We’re as guilty as everyone else in taking for granted some special Memphis experiences that deserve more support and attention.
This week ushers in one of them for its 10th anniversary – Indie Memphis Film Festival.
Film festivals frequently show up as consultants’ recommendations for cities across the U.S., because they have so many benefits – they create vibrancy, they shake up local culture, they enrich the artistic milieu and more to the point, they are just plain fun.
The Spice Of Life
That’s certainly the case with Indie Memphis, which runs from October 19-25 with the screenings of all 120 features, documentaries, shorts and music videos taking place at Malco’s Studio on the Square, 2105 Court Street.
Of special interest are the roughly 12 locally made films. There’s also the juried competition, hands-on workshops and lectures by filmmakers, authors and academics.
The schedule of Indie Memphis, a project of Delta Axis, appears as eclectic as ever, and there’s the added bonus of 9 feature-length films from the Global Lens Film Series, the noble program promoting cross-cultural understanding through cinema.
Festival Benefits
As a result, the traditional Southern theme of Indie Memphis will be supplemented by some fascinating films from Algeria, Argentina, Chile, China, Croatia, Indonesia, Iraqi Kurdistan and Mozambique.
Across the country, film festivals are used as the vehicle to showcase history, culture and cuisine and illuminate regional issues. For example, Lexington, Kentucky, created a film festival a few years ago to address issues of diversity.
In other words, there are benefits from the film festivals that can’t be measured in economic impact. While all of us know the marquee festivals like Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance and Toronto (which Indie Memphis organizers attended to scout out some features for Memphis), perhaps the greater benefit of festivals like ours is helping to eliminate provincial thinking and serving as flint for a creative spark in the city at large.
Lighting A Spark
Of course, in the opinion of Memphis and Shelby County Film Commissioner Linn Sitler, it never hurts to acquaint film directors with the benefits of film-making in Memphis. After all, it was cult director Jim Jarmusch who launched the film industry here in the first place about 20 years ago.
In the rebranding of the Memphis Arts Council into ArtsMemphis, its proponents said it was intended to more properly focus on building a vibrant, creative culture in our city. Indie Memphis is just the kind of event that we need to strengthen and expand in our city, because at the end of the day, perhaps a full house at Indie Memphis is a greater testament to a creative culture in Memphis than increasing attendance at the symphony.
In the end, the objective for Memphis is to produce a creative cauldron where new artists, musicians and filmmakers are inspired, where new relationships are formed and produce new kinds of art and where a feeling of creativity is palpable in Memphis.
Creative Economy
Cities are beginning to realize how important the creative economy is to them – from Los Angeles to Toledo. Both of these cities have produced reports that quantified the importance of the creative economy – not just artists, musicians and filmmakers, but also architects, interior designers, toy makers, fashion, furniture making and design, arts colleges and galleries, museums, publishing and photography.
Unsurprisingly, in Los Angeles, the creative industry is the largest sector of its economy – employing about 1 million people and with revenues of $128 billion. Meanwhile, in Toledo, the 27-county regional economic impact was $2.4 billion.
To support workers in these creative companies, a number of cities are embarking on new programs to provide low-interest housing loans, to provide live-work space and to offer other incentives for arts-related industries. It’s a curious fact of life here that despite our platitudes about creativity and our alleged pride in our cultural traditions, we’ve done little to support the people who make them possible.
Artful Tax Incentives
While tax freezes were passed out with an alarming regularity, not to mention casualness, for any company who could fill out the forms, no thought has been given to what incentives could be developed to demonstrate that we take our arts and cultural workers seriously.
Hopefully, ArtsMemphis is serious enough about its new role in contributing to the creative of a vibrant culture community that it will turn its attention to what needs to be done at an organic and public policy level to seed these kinds of industries.
While the most glaring failure, despite repeated well-intentioned efforts, remains music; however, it just serves as the specific poster child for a general lack of attention to creative industries. Although Memphis was one of the first city to develop plans that addressed creative workers and hosted the Memphis Manifesto Summit, those short bursts of attention have never morphed into a sustained plan of action.
The First Step
There’s much to be done. There’s much that can be done.
We can take a step in the right direction by buying a festival pass and attending Indie Memphis Film Festival.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Question Of The Week: What Memphis Can Do To Attract And Retain Young People
There nothing more painful to us than the comments by young people who tell of their plans to relocate as soon as possible or by those who already have moved and urge others to join them.
It’s painful to us for two reasons:
1) We prepare talent strategy recommendations for other major metros, and we know how important the 25-34 year-old demographic is to cities that are succeeding today. Our city needs every young professional that it can recruit, retain or educate.
2) We may complain about things in Memphis, but it comes from a unshakeable affection for this crazy place and its distinctive personality. We can’t imagine living anywhere else, so it hurts us when we hear that we are losing the people that we need to move this city in the right direction.
Lately, we’ve seen a flurry of these “get out of Memphis” comments, so we want to share an email from irène, an expatriate who’s coming back our way.
Here’s what she said:
“I too encourage the youth to remain. Easy for me to say as when I was 31, I graduated with my Master’s and promptly hit the road for the ‘promised land’ of Portland, Oregon. While it offered a great change in terms of livability (i.e. reduction in property/personal crime and a great dose of consumer pretties to indulge myself in, etc), it had about half the soul of a city like Memphis.
“The difference in the two cities is that Portland believes in itself, Memphis does not.
“I grew up there so I know of what I speak. I picked up on that vibe as early as age 16. Smartcity is right; the Old Guard is dying off and will need replacing. Now is the time to envision what you'd like to see in a city and go for it.
“All those 15 cities soaking up the youth can't be the receptacle for every young person's dreams. Portland is wonderful, but my husband and I left when the balance of the city started becoming more like a post-university, extended adolescence and less of a vista for young people trying to bring something alive. It began to have the feel of a tourist attraction; it also started becoming exorbitantly expensive to live there.
“So, while there are frustrations in the current situation, just packing up and moving somewhere doesn't forever solve the problem. So, even if you do end up leaving, don't ever think Memphis won't seem attractive enough to return after you've seen the other side.
“As for us, we'll be back to live within the year. I am willing to give Memphis another go.”
So, here’s the question of the day: “What would it take to get you to give Memphis another go or to encourage your children to stay here?”
And to make this interesting, let's see if we can answer the question without any reference to politicians or City Hall.
It’s painful to us for two reasons:
1) We prepare talent strategy recommendations for other major metros, and we know how important the 25-34 year-old demographic is to cities that are succeeding today. Our city needs every young professional that it can recruit, retain or educate.
2) We may complain about things in Memphis, but it comes from a unshakeable affection for this crazy place and its distinctive personality. We can’t imagine living anywhere else, so it hurts us when we hear that we are losing the people that we need to move this city in the right direction.
Lately, we’ve seen a flurry of these “get out of Memphis” comments, so we want to share an email from irène, an expatriate who’s coming back our way.
Here’s what she said:
“I too encourage the youth to remain. Easy for me to say as when I was 31, I graduated with my Master’s and promptly hit the road for the ‘promised land’ of Portland, Oregon. While it offered a great change in terms of livability (i.e. reduction in property/personal crime and a great dose of consumer pretties to indulge myself in, etc), it had about half the soul of a city like Memphis.
“The difference in the two cities is that Portland believes in itself, Memphis does not.
“I grew up there so I know of what I speak. I picked up on that vibe as early as age 16. Smartcity is right; the Old Guard is dying off and will need replacing. Now is the time to envision what you'd like to see in a city and go for it.
“All those 15 cities soaking up the youth can't be the receptacle for every young person's dreams. Portland is wonderful, but my husband and I left when the balance of the city started becoming more like a post-university, extended adolescence and less of a vista for young people trying to bring something alive. It began to have the feel of a tourist attraction; it also started becoming exorbitantly expensive to live there.
“So, while there are frustrations in the current situation, just packing up and moving somewhere doesn't forever solve the problem. So, even if you do end up leaving, don't ever think Memphis won't seem attractive enough to return after you've seen the other side.
“As for us, we'll be back to live within the year. I am willing to give Memphis another go.”
So, here’s the question of the day: “What would it take to get you to give Memphis another go or to encourage your children to stay here?”
And to make this interesting, let's see if we can answer the question without any reference to politicians or City Hall.
This Week On Smart City: Imagining New Futures For Cities
How do you cut through the status quo and imagine a different future?
Our guests this week have successfully answered that question, one as mayor and one as civic entrepreneur. Stephen Goldsmith was the two-term mayor of Indianapolis where he built a national reputation as an innovator who re-thought how local government delivered public services. He fought the status quo and won. He is now sharing his experience as director of the Innovations in Government program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
James Calaway is the founder of the Center for Houston's Future. The center has crafted a number of scenarios that help Houstonians re-think their city's future and its place in the world.
Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and James Calaway are with us to talk about imagining new futures for cities.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Our guests this week have successfully answered that question, one as mayor and one as civic entrepreneur. Stephen Goldsmith was the two-term mayor of Indianapolis where he built a national reputation as an innovator who re-thought how local government delivered public services. He fought the status quo and won. He is now sharing his experience as director of the Innovations in Government program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
James Calaway is the founder of the Center for Houston's Future. The center has crafted a number of scenarios that help Houstonians re-think their city's future and its place in the world.
Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and James Calaway are with us to talk about imagining new futures for cities.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Managing To Do Something Dramatic In City Hall
This post was previously published as Memphis magazine’s City Journal column:
It’s hard to find a major U.S. city these days that isn’t experimenting with creative policies and programs that aren’t breathtaking in their scope.
It’s within this environment that mayors have emerged as America’s most inventive elected leaders.
