Soap Opera Now Playing in Senate District 33

Democrat Roscoe Dixon has been the state senator for District 33 for a couple of decades. But in January he resigned his post in mid-term to become an assistant administrative aide to Shelby County Mayor A. C. Wharton.

That, of course, leaves the seat open until a special election can be held.

The Shelby County Commission got to pick an interim replacement until a special election can be held. Commission chair Michael Hooks pushed for Sidney Chism. Why? Because Chism is a long-time Democrat operative and party faithful. Hooks knows that Chism will dutifully serve until the election without running, allowing Hooks to step in and win himself.

Hooks considered having himself appointe to the interim position but had he done so he would have been prevented from raising campaign funds to cover his run for the seat (government officials are forbidden to raise money while the legislature is in session). With a party loyalist acting as a placeholder Hooks has the advantage over many of his Democrat rivals who also want the seat, current representatives Henri Brooks, Kathryn Bowers, and Joe Towns: he can raise money but they can't.

But Hooks has a little problem in his quest for a seat in the senate: he missed the filing deadline for financial disclosure statements. One would think that he, a career politician familiar with these well-documented procedures, would abandon his quest and return to his commissioner work with grace. One would think wrong: he is suing the state and the Shelby County Election Commission to keep his name on the ballot.

Hooks is basing his suit on the fact that others (including himself) have missed filing deadlines in the past and still had their paperwork accepted.

Drew Rawlins, Director of Tennessee's Registry of Election Finance, says regardless of what Bailey and Bolton got away with in previous elections, the state will still hold Hooks to the standard.

"We have taken the position that (candidates) are ineligible if they do not file by the qualifying deadline," says Rawlins. "Mr. Hooks' position is he can file his reports by some arbitrary deadline."

This, of course, is the same Michael Hooks that was arrested for drug paraphernalia in 2001. Somehow the two pots of boiling water and plate with traces of cocaine were swept under the rug -- oh wait, that's because county chief deputy Don Wright said not to do a search of the apartment and adjacent office. Wright was, after all, top assistant to Sheriff A.C. Gilless, who ran an incredibly corrupt department.

But wait, there's more: Hooks' residence is listed as 2143 S. Parkway East in Midtown, which is outside of District 33. In December he changed his voter registration to his godmother's house on Hays Road which is in District 33. This isn't illegal, of course. State law (as intrepreted by the state supreme court) says that the person must live in the district by election day.

One thing Hooks won't have to worry about is Democrat State Rep. Joe Towns Jr. running for the senate seat. Towns tried to run but withdrew after being ruled ineligible. It turns out that he failed to file not one, but two campaign finance reports last year and has an outstanding fine of $10,000. [One wonders if a state representative is qualified to help run a state if he can't keep his campaign finances in order.]

The primary election will be held on Thursday, March 24. The general election will be held on Tuesday, May 10.

As an aside, why would Roscoe Dixon resign from the state senate to become a mayorial aide? Why would a career politician take a step down? Truthfully I don't know, but I suspect it has something to do with the struggle for power in the county and Dixon is betting on Memphis mayor Herenton to win. One of the other players in our saga, new senate appointee Chism, has long been allied with Memphis mayor Herenton in a bid to take over the power base in Shelby County, wresting control from the Ford-Farris coalition which has controlled politics here for decades.

I'm hoping commenters will voice some opinions and expand my knowledge in this area.

BTW, Dixon has actually been working for the mayor since last September and drawing a six-figure salary. By delaying his resignation until January he has been collecting a paycheck from both the county and the state, bilking the taxpayers.

 

Posted on Sunday at 2:01 PM in category Hooks, Michael
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