TennWatch/Volitics

Defenders of Freedom Meeting

In case you haven't heard, the Shelby County Conservative Club is no more, having been replaced by the Defenders of Freedom, which is the entity that originally morphed into the SCCC.

Ah well, the important thing is that the intrepid local political activist Angelo Cobrasci is back in charge and getting things ramped up.

DoF meetings (dubbed "Citizens' Forums") are being held on the second Monday of each month at Neil's. That's in midtown at 1827 Madison Avenue from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

The next meeting will be 14 April on the topic of Crime in Shelby County. Planned speakers include persons from the Shelby County DAs office, the Sheriffs' department, Memphis PD, and a Criminal Court Judge.

Y'all come on out and bring a friend, won't you?

Wendi Says Herenton's Resignation New Low

Wendi Thomas is in rare form with today's editorial on King Willie's resignation. She says that she is disappointed by it:

Not because I was a fan of Herenton. Don't get it twisted. I've spanked him in at least 15 columns. I shook my head when he fathered a child with a security guard. I shuddered when I saw him, shirtless, in a charity boxing match with Joe Frazier.

I sighed when he declared himself appointed by God, not the voters. I rolled my eyes when he got all street with the City Council and told them, "Don't bring me no mess, won't be no mess."

And I was nauseous when, in his October victory speech, he rejected an opportunity to be conciliatory and instead used his time at the mic as an opportunity to further divide the city along racial lines.

He has buried any civic achievements he could take credit for under a pile of trifling mess. His combative attitude, his condescension toward anyone who dared criticize him, his appointments of cronies to high-paying jobs, all while property taxes rose and city services shrank and citizens fled for anywhere outside the city limits.

But with his resignation, the chance -- albeit an off-chance, the remotest of possibilities -- of Herenton ending his tenure with honor and on a high note is gone.

OK, so maybe that wasn't a realistic dream -- that Herenton would suddenly stop acting foolish. But a girl can hope. Now, even that dim hope has been dashed.

She declares that she cannot take part in any celebrations of schadenfraude. I, on the other hand, see no reason not to.

King Willie's resignation cannot be a bad thing. If Wendi loves her city, then she should welcome this opportunity to instill a real leader to help us recover from more than sixteen years of Willie's ruinous rule.

The Crooks Who Run for Office

The Commercial Appeal did background checks on the candidates for mayor, City Council and City Court clerk.

MAYOR

Laura Davis Aaron: Pleaded guilty to assault, 1980; open and notorious public lewdness, 1985. Four bankruptcies: 1994 and 1995 in Memphis, 2001 in Chattanooga, 2005 in Memphis.

Fred Askew: Bankruptcy, 2006. As of Tuesday, owed $1,061 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2006 city taxes and 2005 and 2006 county taxes).

Carlos F. Boyland: Bankruptcy, 2003. Lost $2,612 judgment, 2001. pleaded guilty misdemeanor assault, 1989; guilty, misdemeanor theft, 1992.

Willie Herenton: Fined $50 for disorderly conduct, 1960.

Bill Jacox: Pleaded guilty, tampering with utility metering device, 1988.

Dewayne A. Jones Sr.: As of Tuesday owed $3,311 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2005-2007 city taxes and 2005-2006 county taxes.) pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft, 1990.

James McKay: Pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and violating probation, 1982; driving under the influence, 1982; disturbing the peace, 1986; driving under the influence, 1992.

Sharon A. Webb: Two Bankruptcies: 1993, 1998.

John Willingham: Lost $6,930 judgment after alleged breach of trust, 2005; now paid.

CITY CLERK

M. Latroy Williams: As of Tuesday, owed $124,418 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 1997-2007 city taxes and 1997-2006 county taxes). Got 14 citations in Juvenile Court for nonpayment of child support and was held in contempt five times, 1979-2003. Bankruptcy, 1991.

CITY COUNCIL

District 1

Jerry Benya: Bankruptcy, 1996.

Rudolph Daniels: Lost $3,599 judgment in Maryland, 2001. Debtor, State Farm Insurance, now alleges default on $1,924 balance. Evicted from Memphis apartment, 2007.

Stephanie Gatewood: Received General Sessions Court order to garnish her wages after losing $400 judgment to city Memphis EMS, 2002. Lost $2,376 judgment to Methodist Healthcare, 2002.

Jesse Jeff: Three bankruptcies: 1997 (2) in St. Louis; and 1998 in Memphis. As of Tuesday owed $7,748 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2006 and 2007 city taxes and 2006 county taxes).

Antonio "2 Shay'' Parkinson: Lost $156 judgment, 2007.

Riesel Sandridge: Wages garnisheed by General Sessions Court to satisfy $1,661 loan, 2003. Lost $2,282 judgment for breach of contract on home repairs, 2005. Wages garnished to satisfy $985 judgment, 2006.

District 2

Daryl Benson: Bankruptcy, 2007.