They are becoming leaders for global warming with more than 500 of them signing on to the Kyoto Accords and others are reaching far beyond the borders of their cities to create regional agendas that include “complete streets” built for more than cars, light rail systems, place branding, sustainable growth, massive cultural investments and data-driven performance budgeting.
Back To Basics
Most of all, however, cities are working hard to get the basics right – better schools, safer neighborhoods and efficient public services.
At a time when national conversations on key issues regularly centers on the successes in American cities, Memphis is noticeably ignored. At a time when the chief aptitude of a successful mayor is as a salesperson, the candidates selling themselves for mayor are met with a noticeably unenthusiastic voting public.
Meanwhile, Memphis City Council races are doing just the opposite. Inspired by the chance to transform the legislative body with eight new members, the public appears excited for a fresh start unseen since the first Council took office in 1968.
Asking A Different Question
Emerging about the same time as the new city legislative body was the idea of consolidating city and county governments and it that continues today – despite two failed referendum votes and little prospect today for successfully merging the two local governments.
Consolidation is just the kind of innovation that could get Memphis some national attention for the kinds of dramatic action that’s putting other cities into the spotlight as progressive places. However, maybe Memphis has been too narrowly focused on a preconceived answer while the real question is how to create a more effective structure of local government.
When this is the question, there’s another possibility besides consolidation - changing the Mayor-Council form of government in Memphis to Council-City Manager.
Managing The City
It’s a form of local government more common than commonly known. In fact, in the past decade, it overtook the Mayor-Council form to become the most popular form of city government in the U.S. Today, roughly 60 percent of cities with population of more than 60,000 have Council-City Manager governments, including Dallas, San Jose, Boulder, San Diego, Kansas City, San Antonio, Sacramento, and Dayton.
In a 2002 report presented to the American Accounting Association by researchers from Texas A & M University and Auburn University said that “based on samples of large cities from the early 1980s and the mid-1990s, the findings support the perspective that the city manager cities substantially outperform mayor-council cities.”
The centerpiece of these cities is a professional public administrator hired by the Council to recommend a budget, develop programs, and manage the day-to-day operations of city departments and agencies. The Council sets the over-arching vision for the city, and the city manager then lays out a plan to accomplish it.
It’s Not A Job, It’s An Adventure
Because the city manager is not a politician, appointments of division directors and department heads are not based on political motivations, cronyism, or a political buddy system.
The creation of the CAO’s position in Memphis city government was a not completely successful experiment in bringing this level of professionalism to city management, but for every CAO success story, there are three stories of failure.
In its own way, city managers represent more than jobs, but the philosophy that a nonpolitical manager can bring a higher level of ethics and efficiency. It is the catechism taught and practiced in public administration schools that produce today’s city managers.
Less Ego, More Action
But appointing the city manager is just the first step to bringing more rationality to local government. With the city council in ascendancy and the city mayor more ceremonial, the Shelby County mayor can become the dominant political figure in the region, eliminating the confused looks that inevitably greet corporate leaders considering our community for investment.
But that’s not all. Without the need to fight over territory or political ego, the city manager could begin the substantive talks with the Shelby County Mayor to move services that benefit the entire county – like parks, libraries, museums, and arenas - to the larger county tax base.
This would lower the tax rate of Memphis taxpayers to something more in line with Germantown and Collierville, and finally, Memphians would not pay a disincentive to live within their city’s borders. In addition, the lower tax rate makes Memphis more attractive and competitive when compared to its suburban towns.
All of this is enough for Memphis to take its place in the top ranks of the U.S.’s most innovative cities, and to turn things around, that’s precisely where it has to be.
It’s hard to find a major U.S. city these days that isn’t experimenting with creative policies and programs that aren’t breathtaking in their scope.
It’s within this environment that mayors have emerged as America’s most inventive elected leaders.
They are becoming leaders for global warming with more than 500 of them signing on to the Kyoto Accords and others are reaching far beyond the borders of their cities to create regional agendas that include “complete streets” built for more than cars, light rail systems, place branding, sustainable growth, massive cultural investments and data-driven performance budgeting.
Back To Basics
Most of all, however, cities are working hard to get the basics right – better schools, safer neighborhoods and efficient public services.
At a time when national conversations on key issues regularly centers on the successes in American cities, Memphis is noticeably ignored. At a time when the chief aptitude of a successful mayor is as a salesperson, the candidates selling themselves for mayor are met with a noticeably unenthusiastic voting public.
Meanwhile, Memphis City Council races are doing just the opposite. Inspired by the chance to transform the legislative body with eight new members, the public appears excited for a fresh start unseen since the first Council took office in 1968.
Asking A Different Question
Emerging about the same time as the new city legislative body was the idea of consolidating city and county governments and it that continues today – despite two failed referendum votes and little prospect today for successfully merging the two local governments.
Consolidation is just the kind of innovation that could get Memphis some national attention for the kinds of dramatic action that’s putting other cities into the spotlight as progressive places. However, maybe Memphis has been too narrowly focused on a preconceived answer while the real question is how to create a more effective structure of local government.
When this is the question, there’s another possibility besides consolidation - changing the Mayor-Council form of government in Memphis to Council-City Manager.
Managing The City
It’s a form of local government more common than commonly known. In fact, in the past decade, it overtook the Mayor-Council form to become the most popular form of city government in the U.S. Today, roughly 60 percent of cities with population of more than 60,000 have Council-City Manager governments, including Dallas, San Jose, Boulder, San Diego, Kansas City, San Antonio, Sacramento, and Dayton.
In a 2002 report presented to the American Accounting Association by researchers from Texas A & M University and Auburn University said that “based on samples of large cities from the early 1980s and the mid-1990s, the findings support the perspective that the city manager cities substantially outperform mayor-council cities.”
The centerpiece of these cities is a professional public administrator hired by the Council to recommend a budget, develop programs, and manage the day-to-day operations of city departments and agencies. The Council sets the over-arching vision for the city, and the city manager then lays out a plan to accomplish it.
It’s Not A Job, It’s An Adventure
Because the city manager is not a politician, appointments of division directors and department heads are not based on political motivations, cronyism, or a political buddy system.
The creation of the CAO’s position in Memphis city government was a not completely successful experiment in bringing this level of professionalism to city management, but for every CAO success story, there are three stories of failure.
In its own way, city managers represent more than jobs, but the philosophy that a nonpolitical manager can bring a higher level of ethics and efficiency. It is the catechism taught and practiced in public administration schools that produce today’s city managers.
Less Ego, More Action
But appointing the city manager is just the first step to bringing more rationality to local government. With the city council in ascendancy and the city mayor more ceremonial, the Shelby County mayor can become the dominant political figure in the region, eliminating the confused looks that inevitably greet corporate leaders considering our community for investment.
But that’s not all. Without the need to fight over territory or political ego, the city manager could begin the substantive talks with the Shelby County Mayor to move services that benefit the entire county – like parks, libraries, museums, and arenas - to the larger county tax base.
This would lower the tax rate of Memphis taxpayers to something more in line with Germantown and Collierville, and finally, Memphians would not pay a disincentive to live within their city’s borders. In addition, the lower tax rate makes Memphis more attractive and competitive when compared to its suburban towns.
All of this is enough for Memphis to take its place in the top ranks of the U.S.’s most innovative cities, and to turn things around, that’s precisely where it has to be.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Ruminations About The Mayor's Election From A Political Veteran
We’ve been inviting readers to join in our discussion about the meaning of the recent mayor’s election, and we received an email from longtime Democratic Party strategist David Cocke, and with his permission, we are posting it here.
Mr. Cocke is an attorney with the Bogatin Law Firm in Memphis and chaired the local Democratic Party in 1987-1989 and 1999-2001. He was recently appointed as a member of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
Here’s his insights:
I just had a few thoughts regarding turnout which I think might put some of this in perspective.
First, there are about 100,000 on the rolls that are never expected to vote. Many of them would be purged (dead, moved, inactive) if we had a routine purging process, but that process is expensive and takes a long time to implement (the feds require notice and voters can’t be purged for two federal elections). There are others who have registered but never voted. They may have been registered as part of a high school recruitment, motor voter, or simply in a effort to get a free I.D.
The Dichotomy
You will also note that a relatively large number of voters are older and that the percentage of younger voters is quite low. In the political world, that is to be expected. Older voters have property, pay taxes, send children and grandchildren to school, live in neighborhoods that they can’t or won’t move from and in many cases are stuck where they are.
Government is important to them. Young people may or may not have these same concerns and, if they are unmarried or without children, can easily move if they are unhappy with their neighborhoods or their government. Thus, young people do not have the same motivation to vote, particularly on local matters. Of course, if they are interested in the environment, human rights, foreign affairs, etc. they may be motivated to vote in national elections, and many of them limit their voting to an election every four years.
It is my experience that people tend not to vote on specific issues and ideas. They are more inclined to vote for their cultural identity. If they live in conservative, white, middle and upper class suburbia, they will vote accordingly. If they live in liberal, black, lower class inner city, they will identify with people who come from that environment. They know that issues come and go, but your cultural identity tends to stay with you your entire life.
Of course there are not just two classes in Memphis. You can probably find many variations, but people within those classes tend to vote similarly.
Culture, Choices And Connections
If you apply that reasoning to the Memphis mayoral race, you can see that while there are many black voters who were upset with Herenton, they could not identify with the alternatives. If they had an alternative, as in 1999 with Joe Ford, they might choose it, but this time the choices were not as clear.
Likewise, in the white community, there were competing cultural choices, obviously not just racial, but economic class, party, connections to the establishment, gender. Those differences made it difficult for the anti-Herenton forces to unite behind either a black male member of the establishment or a white female member of the anti-establishment Democrats. The remarkable thing is that both camps made inroads into unfamiliar territory, not that they competed with each other instead of the incumbent.
