Original Post | Joe Ford | Deidre Malone | Otis Jackson
 |
Biography |
1. We live in an age where news and information travel faster than most people can manage. Despite this, or because of it, more and more people are looking for a greater level of responsiveness and feedback from government. What are your plans (future or ongoing) to better engage and inform the public on County matters?
I added funding in the commission budget to move forward with video of committee and commission meetings streamed on the internet in addition to the audio stream. This allows citizens to better connect comments to the particular speaker and follow commission meetings more easily. I am currently looking the possibility of allowing citizens to post comments online to agenda items similar to how persons can request to speak on items at the commission meetings. Comments would be limited in length just as speakers are limited to two minutes and would appear with the specific item
at each commissioner’s terminal.
Additionally, as Mayor, I would have the county website redesigned to be more user-friendly. It is difficult to find specific information, departments and other resources on the current site.
2. The funding problems facing the Regional Medical Center at Memphis are well known. What are your plans as Mayor to ensure this critical resource remains viable for years to come?
The problems facing the Regional Medical Center are not just a local issue, but a state and national issue. We have to work with legislators on those levels to craft policies to work for us. To date, we have only worked on short-term funding solutions to keep the Med open. We are continuously in a crisis mode. Moving forward, we need to have an honest discussion about the future of this public hospital. The new CEO realizes that for some services such as Trauma, Burn and Neonatal, the Med is the only true provider of this high level of patient care. Dr. Reginald Coopwood would like to make the Med competitive with other hospitals on various services. The goal is to make the Med the hospital of choice for paying patients and insurers. I am committed to finding the right long-term solution to providing these needed services to our community.
We can also ease the economic burden on the MED by providing cost- effective alternatives to the emergency room for minor health issues and indigent care. This will include working with existing organizations, churches and community programs to maximize their impact. This community is blessed with people who are willing to work hard on these issues and I will provide the leadership to work smarter together.
3. Considering the current conversation regarding merging Memphis and Shelby County governments, if elected, you could be the last occupant of this office under the current charter. What are your thoughts on the current Metro Government conversation and what issues are deal makers or deal breakers for you personally, if any?
Last year as Chairman of the County Commission, Mayors Wharton and Lowery and I chaired community conversations regarding a potential new government. I support the work of the Metro Charter Commission to develop a new charter for the citizens of Shelby County to consider. This community has an opportunity to create a government that represents all the people in this County and to miss the opportunity to have a voice in that process would be unfortunate. I strongly encourage all citizens to take part in this discussion.
The versions and options for a Metro government are far too numerous and complicated for anyone to make a flat statement of support or opposition in a well reasoned manner. I will wait on the final product of that process. I have consistently stated that I will support a consolidation plan if it makes sense for all the people of this county.
4. Despite the possible merger of Memphis and Shelby County Governments, what areas do you see as an opportunity for partnering with the City to decrease the overlap in services between the two governments?
I believe there are many economies that could be gained through cooperative agreements with the city of Memphis and the other municipalities in Shelby County. Most recently, I supported the merger of the Memphis and Shelby County Fire Departments. Additionally, we could increase our buying power for many items by combining the city and county purchasing departments. Similarly, many of our general services operations overlap and could be combined, such as building and fleet maintenance, road repair and park services.
5. The Economy has left people from all walks of life struggling to make ends meet and made the competition between local governments for new businesses more fierce than ever. In this difficult economic climate how will you attract new businesses to Shelby County?
Our greatest opportunity is in promoting entrepreneurial efforts and assisting our current small businesses in growing. I will work with ongoing efforts such as LaunchMemphis, Bioworks Foundation’s Innova and TECworks, and other incubators and small business programs to develop ways that the County can support our local business community. As a County Commissioner, I supported the Locally Owned Small Business (LOSB) initiative that has resulted in an increase in the amount of business Shelby County does with LOSBs. We should continue to grow this initiative and encourage procurement from our local businesses where possible.