Scott Pearce: Served with federal tax liens for $330,948 in unpaid income and payroll taxes, 2002-2004. Lost a $552,000 judgment in Chancery Court to Trustmark Bank for alleged default, 2004 -- records indicate it remains unpaid. Lost $10,000 judgment in Circuit Cuourt to JEH Inc., 2007. Lost $43,000 default judgement in Circuit Court to Renasant Bank, 2007. General Sessions garnishment order served on his bank accounts to satisfy $17,782 judgment won by Marshall County Lumber Co., 2004. Currently fighting General Sessions eviction suit brought in July. Also fighting breach of contract suit filed in Circuit Court in August by Renasant Bank.

District 3

Albert Banks III: Two bankruptcies, 2001, 2005.

Harold Collins: Served with federal tax liens for $155,512 in unpaid tax penalties, 2003. Lost $44,059 agreed Chancery Court judgment to First Tennessee Bank after alleged default on business loan, 2005.

Davida Cruthird: Bankruptcy, 1998.

Ronald Peterson: Wages garnished by Department of Employment Security to recover overpaid benefits, 2007. Four contempt citations in Juvenile for nonpayment of child support, 1989-1992; jailed 1990.

Madeleine Cooper Taylor: In March 2006 paid $7,187 in back taxes owed the IRS from 1997, 2000 and 2002.

District 4

Wanda Halbert: Wages garnisheed after losing $1,660 judgment to Sign Services Inc. for campaign signs, 2001. Faces ongoing suit by LVNV Funding for alleged past due debt of $2,332.

Johnny Hatcher Jr.: Pleaded guilty to reckless driving and no driver's license, 1995.

District 5

Jeff Bailey: Pleaded guilty to patronizing prostitution, 1992. General Sessions garnishment order served on his bank accounts to collect $1,889 credit card debt, 2002.

Richard Parks: Pleaded guilty to contempt of court, 2005.

Kerry Rogers: Pleaded guilty, possession of controlled substance, 1989; reckless driving and no driver license, 1992. Found guilty, violation of vehicle registration, 1997. Two bankruptcies: 2002, 2003.

District 6

Perry Bond: Bankruptcy, 2000. Bank account garnished toward collecting $3,192 General Sessions judgment to Sears Roebuck, 1999.

Charles Etta Chavez: As of Tuesday owed $77 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2007 city taxes and 2006 county taxes).

Alicia Howard: Bankruptcy, 2000.

Willie H. Justice III: Lost $863 judgment in General Sessions Court to Midland Funding, 2007. Faces ongoing suit by Capital One Bank seeking $6,346.

Clifford Lewis: As of Tuesday owed $5,966 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 1998 and 2000-2007 city taxes and 2001-2006 county taxes).

District 7

Veronica Sherfield Castillo: Five bankruptcies: 1995, 1996 (2), 1997, 2007. Wages garnisheed in General Sessions Court for nonpayment of furniture debt, 1999. Target of garnishment orders for nonpayment of student-related debt, 2006.

Barbara Swearengen Ware: As of Tuesday owed $1,379 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2006 and 2007 city taxes and 2006 county taxes).

Preston Poindexter: Two bankruptcies: 1995, 2005. Served with federal tax liens for $51,000 in unpaid income taxes, 2004. Lost home in foreclosure sale, March 2007.

Derek D. Richardson: Lost $1,500 judgment in General Sessions, and paid, 2005. Lost $1,988 judgments with appeal pending, 2006.

District 8 Position 1

Ian Randolph: As of Tuesday owed $6,846 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (included 2006 and 2007 city taxes and 2005 and 2006 county taxes). Bankruptcy, 1991.

Tiffany L. Lowe: Pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment, a felony, 1997. pleaded guilty to felony forgery, 1997. Served with a restraining order after a former lover alleged she roughed up two people, 1999. Wages garnisheed after losing $5,691 judgment to Delta Medical Center, 2007.

District 8 Position 2

Janis Fullilove: Wages garnished to satisfy $370 judgment won by Dr. Christine Mroz, 2005. Ordered to pay $50 a month to the clerk of General Sessions Court to satisfy $600 judgment won by Metropolitan Anesthesia Alliance, 2007.

Henry Hooper: Subject of 2005 federal tax liens by IRS claiming $445,603 in unpaid income taxes owed from 1998 to 2001.

Matthew Jordan: As of Tuesday owed $6,604 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2006 and 2007 city taxes and 2006 county taxes).

David Vinciarelli: pleaded guilty to criminal trespass, 1990. Two bankruptcies: 1997, 2004.

Trennie Williams: Bankruptcy, 2007.

District 8 Position 3

Del Gill: Bankruptcy, 2005. pleaded guilty to reckless driving, 1982.

Myron Lowery: Pleaded guilty to assault and battery, 1982.

Toni Strong: Two bankruptcies: 1996, 2006.

District 9 Position 3

Reid Hedgepeth: As of Tuesday owed $33,202 in delinquent property taxes, penalties and interest (includes 2006 and 2007 city taxes and 2006 county taxes).