If the midst of this confusion, it is not surprising that the vote was not as high as we hoped and may have expected, given the great hype associated with this election. For many people, it was not an easy choice. Even the decision to vote for the candidate who had the best chance of defeating the incumbent was confusing, given The Commercial Appeal coverage and the spin by the Morris campaign. And if you don’t know whom you are voting for, you have a tendency not to vote at all.
It’s Not Just About GOTV
In the political world, campaign strategists often campaign to suppress the vote, not enhance it. Negative campaigning is the tool of that strategy; low turnout is the result. Here, much of the motivation to vote was negative, throw out the incumbent, defeat the establishment, and this environment is not conducive to bringing out the marginal voter.
The solution? I don’t have one. If my candidate will benefit from a low turnout, I will advise them accordingly. If the opposite, I will recommend a lot of hoopla.
It’s the way of politics.
Mr. Cocke is an attorney with the Bogatin Law Firm in Memphis and chaired the local Democratic Party in 1987-1989 and 1999-2001. He was recently appointed as a member of the Tennessee Human Rights Commission.
Here’s his insights:
I just had a few thoughts regarding turnout which I think might put some of this in perspective.
First, there are about 100,000 on the rolls that are never expected to vote. Many of them would be purged (dead, moved, inactive) if we had a routine purging process, but that process is expensive and takes a long time to implement (the feds require notice and voters can’t be purged for two federal elections). There are others who have registered but never voted. They may have been registered as part of a high school recruitment, motor voter, or simply in a effort to get a free I.D.
The Dichotomy
You will also note that a relatively large number of voters are older and that the percentage of younger voters is quite low. In the political world, that is to be expected. Older voters have property, pay taxes, send children and grandchildren to school, live in neighborhoods that they can’t or won’t move from and in many cases are stuck where they are.
Government is important to them. Young people may or may not have these same concerns and, if they are unmarried or without children, can easily move if they are unhappy with their neighborhoods or their government. Thus, young people do not have the same motivation to vote, particularly on local matters. Of course, if they are interested in the environment, human rights, foreign affairs, etc. they may be motivated to vote in national elections, and many of them limit their voting to an election every four years.
It is my experience that people tend not to vote on specific issues and ideas. They are more inclined to vote for their cultural identity. If they live in conservative, white, middle and upper class suburbia, they will vote accordingly. If they live in liberal, black, lower class inner city, they will identify with people who come from that environment. They know that issues come and go, but your cultural identity tends to stay with you your entire life.
Of course there are not just two classes in Memphis. You can probably find many variations, but people within those classes tend to vote similarly.
Culture, Choices And Connections
If you apply that reasoning to the Memphis mayoral race, you can see that while there are many black voters who were upset with Herenton, they could not identify with the alternatives. If they had an alternative, as in 1999 with Joe Ford, they might choose it, but this time the choices were not as clear.
Likewise, in the white community, there were competing cultural choices, obviously not just racial, but economic class, party, connections to the establishment, gender. Those differences made it difficult for the anti-Herenton forces to unite behind either a black male member of the establishment or a white female member of the anti-establishment Democrats. The remarkable thing is that both camps made inroads into unfamiliar territory, not that they competed with each other instead of the incumbent.
If the midst of this confusion, it is not surprising that the vote was not as high as we hoped and may have expected, given the great hype associated with this election. For many people, it was not an easy choice. Even the decision to vote for the candidate who had the best chance of defeating the incumbent was confusing, given The Commercial Appeal coverage and the spin by the Morris campaign. And if you don’t know whom you are voting for, you have a tendency not to vote at all.
It’s Not Just About GOTV
In the political world, campaign strategists often campaign to suppress the vote, not enhance it. Negative campaigning is the tool of that strategy; low turnout is the result. Here, much of the motivation to vote was negative, throw out the incumbent, defeat the establishment, and this environment is not conducive to bringing out the marginal voter.
The solution? I don’t have one. If my candidate will benefit from a low turnout, I will advise them accordingly. If the opposite, I will recommend a lot of hoopla.
It’s the way of politics.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Turning Our Attention To Finding A Great Mayor: Comments And Conversation
We’re always impressed by the quality of comments that we receive and the provocative opinions left by readers. Much of this normally takes place below the radar (down among the comments), but we thought the following comments to last Friday's post, Turning Our Attention To Finding A Great Mayor, were relevant and pertinent to the post-election post mortem, so we’re posting them here too.
We hope you'll join in with our own opinions about finding someone who can run for mayor in four years who will be a great mayor for Memphis and your opinion of what the next four years of the Herenton Administration will be like.
Aaron said...
For real progress, we must reconcile the past with, raise up, educate and bring real hope to the contingency that got Herenton re-elected. Then and only then will we get a better Mayor.
The fact that Herenton got re-elected only reflects the lack of healing between the two cultures here. Sadly, the only empowerment that the poor feel here is their vote for Herenton. It's a statement of their resistence and disdain for the other culture.
Until one culture reaches out and ask for forgiveness by visiting and befriending the other, then forget electing any candidates with vision for how to make Memphis a a world-class metropolitan city. The vision, in all its facets, for this city must be shaped by reconcilation.
The Mayor that grasps this and pays more then lip service to the vision will capture the hearts of many and restore Memphis.
Anonymous said...
Two people I know who used to live in Detroit during the Coleman Young years both expressed to me that they worried that Herenton would become another Coleman Young were he to win this election. Their feelings struck a chord with me because I was reading a book at the time that detailed the black elite.
One chapter was dedicated to Detroit and went into some detail about the hostility that Young expressed toward the black professional class and the city's whites, both of whom he had alienated during his many years in office. The book implied that some of the decline the city experienced was traceable to this antagonism.
The two people I talked to both worried that were Herenton to win, he would do so with virtually no white support and would be dismissive of white concerns because he had won without their support, just as Coleman had done in Detroit. Do you see similar such parallels between Herenton and Young?
Anonymous said...
I spent a number of years in Michigan and remember the Young years. I knew several people on his staff and one or two of his close political advisors. I am afraid I have to concur with the post above.
I remember only too well the day Sam Riddle, a Young advisor who was a leader in the black student movement at Michigan State a few decades earlier, came out of a meeting with Young and his inner circle and remarked that he feared "they were all on crack." This was to the media and it was probably at the peak of the period when the administration was spiraling out of control. All too familiar and as Yogi says, "deja vu all over again."
Anonymous said...
I don't mean to go off topic, but I'm in the 24-34 young professional age group. I've talked to several others in this group since late last night and they all said they are looking to move in the next year.
They saw Memphis going in the wrong direction before the election and now think that trend will pick up speed.
Smart City Memphis said...
You're not off topic. This is a thread that runs through everything we write about here.
While the impulse is to pick up and move, we would suggest that you stay and work to change things. The dinosaurs are slowly dying off and hopefully, soon (very soon if we're lucky), it will be yours. Keep in mind, four years from now, we'll need a new mayor and the nontraditional examples in other cities should inspire us to look outside the normal suspects to come up with someone who can take Memphis in a direction that appeals to your generation. We hope you'll stay here and take up the battle with us to find that person and get them elected. Hopefully, we'll have someone from your age group to consider.
Sadly, Memphis (like most metro areas in the U.S.) is already bleeding 25-34 year-olds. There's about 15 cities that are sucking up all the young talent. Now we need you more than ever.
The good thing about cities is their resiliency to survive whatever leadership we throw at them. Memphis will survive, but it's your generation that will determine if it succeeds.
We hope you stay. We know how difficult the choice is.
We hope you'll join in with our own opinions about finding someone who can run for mayor in four years who will be a great mayor for Memphis and your opinion of what the next four years of the Herenton Administration will be like.
Aaron said...
For real progress, we must reconcile the past with, raise up, educate and bring real hope to the contingency that got Herenton re-elected. Then and only then will we get a better Mayor.
The fact that Herenton got re-elected only reflects the lack of healing between the two cultures here. Sadly, the only empowerment that the poor feel here is their vote for Herenton. It's a statement of their resistence and disdain for the other culture.
Until one culture reaches out and ask for forgiveness by visiting and befriending the other, then forget electing any candidates with vision for how to make Memphis a a world-class metropolitan city. The vision, in all its facets, for this city must be shaped by reconcilation.
The Mayor that grasps this and pays more then lip service to the vision will capture the hearts of many and restore Memphis.
Anonymous said...
Two people I know who used to live in Detroit during the Coleman Young years both expressed to me that they worried that Herenton would become another Coleman Young were he to win this election. Their feelings struck a chord with me because I was reading a book at the time that detailed the black elite.
One chapter was dedicated to Detroit and went into some detail about the hostility that Young expressed toward the black professional class and the city's whites, both of whom he had alienated during his many years in office. The book implied that some of the decline the city experienced was traceable to this antagonism.
The two people I talked to both worried that were Herenton to win, he would do so with virtually no white support and would be dismissive of white concerns because he had won without their support, just as Coleman had done in Detroit. Do you see similar such parallels between Herenton and Young?
Anonymous said...
I spent a number of years in Michigan and remember the Young years. I knew several people on his staff and one or two of his close political advisors. I am afraid I have to concur with the post above.
I remember only too well the day Sam Riddle, a Young advisor who was a leader in the black student movement at Michigan State a few decades earlier, came out of a meeting with Young and his inner circle and remarked that he feared "they were all on crack." This was to the media and it was probably at the peak of the period when the administration was spiraling out of control. All too familiar and as Yogi says, "deja vu all over again."
Anonymous said...
