Picking a Number One of the more interesting developments this municipal election year was in the wholly unexpected superfluity of candidates running for mayor of Memphis. There were 15 in all who finally qualified. By general consensus of the media who covered the race, six of these were granted legitimate contender status. This informal selection process didn't exactly sit well with one hopeful, attorney Jack McNeil, an episodically engaging if not eccentric fellow who, some two decades back, had been both a city councilman and a state legislator. McNeil and another candidate, C.J. Cochran (among whose trades was that of animal training), sued to gain inclusion in one televised forum but saw their petition denied in Chancery Court. On strictly non-legal grounds, we concur with the court's ruling. Despite the presence on the full candidate list of McNeil and such other well-known public figures as Pepper Rodgers, the six who got regular invites to mayoral forums included five people whose governmental experience had been recent and conspicuous and another, wrestling eminence Jerry Lawler, who could fairly easily meet the means test of owning a bona fide constituency. While we grant that the task of focusing attention within such a large field is an imperfect science, we think the results from the several public forums which featured the Significant Six (and occasionally involved other candidates as well) have justified the effort. Most issues of real importance to the city were dealt with in detail -- and by people whose competence to do so was, for the most part, unquestioned. Six seemed the right number. More would have been less. Signs of Progress Last Tuesday the city council took a major step toward regulating what has for years been an unrelenting visual assault on our city: namely, the proliferation of billboards. By passing a resolution to ban new billboard construction for six months, the council gave itself -- and the citizens of Memphis -- some breathing room. The council also gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would allow Memphians to vote on the removal of all billboards within the city. This is a remarkably enlightened move for a governing body whose majority has for too long turned a blind eye to the problem. Conceivably, Memphis could join the growing ranks of cities and states nationwide who have begun to take action to ban -- or at least radically curtail -- the visual blight of billboards. Such a move won't be easy, of course. Many council members receive hefty contributions from outdoor media companies, whose influence on legislative bodies, here and nationwide, is enormous, greatly out of proportion to any conceivable economic benefit to the community. A billboard ban can happen, but only if the citizens of Memphis -- read, voters -- make it happen. A new city council will soon be in place. By strongly letting your councilman know how you feel on the issue, you can shape the debate. It will take organization and perseverance, but our neighbor to the east -- Germantown -- provides a shining example of what a difference a strong sign ordinance can make on the urban landscape. For proof, we suggest a drive down Germantown Parkway from Cordova into Germantown. Which end of that road do we want our city to look like in the future?