MLGW Scandal Makes NYTimes

Memphis has made the big times:

Voters here indulge peccadilloes among their politicians, like the occasional indictment or child born out of wedlock. But shielding the powerful from utility bills when many are struggling after a cold winter seems to have pushed public opinion over the edge. The City Council — some members present and past were on the list — has ordered an investigation, as has the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the president of the utility has been called before a federal grand jury.

Believe me, I've seen voter outrage turn to apathy time after time. This will soon be swept under the rug and the politicians know it.

Election Day

March 13th is election day in Memphis.

In the race to succeed Steve Cohen as state senator for District 30, Republican Larry Parrish is battling Democrat Beverly Robison Marrero.

To take over the House District 92 seat Henri Brooks vacated when she was elected to the Shelby County Commission, Democrat G.A. Hardaway is campaigning against Republican Richard Morton.

It's a pair of long shots for Republicans, but a special election is the best time to try and take a seat away from the Democrats.

If you're driving in Midtown and see a big white Durango with a yard sign for Larry Parrish duct-taped to the back, that would be me.

Toyota Picks Mississippi

Toyota finally picked a location for their new plant. Chattanooga lost out because of concerns over air quality. It was thought that Marion, Arkansas was the front-runner, but Toyota has officially chosen Tupelo, Mississippi.

Mississippi legislators jubilantly passed an incentives package that includes $293 million to Toyota to pay for roads, water and sewer lines, $60 million to local governments to acquire land, and $30 million for Toyota's preferred auto suppliers.

The hoped-for economic benefit to Memphis if nearby Marion was chosen won't be realized as Tupelo is 100 miles away. Still, there should be some effect given Memphis' position as a major shipping hub.

Nike Comes to Frayser

Nike has purchased 125 acres in the Northridge area on which it will build a new 1 million square foot footwear distribution center.

Nike expects to realize more than $200 million in cost efficiencies totaling, not to mention reduced shipping times. And, of course, Nike gets a sweet Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) deal from both Memphis and Shelby County because of the expected job creation and capital improvements to the area.

The new facility will replace one in Wilsonville, Oregon as another company moves off of the east coast and comes to Tennessee.

Memphis Police Declare Victory, Homicides Skyrocket

"Memphis January crime down 12%" screams the headline, which most readers never make it past. In case they do keep reading, there's the reassuring sub-headline follow-up, "Aggravated assaults almost 20% below year-ago." Still reading? The article reassuringly starts:

Crime in Memphis dropped dramatically in January compared to a year ago, and a police spokeswoman credits "aggressive policing and tracking the hot spots."

All reported crime was down more than 12 percent from January 2006, and violent crime was down more than 20 percent.

Yes, while rape is marginally down (3.4%), real progress was made in robberies of individuals (28%), residential burglaries (10.6%) and larceny (13.2%). [I don't think they included Shelby County politicians in that last one.]

Whew, good news! Right?

The devil is in the details:

• Robbery of business up 3 percent.
• Car theft up over 7 percent over January 2006.
• Homicide up 27.3 percent.

So while the Auto Cargo Theft Task Force has been effectively busting chop shops, citizens are being gunned down in the streets in increasing numbers.

Not exactly something to crow about, is it?

Discount Flights Coming to Memphis

Frontier Airlines will begin flying out of Memphis International in May. Service will include 2 daily nonstop flights to Denver, with 2 additional flights to be announced at a later date.

Although known for thier discount fares, the planes will be 114-seat Airbus 318s, which include seat-back televisions and pay-per-view channels.

Frontier is the second-largest jet service carrier at Denver International Airport. Its other service in Tennessee is to Nashville, where it offers three flights a day.

Here's hoping one of the additional routes will be to Dallas. If so, I may overcome my intense distaste of dealing with airport security and being shipped like cattle for the opportunity to see my grandchildren more often.

Dutch Treat

Mike Hollihan made it to the Dutch Treat Luncheon and covers it with his usual insight and flair. Well worth the click.

Some seem genuine in their desire for public service as mayor, however unlikely their chances or dreadful their politics. (Hi Carol!)

Now that's just funny, I don't care who y'are.

[The Dutch Treat Luncheon is a monthly bi-partisan event.]

Tamara Mitchell-Ford Arrested . . . Again

Tamara Mitchell-Ford spent the night in a Collierville jail last Tuesday:

The officer used the squad car's camera system to video the Jaguar as it swerved while traveling 20 mph in a 45 mph zone, the police report states.

After stopping the car, the officer reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol coming from Ford, hearing her slurred speech, having to support her during a field sobriety test, and finding a mostly empty bottle of vodka.

Mitchell-Ford refused to submit to a breath analysis, and act for which she was charged in addition to DUI, reckless driving and driving with an open container.

Mitchell-Ford is former state senator John Ford's ex-wife (John Ford is currently under indictment on charges stemming from the FBI's Tennessee Waltz sting), and aunt to Harold Ford, Jr.

This is not Mitchell-Ford's first brush with the law.

• In 2001, she rammed her car into the Collierville home of Connie Matthews, John Ford's long-time girlfriend. John Ford was living with both women at the time, spending some nights each week with Mitchell-Ford and her 3 children, other nights with Matthews and her 2 children. All five children are John Ford's.
• In 2004, she spent for 3 months in jail for traffic offenses and violating probation.
• In 2006, she spent another weekend in jail for violating probation.