I don't mean to go off topic, but I'm in the 24-34 young professional age group. I've talked to several others in this group since late last night and they all said they are looking to move in the next year.
They saw Memphis going in the wrong direction before the election and now think that trend will pick up speed.
Smart City Memphis said...
You're not off topic. This is a thread that runs through everything we write about here.
While the impulse is to pick up and move, we would suggest that you stay and work to change things. The dinosaurs are slowly dying off and hopefully, soon (very soon if we're lucky), it will be yours. Keep in mind, four years from now, we'll need a new mayor and the nontraditional examples in other cities should inspire us to look outside the normal suspects to come up with someone who can take Memphis in a direction that appeals to your generation. We hope you'll stay here and take up the battle with us to find that person and get them elected. Hopefully, we'll have someone from your age group to consider.
Sadly, Memphis (like most metro areas in the U.S.) is already bleeding 25-34 year-olds. There's about 15 cities that are sucking up all the young talent. Now we need you more than ever.
The good thing about cities is their resiliency to survive whatever leadership we throw at them. Memphis will survive, but it's your generation that will determine if it succeeds.
We hope you stay. We know how difficult the choice is.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Election Night Continues Personal Tone Of Mayor's Campaign
Here’s the most telling statistic from the election for Memphis Mayor:
* Willie W. Herenton 16.38 percent
* Carol Chumney 13.35 percent
* Herman Morris 8.21 percent
Those are the percentages of the total number of Memphis registered voters who cast their ballots for each candidate. That’s right, less than 17 percent of Memphis voters decided who the next mayor of Memphis is.
And keep in mind, this was supposed to be the election that galvanized the Memphis public and so captured our imagination that we’d turn out in droves to change the direction of our city.
Two Out Of Three
In the end, 165,360 Memphians cast ballots while 263,624 sat on their hands.
If nothing else, it represented a compelling rejection of the myth that Memphians were so fatigued from the Herenton Era that they were anxious to usher him into retirement. Of course, they weren’t enamored of him enough to rush out and vote for him either, puncturing the myth that he commands the kind of voter loyalty once flexed by the Ford machine.
This is an interesting moment in Memphis history and a troubling commentary on its citizens. With their city grappling to compete in the global economy and with a bushel of indicators suggesting that it’s on a bubble, two-thirds of Memphians apparently cared so little that they just stayed home (or perhaps they heard little from the candidates that inspired them to get to the polling place).
Coalescing
With 13,000 more votes – the equivalent of coaxing only 5 percent of the unvoting Memphians – Council Member Chumney would be taking the oath of office in January. All in all, the voting turnout (or lack thereof) is a dramatic indictment of the public’s lack of interest in the main candidates and the lack of effectiveness of their campaign organizations.
That certainly should be a powerful lesson for groups like Coalition for Better Memphis – organization eats information for breakfast. Despite website and newspaper inserts, the Coalition found itself on the losing side of the most contested races and now finds itself in need of reevaluating its best way of encouraging higher quality candidates.
At the least, the Coalition’s lack of traction in these races suggests that it’s falling short in the somewhat naïve notion that information alone can bring about the change needed on our public bodies. More precisely, change comes from a more proven agenda: recruiting candidates, raising money for ads and GOTV and organizing a highly effective organization.
Out Of Touch
Also, it appears that the Coalition for a Better Memphis is being seen as just another group of activists, and there’s a growing need for greater transparency about the ratings of candidates, including the names of the people on the grading panels, more clearly stated priorities for the organization and what it considers to be the “right” answers. Some of the grades are simply incredulous and we predict that more and more candidates will simply opt to ignore screenings by the group.
If the election proves anything, it’s how out of touch mainstream organizations and the business community are when it comes to the grassroots political dynamics of Memphis voters. It is evidenced by the wishful thinking of white business leaders who interpret the growing cadre of professional African-Americans in their circle as an indication that transformative change is taking place in neighborhood politics. It isn't.
Rather, these favored few – who seem to embody what the business community wishes African-American candidates would look like – often share so little narrative with the political base that they attract little buzz. In the end, the failure of hand-picked candidates to make many waves in Memphis political life leaves the private sector even more confused about how to affect change.
Counting Crows
So, now, rather than celebrate a new mayor, they must come to grips with how much crow they will need to eat before attending the January swearing in for the fifth Herenton term. Then again, if they do attend, it won’t be in response to an invitation from the mayor.
That much is clear from his election night rant which seemed anchored in the delusion that his first priority remains settling political scores rather than demonstrating the kind of leadership that gives Memphians renewed confidence in his ability to set a meaningful agenda for our city. Sadly, in recent months, Mayor Herenton has spent more time explaining why he can’t do anything to move the city ahead – crime, economic development and racial unit – than articulate a progressive agenda for our city.
Election night should have been the night of Mayor Herenton’s ultimate revenge as a politician…and ultimate rebirth as a leader. In the end, it was neither.
Revenge Served Cold
There’s no greater satisfaction for a politician than the chance to rub the noses of his harshest critics in the reality of an impressive election victory. In truth, there’s little need to say or do anything; just savor the validation that only the ballot box can bring. Instead, the mayor turned his opponents into victims, publicly maligned and excoriated.
It was an exercise of narcissism in the extreme, as Mayor Herenton fed his self-image as a victim with tales of personal slights. There’s no denying that race contributes to a greater decibel level but the propensity for booing in this city once led the staff of a white mayor to establish a policy forbidding him from presenting or accepting any honor at a large public event.
As for the opportunity for rebirth as a respected public official, election night didn’t kill it although the wounds are now deeper. After a campaign where more energy was spent to keep from talking about real issues than lay out a real platform, it’s a strange turnaround for a man who spoke so often about his vision for his city and who so regularly rolled them out.
Education, Not Race
While he spoke in shorthand on election night, the anti-Herenton voters are defined more by educational attainment than race -- the more education, the lower the inclination to vote for Mayor Herenton.
We’ve written before about the justification for Mayor Herenton’s feelings of rejection and abandonment by the mainstream, so we won’t repeat it here, but suffice it to say, his deep-seeded anger is not without foundation.
And yet, the first sign of a truly great mayor is the ability to set aside his personal political agenda in service to his city. It was the city that got short shrift in his election night speech, and hopefully, soon, he’ll come to grips with the fact that if he believes that the personal attacks on him are destructive for Memphis, he'll understand that the same goes double for his attacks on others.
Our Share Of The Blame
It’s like the psychological trait, transference, where someone conveys to another person their own feelings. The classic example is the burglar who thinks every one is trying to steal from him. These days, there are times when it seems that Mayor Herenton thinks every one is attacking him personally, perhaps because that's precisely what he’s doing to them.
On one thing, we do agree with him. It is not his job to improve the racial divisiveness in our city. In truth, it is all of our jobs. In fact, we think that while The Commercial Appeal implores Mayor Herenton to heal racial wounds and to tone down his rhetoric, the newspaper could become an example to all of us by doing the same. (Some of the election coverage gives credence to charges of Herenton-bashing with some gratuitous adjectives such as “scandal-ridden administration” that aren’t substantiated by the facts.)
All in all, it’s the perfect time for all of us to turn down the volume and tone down the rhetoric.
Deciding On The Legacy
The next four years are going to be difficult enough just on the basis of the challenges and troubling issues facing Memphis, but if we remain at war with each other and if our mayor continues to put his personal interests ahead of his political obligations, we will likely be relegated to the lower rungs of U.S. cities.
We know enough about Mayor Herenton to know that this isn’t a legacy that the mayor wants to leave his children and grand children – a city so dysfunctional that it’s unable to pull itself out of a downward spiral.
But one thing is clear: if we are to succeed, we need every one, especially the two out of three Memphians who didn’t vote last week, to get off the sidelines and into the game.
* Willie W. Herenton 16.38 percent
* Carol Chumney 13.35 percent
* Herman Morris 8.21 percent
Those are the percentages of the total number of Memphis registered voters who cast their ballots for each candidate. That’s right, less than 17 percent of Memphis voters decided who the next mayor of Memphis is.
And keep in mind, this was supposed to be the election that galvanized the Memphis public and so captured our imagination that we’d turn out in droves to change the direction of our city.
Two Out Of Three
In the end, 165,360 Memphians cast ballots while 263,624 sat on their hands.
If nothing else, it represented a compelling rejection of the myth that Memphians were so fatigued from the Herenton Era that they were anxious to usher him into retirement. Of course, they weren’t enamored of him enough to rush out and vote for him either, puncturing the myth that he commands the kind of voter loyalty once flexed by the Ford machine.
This is an interesting moment in Memphis history and a troubling commentary on its citizens. With their city grappling to compete in the global economy and with a bushel of indicators suggesting that it’s on a bubble, two-thirds of Memphians apparently cared so little that they just stayed home (or perhaps they heard little from the candidates that inspired them to get to the polling place).
Coalescing
With 13,000 more votes – the equivalent of coaxing only 5 percent of the unvoting Memphians – Council Member Chumney would be taking the oath of office in January. All in all, the voting turnout (or lack thereof) is a dramatic indictment of the public’s lack of interest in the main candidates and the lack of effectiveness of their campaign organizations.
That certainly should be a powerful lesson for groups like Coalition for Better Memphis – organization eats information for breakfast. Despite website and newspaper inserts, the Coalition found itself on the losing side of the most contested races and now finds itself in need of reevaluating its best way of encouraging higher quality candidates.
At the least, the Coalition’s lack of traction in these races suggests that it’s falling short in the somewhat naïve notion that information alone can bring about the change needed on our public bodies. More precisely, change comes from a more proven agenda: recruiting candidates, raising money for ads and GOTV and organizing a highly effective organization.