Within the LOSB category, minority business development is essential to the future development of Shelby County. African American businesses in our MSA earn less than one percent of sales and receipts. Disparities can also be seen for women and other minorities. Based on our demographics, this is not a sustainable economic development model for our community. As a business owner I understand the challenges that all small businesses face. Moreover, as a minority business owner, I understand some of the unique challenges faced by this segment of our community. My administration will work in government and with the business community to ensure that we develop a more diverse, sustainable model for economic development.
The Shelby County Mayor must be actively engaged in attracting and retaining business in our community. I will work with the Chamber and other business and government leaders to promote Shelby County as the excellent place to build and grow businesses that we know it is.
In our economic development efforts, we must maintain a focus on people. Efforts to attract businesses to create more jobs will be fruitless if we do not have a workforce that can fill them. While our community has many workforce development programs, we have still had challenges in connecting people to training to jobs, and I look forward to becoming further involved as Mayor in finding effective ways to address those challenges. Attraction and retention of talent are important, but we must also develop education and career pipelines that work to build our talent from within.
6. Public safety is an ongoing concern. Because current Sheriff Mark Luttrell has announced for the same office you seek, but on the Republican ticket, there will undoubtedly be a new Shelby County Sheriff. In your view, what role does the County Mayor play in tackling the problems of crime
and how will you work with the new Sheriff, regardless of who it turns out to be, to keep Shelby County as safe and free of crime as possible?
Public safety is more than a law enforcement issue; it is a quality of life issue. I believe we can break the cycle of crime in our community through a cooperative effort. As mayor, I will work through schools and communities to address the causes that lead to a life of crime. I will also push for stronger rehabilitation and job training programs that provide other options to those who sincerely want to be better citizens. Through these efforts, we can reduce the number of people entering the criminal justice system and the number of people returning to the system.
7. Education is an issue that is on the minds of many Shelby County residents. What is your position on the issue of “Single Source Funding” and how it impacts the County Government?
I have led the charge for Single Source Funding. I invite your readers to read a guest column I authored in the Commercial Appeal at this link: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jul/31/guest-column-criticism-of-ad-hoc-committee-plan/
Readers can also view my interview regarding Single Source Funding at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQiRTe40yAY
8. The population of the City of Memphis makes up over two thirds of the population of Shelby County. Despite that fact, the City and County governments haven’t always been willing to work together on a variety of issues. Aside from looking for efficiencies, what are your ideas for working with City government to help bring more continuity to the two governments?
The relationship between the county government and all the municipal governments within Shelby County will work only as far as those leaders trust each other. I believe there is no issue that we cannot resolve in a mutually beneficial way if we approach it with open minds, honesty and openness in our dealings, and a commitment to the greatest good of our citizens. I will work diligently to build trust not only with other elected officials, but with the citizens across this county.
9. As the largest single county in Tennessee, both in population and area, Shelby County has a huge impact on the state. What do you think is the role of the County Mayor in working with the State government and how will you execute that role to tackle the important issues facing Shelby County that
may be outside the scope of County Government?
County government is limited in many ways by state statute. Most significantly in the ways the county can generate revenue. I have a good relationship with most of the state legislators from Shelby County. I will build on those relationships to advocate for policies that make sense for large, diverse and metropolitan community that is Shelby County. What works for Tennessee’s 90 or so rural counties, simply does not work for Shelby County. We need more flexibility to raise revenue, fund two large school systems and meet the diverse needs of our citizens.
10. Describe the future of Shelby County under your leadership. What are your priorities and what will you do to bring forth a better Shelby County?
I want to get back to the basics and focus on county government’s core business. Shelby County has four interconnected areas that must be addressed: education, public safety, health care and economic development. With seven municipalities, two public school systems and a great diversity of citizens in our county, dealing with these issues requires experience, intelligence, determination and the ability to work across political and cultural lines. I bring all those qualities to the office of the Mayor and
can lead Shelby County towards real progress.
Regardless of how innovative or enlightened the policies of the next administration are, success ultimately requires building strong positive relationships with other governments, community organizations and the citizens of Shelby County. The foundation of those relationships will be the trust others have in the leadership of county government. I bring unmatched integrity and openness to the office of the Mayor. Leading by example, I will work to restore faith in elected leaders as public servants who strive for the good of all.
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