She was released on Wednesday afternoon on $500 bond, but failed to report the incident to her parole officer so a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was arrested at her home Wednesday evening by Shelby County Sheriff's deputies for violating the terms of her parole.

Anyone see a pattern here?

Bringing Toyota to the Region

The Memphis Flyer rightly berates the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce for not helping Marion, Arkansas to secure a billion dollar Toyota plant. While Nashville and Gov. Bredesen try to woo Toyota into Eastern Tennessee, our city should be doing everything possible to help bring this job-generating, revenue pumping facility to a location just 10 miles away, even if it is across the river.

Memphis has been getting whipsawed by Mississippi and Arkansas for years. Those states and their bedroom suburbs attract Memphis residents, teachers, professionals, buildings, and businesses with an above-board campaign touting supposedly lower taxes and bigger incentives, and a whisper campaign driven by fears of race and crime.

True, except for the fact that the "whisper campaign driven by fears of race and crime" is more like a full blown rock opera complete with super-powered amplifiers and a laser light show.

Yet revenue will even help alleviate our crime problems; with revenue comes employment, with employment and integration into society comes the rule of law. It is estimated that the 2,000 jobs at the Toyota facility could generate as many as an additional 10,000 jobs in the surrounding communities.

The Mid-South is the epicenter of “the new Detroit,” as New York Times reporter Michelin Maynard has written. Kentucky, Alabama, Middle Tennessee, and Mississippi have landed huge plants from General Motors, Mercedes, Nissan, and others. Drive south 180 miles from Memphis on Interstate 55 and you will see the sprawling Nissan plant in Madison, Mississippi, just north of Jackson. That’s an economic magnet and industrial powerhouse that runs 365 days a year and pays good wages to thousands of ordinary people, not a handful of professional athletes.

Well said.

Update: According to one financial expert, Marion looks like the more likely pick:

Michael Randle, editor and publisher of Southern Business and Development magazine in Birmingham, Alabama, said he has correctly predicted most auto assembly plant sites, starting with BMW in South Carolina in 1992.

He is not ruling out Chattanooga, but he guesses Toyota will pick Marion, Arkansas, this time.

Good News/Bad News in Car Crime

Car thefts decreased "a dramatic 16.3 percent" in Memphis last year, according to the Commercial Appeal. (In Bartlett this number was over 33%.)

On the other hand, car burgluraries jumped up 24 percent.

So at least they are leaving your car — it just has a smashed window, torn up dash where they ripped out the radio, and so on. But you can still drive home.

A sure way to stop car burglaries, [Memphis Police Lt. Joseph Scott] said, is to stop leaving valuables in cars where they can be seen. "A car is not secure," Scott said. Leaving guns, cameras, laptops "entices them to break in to get their fix."

Why would you leave your gun in the car? It should stay with you! How else are you going to stop the bad guys?

Peete Classier than E. Ford?

Edmund Ford and Rickey Peete are currently under indictment on federal bribery charges as a result of a public corruption investigation tagged "Main Street Sweeper." They allegedly took bribes in exchange for voting to support a billboard moratorium.

Yesterday was the first city council meeting since the sting went down.

Felon Rickey Peete (he was convicted of bribery 17 years ago but the voters put him back in office anyway) is, so far, apparently the classier of the two. He said he would not vote on any planning and zoning issues and actually resigned as chairman of the Center City Commission.

On the other hand, he retains his seat on the commission and will still vote. Further, he is also a member of the Community Industrial Development Board and the Riverfront Development Corporation. All three of these bodies deal with planning and zoning issues every day. It's what they do and it's all they do! So how is Peete recusing himself from actions for which he is currently (and once again) under indictment?

And how could Peete possibly be classier than Ford?

Because Ford refuses to even consider promising to recuse himself from every zoning vote. And because he is falling into the race-baiting behavior of claiming government conspiracy:

"Hey, they good at making movies," said Ford.

Yeah, that's helpful.

So what is the city council doing to clean up its image?

The council can't make a member resign until they are convicted, but Councilman Jack Sammons proposed a resolution that "humbly, prayerfully and respectfully" requested that Peete and Ford step down from the council and concentrate their energies on their legal defenses.

Voting for the resolution were Carol Chumney, Myron Lowery, Tom Marshall, Scott McCormick, Jack Sammons and Brent Taylor.

Voting against were Dedrick Brittenum, Joe Brown, Barbara Swearengen Holt, E.C. Jones, TaJuan Stout Mitchell and Edmund Ford.

That's right, Ford cast the vote that tied the coucil 6 to 6. (Peete hadn't shown up yet.)

Of course, the coucil can vote to remove Ford and Peete from every committee and commission, thus drastically limiting their power. Anyone think that'll happen?

Who Said That?

News journalist Cameron Harper blogs this conversation, recently heard at City Hall:

"You really should resign.",

"No way man, you couldn't pay me to leave."