Out Of Touch
Also, it appears that the Coalition for a Better Memphis is being seen as just another group of activists, and there’s a growing need for greater transparency about the ratings of candidates, including the names of the people on the grading panels, more clearly stated priorities for the organization and what it considers to be the “right” answers. Some of the grades are simply incredulous and we predict that more and more candidates will simply opt to ignore screenings by the group.
If the election proves anything, it’s how out of touch mainstream organizations and the business community are when it comes to the grassroots political dynamics of Memphis voters. It is evidenced by the wishful thinking of white business leaders who interpret the growing cadre of professional African-Americans in their circle as an indication that transformative change is taking place in neighborhood politics. It isn't.
Rather, these favored few – who seem to embody what the business community wishes African-American candidates would look like – often share so little narrative with the political base that they attract little buzz. In the end, the failure of hand-picked candidates to make many waves in Memphis political life leaves the private sector even more confused about how to affect change.
Counting Crows
So, now, rather than celebrate a new mayor, they must come to grips with how much crow they will need to eat before attending the January swearing in for the fifth Herenton term. Then again, if they do attend, it won’t be in response to an invitation from the mayor.
That much is clear from his election night rant which seemed anchored in the delusion that his first priority remains settling political scores rather than demonstrating the kind of leadership that gives Memphians renewed confidence in his ability to set a meaningful agenda for our city. Sadly, in recent months, Mayor Herenton has spent more time explaining why he can’t do anything to move the city ahead – crime, economic development and racial unit – than articulate a progressive agenda for our city.
Election night should have been the night of Mayor Herenton’s ultimate revenge as a politician…and ultimate rebirth as a leader. In the end, it was neither.
Revenge Served Cold
There’s no greater satisfaction for a politician than the chance to rub the noses of his harshest critics in the reality of an impressive election victory. In truth, there’s little need to say or do anything; just savor the validation that only the ballot box can bring. Instead, the mayor turned his opponents into victims, publicly maligned and excoriated.
It was an exercise of narcissism in the extreme, as Mayor Herenton fed his self-image as a victim with tales of personal slights. There’s no denying that race contributes to a greater decibel level but the propensity for booing in this city once led the staff of a white mayor to establish a policy forbidding him from presenting or accepting any honor at a large public event.
As for the opportunity for rebirth as a respected public official, election night didn’t kill it although the wounds are now deeper. After a campaign where more energy was spent to keep from talking about real issues than lay out a real platform, it’s a strange turnaround for a man who spoke so often about his vision for his city and who so regularly rolled them out.
Education, Not Race
While he spoke in shorthand on election night, the anti-Herenton voters are defined more by educational attainment than race -- the more education, the lower the inclination to vote for Mayor Herenton.
We’ve written before about the justification for Mayor Herenton’s feelings of rejection and abandonment by the mainstream, so we won’t repeat it here, but suffice it to say, his deep-seeded anger is not without foundation.
And yet, the first sign of a truly great mayor is the ability to set aside his personal political agenda in service to his city. It was the city that got short shrift in his election night speech, and hopefully, soon, he’ll come to grips with the fact that if he believes that the personal attacks on him are destructive for Memphis, he'll understand that the same goes double for his attacks on others.
Our Share Of The Blame
It’s like the psychological trait, transference, where someone conveys to another person their own feelings. The classic example is the burglar who thinks every one is trying to steal from him. These days, there are times when it seems that Mayor Herenton thinks every one is attacking him personally, perhaps because that's precisely what he’s doing to them.
On one thing, we do agree with him. It is not his job to improve the racial divisiveness in our city. In truth, it is all of our jobs. In fact, we think that while The Commercial Appeal implores Mayor Herenton to heal racial wounds and to tone down his rhetoric, the newspaper could become an example to all of us by doing the same. (Some of the election coverage gives credence to charges of Herenton-bashing with some gratuitous adjectives such as “scandal-ridden administration” that aren’t substantiated by the facts.)
All in all, it’s the perfect time for all of us to turn down the volume and tone down the rhetoric.
Deciding On The Legacy
The next four years are going to be difficult enough just on the basis of the challenges and troubling issues facing Memphis, but if we remain at war with each other and if our mayor continues to put his personal interests ahead of his political obligations, we will likely be relegated to the lower rungs of U.S. cities.
We know enough about Mayor Herenton to know that this isn’t a legacy that the mayor wants to leave his children and grand children – a city so dysfunctional that it’s unable to pull itself out of a downward spiral.
But one thing is clear: if we are to succeed, we need every one, especially the two out of three Memphians who didn’t vote last week, to get off the sidelines and into the game.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Turning Our Attention To Finding A Great Mayor
In light of yesterday's election, we reprise a post from three months ago. We'll have more to say on the elections in the coming days, but we need to start thinking now about where we'll find the new faces and nontradtional candidates that we need for mayor in 2011.
Here's the post:
Every city is one great mayor away from being a great city.
It’s a mantra that we repeat often in cities where we work on issues that affect their competitiveness in a highly competitive global economy. We say it because time after time, we’ve seen it play out in city after city that has been transformed by inspired and inspiring leadership.
Because this is so, we think the pressing question to ask as we look at the announced major candidates, “Which one of these has the potential to be the great mayor needed so desperately in Memphis?”Sadly, when we ask the question, our answer ends up being: “None of them.”
Because of it, the most pressing priority for Memphis right now is to identify, develop, nurture, and motivate a new breed of candidates poised to enter the mayor’s race in four years.
The Power Of New Ideas
We are encouraged by the examples found in mayors’ offices across the U.S., and we are particularly inspired by the most exciting models of all – the many nontraditional candidates who have come forward, been elected and captured the imagination of their citizens.It’s hard for us not to think immediately of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and how we need to find his counterpart here. A geologist and a restaurateur, he went from a candidate with name recognition of less than five percent to a mayor who has now united the entire Denver region behind visionary plans for the future.
It illustrates the power that a new political leader with new ideas can have.
Memphis is about to launch the fifth term of the Herenton Administration.If the past eight years are any indication, the next four years of a Herenton mayoralty will be an era of marking time, and at the end of it, Memphis will have problems that may have reached catastrophic proportions - all the more reason to start now to find the kind of candidates who can be immediate impact players in 2012.
Here's The Irony
This is the golden age of great city mayors.
In Chicago, Richard Daley transformed “Beirut on the Lake” into one of the world’s great cities - sophisticated, vibrant, seedbed for an astonishing array of enlightened “green” programs.In Denver and San Francisco, two restaurateurs – respectively John Hickenlooper and Gavin Newsom – transplanted their customer service credo into city services and designed revolutionary programs for the homeless. Also, Hickenlooper’s determined regional fence-mending produced a 70 percent approval rating in the metro area, and he in turn used this reservoir of good will to lead seven counties and 31 cities to pass a sales tax increase to pay for 119 miles of new light rail and commuter trains costing $5 billion.In Atlanta, Shirley Franklin slashed 1,000 jobs as well as her own salary, convinced 75 companies to analyze city government at no cost and began a 22-mile linear park connecting 45 neighborhoods.
Through force of personality, Jerry Abramson convinced Louisville citizens to approve the largest government consolidation in 40 years; New York’s Michael Bloomberg turned a projected $6.5 billion deficit into a $3 billion surplus; Baltimore’s Martin O’Malley developed a unique computerized complaint system making city departments more accountable; Miami’s Manny Diaz moved the city bond rating from junk to A+ while rolling out a six-year program to rebuild the infrastructure; and Washington Mayor Anthony Williams delivered something thought impossible – stability.
He Not Busy Being Born Is Busy Dying
In other words, cities are in an epic period of rebirth, and great mayors are the reason.
Memphis has had great managers, great motivators and great speakers. But there’s no argument that Memphis has had a mayor who measures up to the standards of today’s great mayors.
Mayor Willie W. Herenton, contrary to critics who tend to blame him for everything from the economic downturn to global warming, flirted with a “Nixon to China” brand of greatness, but in the end, it was not to be and now seems as elusive as his being cheered at halfcourt at FedExForum.
In truth, the concept of Willie Herenton has always been more compelling than the reality of Willie Herenton. To his political base, he has special status as the city’s first African-American mayor, and the voter loyalty attached to that milestone will not be replicated again. With civic leaders, explanations for support have frequently begun with the sentence, “He’s better than….”
Outstripping Reality
When a political brand outstrips personal reality, it’s often a good thing for the politician. The formidable image silences critics, drives public opinion and overwhelms public discussions.In Herenton’s case though, it’s no longer fair to him, and it’s not now fair to the city, because it has mutated into a mythology that polarizes every issue he touches. The seminal example took place just over year ago when he convened a meeting to consider his innovative proposal for merger of the two local school systems.
On that day, he made the best researched and most detailed analysis by a public official of the $1 billion spent locally each year for schools, and he did it all without mentioning once that Memphis is the only major metro area in Tennessee where schools aren’t already consolidated.
And yet, none of the statistics, none of the projections and none of the historical trends were reported. Instead, the media fixated on the fact that the chairs of the city and county school boards – respectively, Wanda Halbert and David Pickler - were petulant no-shows at the meeting.
Losing The Bully Pulpit
It was a defining moment in the Herenton Era, because it was at that moment that it became unambiguously obvious that his personality, not his positions or programs, would be the overriding factor defining the news from then on.
In this way, it no longer mattered if he was right, because he was robbed of his bully pulpit.The sad truth of Memphis politics – and it is sad whether you like Herenton or not – is that the mayor no longer has the potential to be great, because the ultimate prisoner of the Herenton myth is now Willie Herenton himself.
Because of it, he’s denied the chance to emulate great U.S. mayors who are creating bigger dreams for their cities that every one sees themselves being part of, reaching across political and racial boundaries and inspiring all of their citizens with the confidence to move ahead together.
