic bigwig William Farris.
"Naturally, I'd rather have Bill Farris for me than against me," Kyle said. "But I'm not going to let something like that back me out." And, for that matter, both Farris and Chism -- perhaps influenced by reaction from fellow Democrats -- had clarified their position by Monday. Each said he had lent his name to the host list merely by way of showing appreciation for Rout in the abstract.
"I didn't see it as part of any Republican-versus-Democrat situation. I was just willing to take part in saying something nice about Jim Rout," said Farris. And Chism said, "I like Rout and could support him. But when I was originally contacted, it was not in the context of a reelection campaign." As for Kyle's candidacy, the former chairman said, "Now, if Jim Kyle, who's a friend of mine, got in the race, I'd really have to rethink things. I could imagine myself supporting Kyle."
And Kyle, though he stressed that the initiative concerning his possible candidacy came from others, was chockful of analysis demonstrating how a Democrat might be able to unseat Rout in 1998. "All you need to look at is two outcomes -- Rita Clark's victory over Harold Sterling [in the Assessor's race last year] and Bill Clinton's carrying of Shelby County. Both prove that the Democratic vote is out there."
The county's Democrats still have to decide whether to hold a countywide partisan primary next year. They declined to follow the Republican lead in 1994 but countered with a slate of nominees, including Clark, last year. And only last week, ironically, chairman Farris had appointed former Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris to head a committee charged with aggressively rounding up Democratic primary candidates for 1998.
Asked about Farris' involvement in the Rout dinner, Morris understandably seemed a mite flustered and offered no comment about likelihoods concerning the county mayor's race. Meanwhile, various Democrats were speculating privately that the contretemps had made Farris a less than ideal candidate for reelection when Shelby Democrats hold their biennial county convention later this year.
As if taking note that he might be stepping aside, Farris offered the cryptic observation, "As long as I'm party chairman, I will support no Republican nominee for office in Shelby County." If he chose to leave his party office, of course, that statement still left his options open for 1998.
City council member Brent Taylor said Saturday that a "sunset review" of municipal procedures now being presided over by his colleague Jerome Rubin may shortly present the council with the opportunity to impose new conflict-of-interest restrictions on the actions of city officials.
Carefully avoiding imputing any blame to Mayor W.W. Herenton for his several ongoing business activities, some of which would potentially involve city regulation, Taylor said nevertheless that controversy over the mayor's ventures presented an opportunity to consider legislation clarifying the conflict-of-interest issue.
"We're going to be looking at a lot of different procedures; so we might as well look at that area, too," Taylor suggested, after a meeting of the conservative Dutch Treat Luncheon at Wilson World on Cherry at American Way. He had accompanied his council colleague John Vergos, who was the luncheon's main speaker.
For his part, Vergos also declined to characterize the mayor's actions, nor would he comment on Herenton's entrance into the billboard industry, one which Vergos, who represents Midtown on the council, has long sought to restrict. (Herenton has also come under fire in some quarters for his real estate interests and his participation in a casino venture while serving as mayor.)
Indeed, Vergos seemed anxious to avoid any criticism whatever of Herenton. Considering the mayor's new emphasis on the crime issue during his prepared remarks, Vergos said, "He's been very strong and determined, more than I've ever seen him. The past is history. We don't care that he waited six years."
Vergos was less circumspect when speaking of a housing proposal from the joint lay/clergy action group Shelby County Interfaith, with whom he has clashed in the past. Noting that the group was "putting a lot of pressure" on the council to authorize SCI to build lower-income housing in cleared areas near Sam Cooper Boulevard, Vergos said, "We gave them a site in South Memphis [for SCI's home-building Nehemiah Project], and they've done virtually nothing with it. I think we ought to concentrate on shoring up the neighborhood we already have in the Sam Cooper area."