Heh. So was it Ricky Peete or Edmund Ford?

"Take It Up with God"

A local Memphis church came to the rescue of a family that lost everything to Katrina. After conducting interviews, the church members chose a most unfortunate family: the wife lost her job as a nurse, the husband lost his import-export business, the children's school was destroyed, the family's home was taken.

Sounds sad, yes?

The Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ gave the Thompson family a $75,000 house last February. In September, Delores Thompson sold the house for $88,000 and cleared out. After being contacted at a New Orleans phone number, Delores said:

I really don't like this area. I really didn't, and I didn't know anybody, so that's why I didn't move in and I sold it.

They never even moved in. They scammed the church and left town. According to the sales records, Delores wasn't even married.

The "husband's" reaction?

Take it up with God.

This is what happens when you give people things. They don't appreciate it like they do when they earn it. Which is the heart of compassionate conservatism: a hand up, not a hand out.

Of course, these people were con artists from the get-go. Which is another thing conservatives have learned: just because people are standing with their hand out, doesn't mean they are the ones who need help.

Memphis City Schools Doing Better: D's and F's

The Feds (in the form of the Department of Education) have put Memphis City Schools in the "good standing" category for the first time in 3 years.

But the state has given Memphis Schools all "D's" and "F's" for overall achievement — again.

The Tennessee Department of Education gave Memphis City Schools "D's" in math, reading and social studies and an "F" in science for overall achievement in kindergarten through 8th grades. ...

But students did better than they did the year before. The district got high marks for progress, with "B's" for Math and Reading and "A's" for Social Studies and Science.

So how well are Memphis schools doing to deserve that "B" and "A" for improvement?

• One in three high-schoolers have sub-par math skills
• One in five elementary and middle-schoolers don't measure up in math
• One in five kindergarten through 8th grade students don't make the grade in reading
• One in ten high schoolers reading skills aren't up to snuff

Fayette County students aren't doing much better, earning the district a "D" in Math, Reading and Language and Social Studies and a big, fat "F" in Science.

Tipton County students fare much better with "B's" in Math, Reading and Language and "C's" in Social Studies and Science (about the same as the state average).

Shelby County schools, however, have reason to be proud: straight "A's" in achievement and for academic progress.

No wonder Memphis mayor "King Willie" Herrenton wants to consolidate the Memphis and county school systems; adding in the county schools would result in a nice "C" average for his "legacy".

Liberal(er) Media Comes to Memphis

Radio broadcaster Entercom Communications Corp. has been given approval to purchase CBS radio stations in four markets Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio;  Rochester, New York; and Memphis, Tennessee. To avoid an antitrust investigation, Entercom will sell off three stations in Rochester.

Entercom was under indictment by the NY Attorney General for a "payola" scheme:

The AG's office filed the suit in March charging Entercom with repeatedly engaging in a scheme of playing songs on its stations in return for payments or non-cash consideration from record labels or independent promoters.

Although four radio corporations were under investigation, only Entercom had charges filed against it. To make the charges go away, they recently agreed to pay up to a $2 million to New York non-profits for the purpose of music education and appreciation programs.

Entercom's CEO is David Field, son of company founder Joseph M. Field.

According to OpenSecrets.org, David Field has given $145,635 in political contributions during the last three cycles. And the recipient list reads like a Who's Who in Democrat politics: Tom Daschle, Joe Lieberman, Arlen Specter, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Barack Obama. Not to mention the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, DNC Services Corp. and various state Democrat parties.

Of course, David is just a chip of the ol' block. Daddy Joseph gave $160,900 in the same 3 cycles to many of the same names. Only Joseph was a Wesley Clark man and also seems rather fond of Robert Byrd.

Somehow, I just don't think Entercom will bring a fair and balanced approach to the airwaves in Memphis.

Hooks Jr. Makes 11 in TN Waltz

Michael Hooks, Jr. is the eleventh public figure to be arrested as part of the Tennessee Waltz sting executed by the FBI.

Background summary:

1. The FBI makes the first arrests in TN Waltz 26 May 2005, netting five lawmakers, a lobbyist and a bag man.
2. County Commission Chairman Michael Hooks, Sr. is arrested as part of the sting on 30 August 2005.
3. Michael Hooks, Jr. leaves the Memphis city school board in October 2005 to get a masters degree and "spend more time with his family".

So much for that plan, as Hooks Jr. has been indicted on four counts. He is accused of receiving tens of thousands of dollars for false invoices submitted to the Shelby County Juvenile Court clerk's office, not to mention lying to the FBI when asked about the case.

The most interesting bit of information comes from today's Commercial Appeal:

The charges relate to an alleged scheme in the Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk’s office that gave birth to the now sweeping federal investigation known as Tennessee Waltz.

In other words, Michael Hooks, Jr. started it all and is responsible for his father's arrest last August. And it was an arrest warrant that was issued for Michael Hooks, Jr. in 2001 that got his father arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia (but not drug charges, even though cocaine was found in the kitchen next to a pot of boiling water).

So Junior screwed Senior once again. Daddy must be so proud.