Here's the post:
Every city is one great mayor away from being a great city.
It’s a mantra that we repeat often in cities where we work on issues that affect their competitiveness in a highly competitive global economy. We say it because time after time, we’ve seen it play out in city after city that has been transformed by inspired and inspiring leadership.
Because this is so, we think the pressing question to ask as we look at the announced major candidates, “Which one of these has the potential to be the great mayor needed so desperately in Memphis?”Sadly, when we ask the question, our answer ends up being: “None of them.”
Because of it, the most pressing priority for Memphis right now is to identify, develop, nurture, and motivate a new breed of candidates poised to enter the mayor’s race in four years.
The Power Of New Ideas
We are encouraged by the examples found in mayors’ offices across the U.S., and we are particularly inspired by the most exciting models of all – the many nontraditional candidates who have come forward, been elected and captured the imagination of their citizens.It’s hard for us not to think immediately of Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, and how we need to find his counterpart here. A geologist and a restaurateur, he went from a candidate with name recognition of less than five percent to a mayor who has now united the entire Denver region behind visionary plans for the future.
It illustrates the power that a new political leader with new ideas can have.
Memphis is about to launch the fifth term of the Herenton Administration.If the past eight years are any indication, the next four years of a Herenton mayoralty will be an era of marking time, and at the end of it, Memphis will have problems that may have reached catastrophic proportions - all the more reason to start now to find the kind of candidates who can be immediate impact players in 2012.
Here's The Irony
This is the golden age of great city mayors.
In Chicago, Richard Daley transformed “Beirut on the Lake” into one of the world’s great cities - sophisticated, vibrant, seedbed for an astonishing array of enlightened “green” programs.In Denver and San Francisco, two restaurateurs – respectively John Hickenlooper and Gavin Newsom – transplanted their customer service credo into city services and designed revolutionary programs for the homeless. Also, Hickenlooper’s determined regional fence-mending produced a 70 percent approval rating in the metro area, and he in turn used this reservoir of good will to lead seven counties and 31 cities to pass a sales tax increase to pay for 119 miles of new light rail and commuter trains costing $5 billion.In Atlanta, Shirley Franklin slashed 1,000 jobs as well as her own salary, convinced 75 companies to analyze city government at no cost and began a 22-mile linear park connecting 45 neighborhoods.
Through force of personality, Jerry Abramson convinced Louisville citizens to approve the largest government consolidation in 40 years; New York’s Michael Bloomberg turned a projected $6.5 billion deficit into a $3 billion surplus; Baltimore’s Martin O’Malley developed a unique computerized complaint system making city departments more accountable; Miami’s Manny Diaz moved the city bond rating from junk to A+ while rolling out a six-year program to rebuild the infrastructure; and Washington Mayor Anthony Williams delivered something thought impossible – stability.
He Not Busy Being Born Is Busy Dying
In other words, cities are in an epic period of rebirth, and great mayors are the reason.
Memphis has had great managers, great motivators and great speakers. But there’s no argument that Memphis has had a mayor who measures up to the standards of today’s great mayors.
Mayor Willie W. Herenton, contrary to critics who tend to blame him for everything from the economic downturn to global warming, flirted with a “Nixon to China” brand of greatness, but in the end, it was not to be and now seems as elusive as his being cheered at halfcourt at FedExForum.
In truth, the concept of Willie Herenton has always been more compelling than the reality of Willie Herenton. To his political base, he has special status as the city’s first African-American mayor, and the voter loyalty attached to that milestone will not be replicated again. With civic leaders, explanations for support have frequently begun with the sentence, “He’s better than….”
Outstripping Reality
When a political brand outstrips personal reality, it’s often a good thing for the politician. The formidable image silences critics, drives public opinion and overwhelms public discussions.In Herenton’s case though, it’s no longer fair to him, and it’s not now fair to the city, because it has mutated into a mythology that polarizes every issue he touches. The seminal example took place just over year ago when he convened a meeting to consider his innovative proposal for merger of the two local school systems.
On that day, he made the best researched and most detailed analysis by a public official of the $1 billion spent locally each year for schools, and he did it all without mentioning once that Memphis is the only major metro area in Tennessee where schools aren’t already consolidated.
And yet, none of the statistics, none of the projections and none of the historical trends were reported. Instead, the media fixated on the fact that the chairs of the city and county school boards – respectively, Wanda Halbert and David Pickler - were petulant no-shows at the meeting.
Losing The Bully Pulpit
It was a defining moment in the Herenton Era, because it was at that moment that it became unambiguously obvious that his personality, not his positions or programs, would be the overriding factor defining the news from then on.
In this way, it no longer mattered if he was right, because he was robbed of his bully pulpit.The sad truth of Memphis politics – and it is sad whether you like Herenton or not – is that the mayor no longer has the potential to be great, because the ultimate prisoner of the Herenton myth is now Willie Herenton himself.
Because of it, he’s denied the chance to emulate great U.S. mayors who are creating bigger dreams for their cities that every one sees themselves being part of, reaching across political and racial boundaries and inspiring all of their citizens with the confidence to move ahead together.
America's Great Streets And Neighborhoods
A few months ago, we asked you for a list of Memphis' great streets and neighborhoods as a result of American Planning Association's project to find the best in the U.S. We thought you might be interested in who made the cut. Here are the winners.
Spoiler alert: no Memphis streets or neighborhoods is on either list. That doesn't mean that we don't have some that belong in the company of these great ones.
As a reminder, here's what said about the program:
APA celebrates the first 10 Great Streets and 10 Great Neighborhoods designated through its new national program, Great Places in America. Launched last spring, Great Places in America celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard of communities. The designated neighborhoods and streets are defined by several characteristics, including good design, functionality, sustainability, and community involvement.
"We salute the dedication and contribution of countless individuals whose efforts have not only helped bring about these wonderful streets and neighborhoods, but have made them flourish," said APA Executive Director and CEO Paul Farmer, FAICP. "We are honored to recognize their efforts to create safe and sustainable places to live, work, and visit. These Great Places are singled out because they showcase what can be achieved in communities across the country."
Spoiler alert: no Memphis streets or neighborhoods is on either list. That doesn't mean that we don't have some that belong in the company of these great ones.
As a reminder, here's what said about the program:
APA celebrates the first 10 Great Streets and 10 Great Neighborhoods designated through its new national program, Great Places in America. Launched last spring, Great Places in America celebrates places of exemplary character, quality, and planning. Places are selected annually and represent the gold standard of communities. The designated neighborhoods and streets are defined by several characteristics, including good design, functionality, sustainability, and community involvement.
"We salute the dedication and contribution of countless individuals whose efforts have not only helped bring about these wonderful streets and neighborhoods, but have made them flourish," said APA Executive Director and CEO Paul Farmer, FAICP. "We are honored to recognize their efforts to create safe and sustainable places to live, work, and visit. These Great Places are singled out because they showcase what can be achieved in communities across the country."
Thursday, October 04, 2007
This Week On Smart City: Shaping The Urban Environment
Many things influence the way we experience the urban environment - the history of the place, certainly its form, others who share the space with us, even the sounds and smells. Our guests this week are shaping urban environments in their own special ways.
Rick Kimbler and Kathleen Norris are remaking a history-laden neighborhood in downtown Cincinnati called Over-the-Rhine and bringing new life to its streets with shops, restaurants and new residents. Rick is a partner in NorthPointe Group, a primary developer in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Kathleen is principal with her own firm, Kathleen Norris & Associates.
Mark Shepard, an architect teaching architecture and media study at the University at Buffalo, is exploring the impact of sound - specifically, collaborative sounds - on the way we experience cities. Mark's work draws on architecture, film, and new media in addressing new social spaces and signifying structures of contemporary network cultures. His research focuses on the implications of mobile and pervasive computing for architecture and urbanism.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Rick Kimbler and Kathleen Norris are remaking a history-laden neighborhood in downtown Cincinnati called Over-the-Rhine and bringing new life to its streets with shops, restaurants and new residents. Rick is a partner in NorthPointe Group, a primary developer in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Kathleen is principal with her own firm, Kathleen Norris & Associates.
Mark Shepard, an architect teaching architecture and media study at the University at Buffalo, is exploring the impact of sound - specifically, collaborative sounds - on the way we experience cities. Mark's work draws on architecture, film, and new media in addressing new social spaces and signifying structures of contemporary network cultures. His research focuses on the implications of mobile and pervasive computing for architecture and urbanism.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Germantown Smart Growth: Fridays From 5-7 P.M.
Well, we guess you have to start somewhere.
But it would seem that only in Germantown would eating on a restaurant patio constitute a blow for smart growth.
And yet, four G’town businesses are willing to take this bold step in urban living – American Café, Atlanta Bread Co., Starbucks and Yia Yia’s Café.
We’re not quite sure why this is news enough to grab big headlines and an oversized photo in The Commercial Appeal since all four of these restaurants have had outside dining for years, but maybe it’s all in the packaging.
After all, the restaurants did agree to ante up those 2-for-1 drink coupons to entice Germantown residents out of their suburban cocoons and to engage in this bold experiment. Apparently, however, smart growth has a time when it works best because the coupons are only available on the patios from 5-7 p.m. Fridays in October.
Of course, it’s not lost on us that every one of these four places has patio dining that overlooks an asphalt parking lot, shattering the façade of smart growth before it’s even had time to root.
As explained by a member of the city’s economic development advisory committee, patio drinking is “consistent with smart growth, which is to cause more interaction and more vibrancy within the central business district in Germantown.”
And miracle of miracles, the vision is that people on the patios will strike up conversations, a small step toward town square behavior.
