Sometimes, when looking through back issues of the Flyer,
it’s déjà vu all over again, as Yogi Berra once said.
Ten years ago this week, for example, the Flyer‘s cover story
was an in-depth look at the upcoming mayor’s race. John Branston
profiled Joe Ford, then seen as the most serious threat to incumbent
mayor Willie Herenton:
“Is Joe Ford mayoral timber or just a promising young councilman
with a famous family name? What has brought him to the point where he
can seriously challenge Mayor Willie Herenton, a two-term incumbent
with more than two decades of leadership in public service?”
We all know how it turned out for Joe Ford in that race. He lost,
along with five others, to Herenton, who won in a landslide.
In the same issue, Jackson Baker surveyed the rest of the field, and
again, the more things change the more they stay the same. There was
Memphis wrestler Jerry Lawler, who’s making noises about running in
2009, just as he did 10 years ago:
“‘Man, [people are] just sick and tired of the same old rhetoric. I
think I’m going to have to run,’ pronounced the man who, a few months
back, first floated the idea of running for local office in, of all
places, the national magazine Time.”
This time around, of course, Herenton will most likely not be a
factor. But as the master of resign do-overs and surprise
announcements, Herenton knows quite a bit about déjà
vu.
The only thing missing is Prince Mongo. And no one would be
surprised at this juncture if he returned from Zambodia and tossed his
wig into the ring.