Hooks' first big controversy (in 1999) was over the awarding of school construction contracts; instead of several small contracts giving local contracts a shot at getting the work he got a slim majority of the school board members to grant one huge contract to a big Detroit-based firm that had ties to U.S. Congressman Harold Ford Jr.

On this topic, Hooks was quoted as saying:

Five thousand dollars [a board member’s annual salary] isn’t worth the beating I’ve taken from my fellow board members or the press. It gets so frustrating that sometimes I feel like quitting altogether.

A most telling quote, as evidently $5K and community service isn't enough for this member of the political machine (his great uncle was the civil rights pioneer and NAACP executive director Benjamin Hooks and Memphis' first black judge).

He (allegedly) went for the big dollars of fraud. One wonders if he received money under the table from the Detroit construction company as well. Ah well, some things we will never know for sure.

Kudos to Thaddeus Matthews for having sources tell him way back in August 2005 that an indictment was coming for Michael Hooks, Jr. His sources also told him that city councilwoman Janet Hooks (wife of Michael Hooks, Sr.) could be indicted but that, as yet, has not happened.

Update: TeamGOP quips:

If this keeps up Memphis may actually run out for elected Democrats to put in jail.

The Flypaper Theory, which can't help but be snarky when anything Republican is reported, has three lines on this topic.

LeftWing Cracker can only muddle out two lines, but devotes one to hoping for a Republican downfall:

The CA story notes that this whole thing started in the Juvenile Court Clerk's office; please let it be after Steve Stamson took over..........

Oh-so-sorry Cracker! Take this, from the CA:

When Willis landed a consulting and lobbying contract with then-Juvenile Court Clerk Shep Wilbun, the seeds of the Tennessee Waltz were planted.

So not only has this scandal led to the arrest of ten other people (all Dems or RINOs), it may very well knock Shep out of serious contention for his attempt to retake the court.

Yo Cracker! Stamson cleaned up that court and you want to take him down? Is there an iota of non-partisan back-the-man-not-the-party in you?

Technorati Tags: Michael Hooks, Jr., Tennessee Waltz, FBI Sting, Democrat Culture of Corruption, Shep Wilbun, Tennessee Politics, Memphis Politics, Shelby County Politics.

Dead Man Voting

Memphis' local paper, the Commercial Appeal, has done something unusual: real investigative journalism. And it's even relevant: voter fraud in the days before a primary.

Using information available to the public (including the Election Commission), the CA found:

• Voters who died decades ago remain eligible to vote.
• Felons are ineligible to vote, but are hired at taxpayer expense to work the polls and oversee the election process. We're talking everything from sexual assault to burglary, gun violence, prostitution and drugs.
• 20,000 residents who have moved out of Shelby County since 2002, yet remain on Shelby County's voter rolls.
• Nearly 1,700 of those have returned to vote, sometimes years later.
• A total of over 66,000 Shelby County residents have moved since 2002, which means that potentially tens of thousands are no longer residing in the district in which they're registered to vote. This was an issue in Democrat Ophilia Ford's 13 vote "win" over Terry Roland, an election that has since been nullified by the state senate because it was proven dirty.
• 18,000 of the moves were to locations outside of Tennessee, another 2,900 to other counties. Yet the paper identified at least 1,600 incidents in which these names were used to cast votes.

In a follow-up story, the CA reports:

Using the same public records available to county officials, the newspaper identified at least 500 deceased residents still on the rolls -- many shown as active voters.

One of these registered voters died in 1954!.

Moreover, John Harvey has found 575 people on the rolls over 100 years of age — including three people that are 177 years old! (I'd love to know how many of these people voted recently.)

Much of the research done by the CA was accomplished by matching the names of the county's 603,000 registered voters against National Change of Address data maintained by the Postal Service, a practice that is growing among election commissions across the country. Shelby County, of course, does not.

Republican Representative Paul Stanley sponsored a bill that would require an annual statewide NCOA search, but pulled it "because of Democrat opposition to any tinkering with voter rolls." Imagine that.

Yet by law, Tennessee's 95 county election commissions must have an address verification program in place to help keep voting rolls clean. What has Shelby County done?

Last July, the commission passed an address verification program to be done once every two years, but it wouldn't contact all voters, just those who didn't vote or update registration. Those voters are then to be mailed a card that can't be forwarded. If a card returns as undeliverable, the voter is to be deemed inactive -- the first step toward purging.

That's right — Shelby County has initiated a program to purge the voting rolls of all names that haven't been fraudently used. Way to "clean up"!

Note that the CA didn't even begin to address the whole "are you a citizen" issue. I suspect there are hundreds more violations under that rock.

One final thought: Tennessee is increasingly voting Republican (and proudly gave 11 electoral votes to W instead of native son Gore in 2000). Yet because the Tennessee House has a Democrat majority, all 95 county election commissions across the state have a Democrat majority, no matter what the makeup of the county's electorate.

Here in Shelby County, Election Commission Chair Greg Duckett served as state counsel to Senator Gore and worked on the Clinton-Gore transition team. And member Maura Black Sullivan worked for US Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., was President of the Shelby County Democratic Women, and served as Vice Chair and Assistant Treasurer of the local Democratic Party.