We’re all for it, and we don’t want to puncture the enthusiasm for smart growth that is building in Germantown. We’d just get more excited if participating in this patio dining didn’t require every one to get in their cars and drive to the restaurants to engage in it.
But it would seem that only in Germantown would eating on a restaurant patio constitute a blow for smart growth.
And yet, four G’town businesses are willing to take this bold step in urban living – American Café, Atlanta Bread Co., Starbucks and Yia Yia’s Café.
We’re not quite sure why this is news enough to grab big headlines and an oversized photo in The Commercial Appeal since all four of these restaurants have had outside dining for years, but maybe it’s all in the packaging.
After all, the restaurants did agree to ante up those 2-for-1 drink coupons to entice Germantown residents out of their suburban cocoons and to engage in this bold experiment. Apparently, however, smart growth has a time when it works best because the coupons are only available on the patios from 5-7 p.m. Fridays in October.
Of course, it’s not lost on us that every one of these four places has patio dining that overlooks an asphalt parking lot, shattering the façade of smart growth before it’s even had time to root.
As explained by a member of the city’s economic development advisory committee, patio drinking is “consistent with smart growth, which is to cause more interaction and more vibrancy within the central business district in Germantown.”
And miracle of miracles, the vision is that people on the patios will strike up conversations, a small step toward town square behavior.
We’re all for it, and we don’t want to puncture the enthusiasm for smart growth that is building in Germantown. We’d just get more excited if participating in this patio dining didn’t require every one to get in their cars and drive to the restaurants to engage in it.
State Attorneys General Scold Schools For Underreporting, But MCS Numbers Suggest Contrary
Schools don’t report crimes accurately and this prevents a clear picture of the scope of the problem, 27 state attorneys general said recently.
Hopefully, Memphis City Schools isn’t part of this pattern of inaccurate reporting. After all, in the most recent school year, there were almost 135,000 incidents reported within our schools.
Fortunately, the majority wasn’t criminal in nature, but the tally of incidents does prove to us that whatever teachers are paid, it’s too little.
Leading the list of infractions were the regulars: misconduct, disruptive behavior, class cutting, excessive tardiness, insolence/insubordination, fighting, and dress code violations. All together, they accounted for about 108,000 of the incidents.
After these, there was significant drop-off, but the kinds of incidents sound more serious. . There are gang-related incidents (964), threats against students (952); threats against teachers and school personnel (830); theft (676); trespassing/loitering (67); possession of weapons (492); battery against teachers and school personnel (476), possession of drugs (396); gambling (383); vandalism/break-ins (327); drug use (257); false fire alarms (83); possession of alcohol (92); false fire alarms (83); bomb threat (27); arson (26); extortion (22); and weapons use (8).
Hopefully, Memphis City Schools isn’t part of this pattern of inaccurate reporting. After all, in the most recent school year, there were almost 135,000 incidents reported within our schools.
Fortunately, the majority wasn’t criminal in nature, but the tally of incidents does prove to us that whatever teachers are paid, it’s too little.
Leading the list of infractions were the regulars: misconduct, disruptive behavior, class cutting, excessive tardiness, insolence/insubordination, fighting, and dress code violations. All together, they accounted for about 108,000 of the incidents.
After these, there was significant drop-off, but the kinds of incidents sound more serious. . There are gang-related incidents (964), threats against students (952); threats against teachers and school personnel (830); theft (676); trespassing/loitering (67); possession of weapons (492); battery against teachers and school personnel (476), possession of drugs (396); gambling (383); vandalism/break-ins (327); drug use (257); false fire alarms (83); possession of alcohol (92); false fire alarms (83); bomb threat (27); arson (26); extortion (22); and weapons use (8).
Most troubling is that in 18 schools, the percentage of violent incidents is more than 50 percent of the total, and 23 schools have more than two incidents per student enrolled (the highest is 5.5 incidents per student). The highest number of incidents was reported at Whitehaven High School with more than 6,250; Wooddale Middle had the most incidents of violence with 825 and the highest misconduct incidents at 3,115; and White Station High reported the most alcohol/drug incidents.
Schools with the highest incidents per student (all had more than 4.7 incidents per student) were Westwood High, Fairview Junior High Schools; Pyramid Academy and Wooddale Middle. Slightly more than 92,000 of the incidents were handled with suspension or detention for the students, and apparently, in an attempt to prevent the entry of the students into the justice system, less than 100 were arrested and transported.
Ninth graders caused the highest number of incidents followed by seventh graders.
We hasten to add that we aren’t trying to draw any conclusions from this data, because we don’t have enough information to know how consistent reporting is through the district, to conclude whether the school district’s actions are effective and to know whether the discipline is supported by teachers, who after all, are on the front lines when it comes to dealing with troublesome behavior.
This much we do know: We respect the emphasis by Memphis City Schools on intervention without the involvement of the juvenile justice system when possible. Too often, the justice system becomes a classroom dishing out precisely the kind of knowledge that sends young people into deeper criminal behavior.
In an era where our society seems prone to criminalize every kind of behavior, we commend the district for taking a more productive course of action with Blue Ribbon, which, despite its critics, is based on the research that shows that intervention with young people is much more effective in creating productive citizens than arrest and prosecution.
In an era where our society seems prone to criminalize every kind of behavior, we commend the district for taking a more productive course of action with Blue Ribbon, which, despite its critics, is based on the research that shows that intervention with young people is much more effective in creating productive citizens than arrest and prosecution.
Spoiled Frozen Food May Be The Tip Of The Iceberg
The real story about the millions of dollars of food thrown out by Memphis City Schools is yet to come out, according to inspectors at Memphis and Shelby County Health Department.
The party line from the district is that too much frozen food was ordered and it was not stored properly. That was accurate to a point.
According to health officials, there are questions about the vendors for the food, how food is ordered, how it was tracked to make sure it went for authorized purposes and whether fraud took place.
Interim Superintendent Dan Ward said it’s all a “glitch,” a comment which demonstrates an apparent passion for understatement.
More to the point, health inspectors say that the most troubling aspect for them is the scope of the problem and an apparent attempt to cover it up. According to them, the value of the food could reach eight digits, and that spoiled food had been refrozen intentionally and mixed with food with current expiration dates to obscure the problem.
Most troubling to health officials is the prospect that records were destroyed or altered to prevent them from easily determining the dimensions of the problem and its causes. No one in local government takes their jobs more seriously than food inspectors, and they are appalled at the risk to students’ health that the food handling created.
Fortunately, the school board seems to have a better grasp of the problem than the staff and understands the need for a serious, objective audit to determine the facts of the problem. It’s impossible to disagree with Commissioner Wanda Halbert that the superintendent needs to deal with this quickly.
The party line from the district is that too much frozen food was ordered and it was not stored properly. That was accurate to a point.
According to health officials, there are questions about the vendors for the food, how food is ordered, how it was tracked to make sure it went for authorized purposes and whether fraud took place.
Interim Superintendent Dan Ward said it’s all a “glitch,” a comment which demonstrates an apparent passion for understatement.
More to the point, health inspectors say that the most troubling aspect for them is the scope of the problem and an apparent attempt to cover it up. According to them, the value of the food could reach eight digits, and that spoiled food had been refrozen intentionally and mixed with food with current expiration dates to obscure the problem.
Most troubling to health officials is the prospect that records were destroyed or altered to prevent them from easily determining the dimensions of the problem and its causes. No one in local government takes their jobs more seriously than food inspectors, and they are appalled at the risk to students’ health that the food handling created.
Fortunately, the school board seems to have a better grasp of the problem than the staff and understands the need for a serious, objective audit to determine the facts of the problem. It’s impossible to disagree with Commissioner Wanda Halbert that the superintendent needs to deal with this quickly.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Bill Purcell Leaves Nashville's Highest Office After Showing What An Engaged Mayor Can Do
While we seem to be unenthusiastically backing into choosing a mayor for Memphis for the next four years, Nashville is saying farewell to one who showed what a highly effective, highly engaged mayor can accomplish.
From his election in 1999 until his last day in office a couple of weeks ago, Mayor Bill Purcell – a former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives - exceeded expectations with his coherent, clear vision of his administration, his bold plans to improve quality of life in his city and his relentless pursuit of public facilities whose design would say volumes about the kind of city Nashville aspired to be.
There was little in Mayor Purcell’s background that would have led observers to predict that he would become one of the best mayors in the U.S. He was a competent representative known largely for balancing the practical and the political and for his ability to take positions and solve problems that created a minimum of adversaries.
Athenian Of The South
And yet, freed from the limited role of legislator and ushered into the decision-making role of administrator, he flourished into an effective communicator and unusually adept manager of the consolidated government in Nashville/Davidson County. Along the way, he continued the kind of moderate political leadership – notable for its conservative fiscal policies and liberal social programs – that has been a competitive advantage for Nashville for the past three decades, dating back to at least former Mayor Richard Fulton's terms in office..
Nashville not only has outperformed Memphis in all indicators, but it has ranked among the top-tier cities for the nation. From a position as Tennessee’s Second City, Nashville moved beyond Memphis in population, economic growth, and promise, and has never looked back.
And while Nashville was establishing itself as one of the South’s leading cities – often paired with Charlotte as success stories for cities that transformed themselves – this momentum only quickened with Mr. Purcell in the mayor’s office.
Graphic Differences
To give an idea of the dichotomy between Nashville and Memphis, consider just a few indicators for the period from 2000-2005:
* Population growth in Nashville was almost twice Memphis.
* The number of immigrants attracted to Nashville was 50 percent higher.
* The percentage of families headed by single parents in Nashville was about one-third less than Memphis.