Not exactly non-partisan supervisors of our democratic processes.

Ah, well. Life goes on and today is election day in Shelby County as the first primary of the year is being held. As the Commercial Appeal says:

It's Election Day. Get out and vote: If exercising your right isn't reason enough to vote, consider this:

You might just bump into a dearly departed friend or relative casting a ballot.

Technorati Tags: Voting Reform, Crooked Politics, Dead Man Voting, Elections, Memphis+Politics, Shelby County Tennessee, Tennessee Politics.

Memphis Utility Funding Minority Causes

Memphis Light Gas and Water has subsidized the National Conference of Black Mayors, the Minority Business Council, the Black Business directory, the Freedom Awards and the Latino Memphis Fiesta to the tune of "close to a quarter million dollars".

Don't you just love being in the grip of a government monopoly? No wonder my utility bill keeps going up.

HT to reader Patriot Pat.

Technorati Tags: Memphis Light Gas and Water, MLGW.

Memphis Murder Rate Skyrockets

Action News 5 reports that there have been 51 murders in Memphis so far this year. This time last year there had been only 37, a 35% increase.

Update: Just ten minutes into the newscast and a breaking story comes across reporting the 52^nd murder of the year.

Technorati Tags: Memphis, Crime, Murder Rate.

Mary Ann McNeil for Senate District 33

Short version: Impressive lady who is the rarest of all political animals -- a genuine black female Republican.

Long version: Mary Ann McNeil is running in a special election for the Tennessee House for the seat left open by the resignation of Roscoe Dixon. She is in a field of three other candidates, including my previous favorite, Jason Hernandez.

I have to say that Mary Ann McNeil is the Patriot Pick for this race. I not only liked her better than Jason (which is saying a lot), but to be brutally honest she has a much better chance of retaining this seat than Jason. The district is primarily black with very few Hispanics, particularly legal Hispanics that can vote.

I heard Mary Ann when she spoke to the members of the Shelby County chapter of the Tennessee Firearms Association last night. She was "down home" yet eloquent. She appeared to be both sincere and capable. She is not a politician yet is informed and has the connections (more on that later), probably due to her heavy involvement in the Republican Women of Purpose and Collierville Republican Club.

Mary Ann lives in the district and is concerned about people moving out of the county. A professional educator, she believes that in a large part it is the schools that keep people or run them away.

She started off her presentation with two issues.

First, she wants to work with Senator Norris to keep the number of students in schools low and supports special school districts. She also said that she is against consolidation of the city and county school systems — "bigger is not always better". Second, she wants to fight for the Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption Act to help senior citizens who need assistance to be able to hold on to their homes (which Norris is also heavily pushing).

She showed the lines of Senate District 33 which was recently redrawn to go across the entire southern border of the county. While the majority of the district is primarily black (and hence, Democrat), she believes that the new lines lines will allow Republicans to take the seat in a special election. It includes a large section of Collierville and 2 precincts in Germantown for a total of 12,000 mostly-Republican voters. While these voters can be mobilized to some extent, records show that the people in the rest of the district don't go out to vote, particularly in a special election.

Mary Ann stated that she is against the income tax. She said that she lived in areas where they had it and said that it did nothing to stem the tide of taxes.

She is a proponent of 2nd Amendment, which you would expect someone addresses a group of armed citizens to say. But she has gone so far as to put it on the hand bills that her campaign is passing out — literature she created long before she knew she was coming to address a handful of gun owners. She mentioned both hunting and self protection (I don't expect too many candidates to mention fighting tyranny).

Mary Ann talked about her experience as the principle of a school near Shelby Forest and how honored she felt to have been selected to open Crosswind Elementary in Collierville. In 2003 she received Outstanding PTA Principle for the state of TN.

She was proud of the fact that she had her picture taken with VP Dick Cheney and two with Lamar Alexander. In addition, she was on the stage with the president when he spoke in Memphis last Friday. She joked that she has been cleared by the feds twice now.

Speaking of the Bush visit, Memphis mayor Herenton (aka "King Willie") made quite a stink about not having "been invited" to meet Bush. Mary Ann said that Herenton should have welcomed Bush but instead he whined and carried on. I agree.

Mary Ann talked about the lack of parental involvement, telling a story about three kids that broke into a school and vandalized it three times in a period of a few weeks. Each time, the Juvenile Court let them out.

She is a Republican because of her value system is Republican. Furthermore, her mother's value system is Republican. Mary Ann wants to show blacks that a Republican will return their calls, will come to their churches and talk to them, and will actively represent their interests.

Mary Ann has already racked up an impressive list of endorsements:

• Senator Mark Norris and wife Chris. They have mailed 2,000 letters at their own expense.
• Germantown Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy
• Collierville Mayor Linda Kerley
• NAACP president in Collierville

[Note: Mark Norris has my sincere respect as a man of his word and a concerned legislator. He is one of the "good guys".]

When I asked Mary Ann about her opinion of vouchers and charter schools, I expected the usual public teacher rhetoric. Instead, I received the best answer to that question that I've ever heard. She supports charter schools and vouchers just as she does public, private and Catholic schools. Mary Ann believes that the parent has to decide the proper setting for their children. Paraphrasing, she said, "All children may not do well in a public setting, all may not do well in religious setting, all may not do well in a private school. But it is the parent's decision to determine what is best for their children." She also said that parents have the right to homeschool. She said, "I can't knock that. I really can't." She went on to say that she believes charter school teachers should be certified by the state and homeschoolers should follow the programs laid out for them.

As a child, Mary Ann attended both public and Catholic school.

The following is taken directly from the handbill that the McNeil campaign is distributing:

Defending Our Children

• Supports Special School Districts
• Opposes Consolidation

Supporting Our Values

• Opposes Memphis Payroll Tax
• Opposes Income Tax
• Supports Senior Citizen Homestead Exemption
• Supports Tenn-Care Reform
• Pro-Life
• Supports Second Amendment Rights

Educator and Proven Administrator

• M.Ed. University of Memphis
• Tennessee PTA Outstanding Principal
• Life Achievement Award, National PTA
• 40 Yr. Career as Professional Educator in Shelby County and Memphis City Schools including 10 years as Principal of Crosswind Elementary School, Collierville
• Currently Serves as School Improvement Consultant with the Tennessee Department of Education

Dedicated Leader

• Collierville Chamber of Commerce (2001 — 03)
• President, Shelby County Education Association (1986 — 87)
• Leadership Collierville (1989 — present)
• Main Street Collierville (1995 — 97)
• Shelby County PTA Legislative Chair (1989)
• Brooks Museum League Member
• Member, Republican Women of Purpose
• Member, Collierville Republican Club

Jason: Dem's Dilemma

Democrats don't really know what to do about Jason Hernandez, the young, smart, educated, well-spoken Hispanic that is running on the Republican ticket for the state senate seat left open by the resignation of Roscoe Dixon in District 33.

I recently heard Jason speak. He is passionate and encompasses everything conservative that should appeal to minority communities. His credential are impeccable:

• Four years serving his country in the Navy
• Experience teaching at a Catholic high school in Memphis
• B.A. in Environmental Science and Biology
• MBA candidate at Union University
• Long and varied history of involvement in the community

Jason Hernandez has a tough task in front of him. He faces stiff competition during the primary from a field of three other Republicans: former state representative Barry Sterling, Mary Ann Chaney McNeil and Mary Lynn Flood. Even if he wins the primary, he will probably be facing career politician Michael Hooks, who has significant name recognition. Moreover, district 33 is 80% Democrat.

On the positive side, this is a special election with only one item on the ballot -- turnout will be very, very poor. If the Republicans can generate a good turnout they have a chance on picking off a seat that is usually a dead-cert for Democrats. It will be new Shelby GOP Chairman Bill Giannini's first challange when he is elected later this month (which is another dead-cert).

Robert Spence on Education

I read the Education Roundtable in the CA Viewpoint on Sunday and was very impressed that one of the participants realized that the key to improving education has nothing to do with more money or oversight from the federal government.

African-American Attorney Robert Spence spoke very eloquently that students must value an education to receive one. He said this value can only be instilled by their parents and it does not matter if they are rich or poor. It was great to see him take Memphis' #1 Limousine Liberal, Gayle Rose, to task on her calling for more government spending on housing, education, health care, blah, blah, blah.

If our party is serious about outreach, Chairman Conrad should personally contact Mr. Spence and let him know that we agree with his conservative views and we'll work with him to improve education in a manner that will bear permanent fruit.
-- from an email by Robert Hubbard to the Shelby County GOP group

While Spence appears to be on the right side of this issue, one must be careful in choosing who to support. I would like to know a little more about this Memphis City lawyer, and also why he was allowed to skirt ignore the rules governing the state lottery:

A Memphis law firm selected to provide legal counsel for the Tennessee Lottery was formed the day the selections were announced, and was chosen despite the fact that it did not meet the minimum requirements outlined by the Lottery's board of directors.

The two-man firm of Spence & Wade PLLC was included in a consortium of four firms chosen by Nashville-based Tennessee Education Lottery Corp. to provide general legal services and corporate counsel in August. ...

According to records filed with the Tennessee Secretary of State's office, Spence & Wade, of which Memphis City Attorney Robert Spence and City Council Attorney Allen Wade are the only partners, was formed Aug. 18, 2003 - the same day the Lottery named the winners of its lucrative contract.

That would appear to put the firm at odds with the minimum eligibility requirements outlined in the Lottery's Request for Proposals issued in July, which stipulated that, to be considered, a law firm "must have been in business for a minimum of 3 years." ...

Spence & Wade is the only minority-owned firm in the consortium. As such, they fulfill a key mandate of the Lottery policy statement that calls for a minimum 15 percent minority participation level in all Lottery affairs. Spence and Wade were co-authors of the Lottery's policy statement on minority participation, which Spence presented to the board Aug. 25.