* The median household income was roughly 10 percent more in Nashville, and it was growing at a 6.3 percent rate, compared to 3.8 percent in Memphis.
* The poverty rate in Nashville was 40 percent less than Memphis, and so was the percentage of subprime loans as part of the total number of refinance loans.
* The percent increase in jobs in Nashville was 3.8, compared to .03 in Memphis. The Nashville unemployment was 25 percent less.
* Nashville had 30 percent more firms owned by African-Americans and 35 percent more women-owned firms.
* The crime rate in Nashville was 36 percent lower than Memphis, and the per capital spending for local government was 25 percent lower in Nashville than Memphis.
The Politics Of Bold Ambition
Well, you get the picture. In other words, recent years have been kind to Nashville while Memphis has grappled to decide what kind of city that it wants to be and pursues a number of unexciting strategies to claim its place in the global economy.
Some credit Nashville’s burst of success to the power of consolidated government, but the truth is that it’s all about leadership, not structure. And Nashville put together a string of leaders with one foot in the business community and one foot in politics. Most of all, Nashville business leaders drove a stake in the ground, saying what they demanded from their hometown leaders and then put their money where their mouths were. As a result, in Nashville, there is the feeling that they can do anything and that they have to because they are a big league city.
In some respects, it replicated the story of Atlanta, where strong corporate leadership and an engrained sense of civic commitment catapulted it from a sleepy Georgia city steeped in Confederate tradition to an economic dynamo that sucks up much of the young talent – especially African-American – in the Southeast today and gauges its success on international terms.
Quality
Back to Mr. Purcell, he embodied the qualities that Nashvillians have come to demand from their mayors, and he led spectacular economic growth – resulting in Nashville being dubbed the “hottest city” by economic development journals two years in a row – and he did it without giving away the store.
While our community granted 415 tax freezes to convince businesses to come here, Nashville handed out five. It was in refusing to sell their community on the cheap that Nashville set out to create a serious plan for improving the quality of the city. In addition, while Memphis sent the message that we were so unworthy that we had to bribe companies to come here, Nashville took the position that it was so special that companies were lucky to be part of it.
It was this air of success and destiny that always seem to be communicated best by Mayor Purcell.
Current Of Change
The most dramatic evidence of his success was seen last year when he was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine and Public Leadership in the Arts presented by Americans for the Arts. While former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen was noteworthy in his big project approach, his successor focused on quality of life. He expanded greenways, kicked off a park expansion program, enacted a “percent for art” program, led construction of a new first-rate symphony hall and remarkably (while city and county governments here were eliminating all funding for the arts) increased city funding to Nashville arts organizations by 61 percent.
Meanwhile, inside city government, Mayor Purcell implemented performance audits that greased the exit of old-time, well-connected employees and dynamited the good-old-boy network that hampered innovation in City Hall. Along the way, the audits also turned up tens of millions of dollars in savings that came from efficiencies in systems and programs.
The savings could not have come at a better time, because Mayor Purcell increased school funding $200 million during his terms and for the first time provided yearly capital funding so the school district could plan more efficiently for new schools.
Legacy
And most impressive of all, he did it all with only two property tax increases, resulting in a combined tax rate significantly less – about $2.00 - than the amount paid by Memphians who receive a lower level of public services in return.
Some critics in the tourism industry complain that he moved too slowly to replace the aged convention center, and although the $500 million project is probably going to break ground in the near future, we don’t fault him for being slow to get into the “arms race” between cities’ convention center facilities, which on balance deliver extremely poor returns on their massive investments.
It’s a remarkable legacy that Mayor Purcell leaves for his former legal director, Karl Dean, who took the oath of office a couple of weeks ago. While there is much that Purcell supporters (he leaves with a 60 percent approval rating) can point to with pride, what is most impressive is the amount of change and innovation that he was able to bring to Nashville in only eight years.
Term Limits
There are many things to be learned from his style of leadership and his singular focus to his agenda. His advice as he wrapped up the last 22 months of his Administration: Nashville should enact term limits.
“I have a sense of what you can accomplish. I think two terms keeps (mayors) focused, keeps the people that work with them focused and gives them the reality and the belief that they must and can finish in those two terms."
Perhaps, when we compare Memphis and Nashville, there’s no more important lesson than this one.
From his election in 1999 until his last day in office a couple of weeks ago, Mayor Bill Purcell – a former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives - exceeded expectations with his coherent, clear vision of his administration, his bold plans to improve quality of life in his city and his relentless pursuit of public facilities whose design would say volumes about the kind of city Nashville aspired to be.
There was little in Mayor Purcell’s background that would have led observers to predict that he would become one of the best mayors in the U.S. He was a competent representative known largely for balancing the practical and the political and for his ability to take positions and solve problems that created a minimum of adversaries.
Athenian Of The South
And yet, freed from the limited role of legislator and ushered into the decision-making role of administrator, he flourished into an effective communicator and unusually adept manager of the consolidated government in Nashville/Davidson County. Along the way, he continued the kind of moderate political leadership – notable for its conservative fiscal policies and liberal social programs – that has been a competitive advantage for Nashville for the past three decades, dating back to at least former Mayor Richard Fulton's terms in office..
Nashville not only has outperformed Memphis in all indicators, but it has ranked among the top-tier cities for the nation. From a position as Tennessee’s Second City, Nashville moved beyond Memphis in population, economic growth, and promise, and has never looked back.
And while Nashville was establishing itself as one of the South’s leading cities – often paired with Charlotte as success stories for cities that transformed themselves – this momentum only quickened with Mr. Purcell in the mayor’s office.
Graphic Differences
To give an idea of the dichotomy between Nashville and Memphis, consider just a few indicators for the period from 2000-2005:
* Population growth in Nashville was almost twice Memphis.
* The number of immigrants attracted to Nashville was 50 percent higher.
* The percentage of families headed by single parents in Nashville was about one-third less than Memphis.
* The median household income was roughly 10 percent more in Nashville, and it was growing at a 6.3 percent rate, compared to 3.8 percent in Memphis.
* The poverty rate in Nashville was 40 percent less than Memphis, and so was the percentage of subprime loans as part of the total number of refinance loans.
* The percent increase in jobs in Nashville was 3.8, compared to .03 in Memphis. The Nashville unemployment was 25 percent less.
* Nashville had 30 percent more firms owned by African-Americans and 35 percent more women-owned firms.
* The crime rate in Nashville was 36 percent lower than Memphis, and the per capital spending for local government was 25 percent lower in Nashville than Memphis.
The Politics Of Bold Ambition
Well, you get the picture. In other words, recent years have been kind to Nashville while Memphis has grappled to decide what kind of city that it wants to be and pursues a number of unexciting strategies to claim its place in the global economy.
Some credit Nashville’s burst of success to the power of consolidated government, but the truth is that it’s all about leadership, not structure. And Nashville put together a string of leaders with one foot in the business community and one foot in politics. Most of all, Nashville business leaders drove a stake in the ground, saying what they demanded from their hometown leaders and then put their money where their mouths were. As a result, in Nashville, there is the feeling that they can do anything and that they have to because they are a big league city.
In some respects, it replicated the story of Atlanta, where strong corporate leadership and an engrained sense of civic commitment catapulted it from a sleepy Georgia city steeped in Confederate tradition to an economic dynamo that sucks up much of the young talent – especially African-American – in the Southeast today and gauges its success on international terms.
Quality
Back to Mr. Purcell, he embodied the qualities that Nashvillians have come to demand from their mayors, and he led spectacular economic growth – resulting in Nashville being dubbed the “hottest city” by economic development journals two years in a row – and he did it without giving away the store.
While our community granted 415 tax freezes to convince businesses to come here, Nashville handed out five. It was in refusing to sell their community on the cheap that Nashville set out to create a serious plan for improving the quality of the city. In addition, while Memphis sent the message that we were so unworthy that we had to bribe companies to come here, Nashville took the position that it was so special that companies were lucky to be part of it.
It was this air of success and destiny that always seem to be communicated best by Mayor Purcell.
Current Of Change
The most dramatic evidence of his success was seen last year when he was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine and Public Leadership in the Arts presented by Americans for the Arts. While former Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen was noteworthy in his big project approach, his successor focused on quality of life. He expanded greenways, kicked off a park expansion program, enacted a “percent for art” program, led construction of a new first-rate symphony hall and remarkably (while city and county governments here were eliminating all funding for the arts) increased city funding to Nashville arts organizations by 61 percent.
Meanwhile, inside city government, Mayor Purcell implemented performance audits that greased the exit of old-time, well-connected employees and dynamited the good-old-boy network that hampered innovation in City Hall. Along the way, the audits also turned up tens of millions of dollars in savings that came from efficiencies in systems and programs.
The savings could not have come at a better time, because Mayor Purcell increased school funding $200 million during his terms and for the first time provided yearly capital funding so the school district could plan more efficiently for new schools.
Legacy
And most impressive of all, he did it all with only two property tax increases, resulting in a combined tax rate significantly less – about $2.00 - than the amount paid by Memphians who receive a lower level of public services in return.
Some critics in the tourism industry complain that he moved too slowly to replace the aged convention center, and although the $500 million project is probably going to break ground in the near future, we don’t fault him for being slow to get into the “arms race” between cities’ convention center facilities, which on balance deliver extremely poor returns on their massive investments.
It’s a remarkable legacy that Mayor Purcell leaves for his former legal director, Karl Dean, who took the oath of office a couple of weeks ago. While there is much that Purcell supporters (he leaves with a 60 percent approval rating) can point to with pride, what is most impressive is the amount of change and innovation that he was able to bring to Nashville in only eight years.
Term Limits
There are many things to be learned from his style of leadership and his singular focus to his agenda. His advice as he wrapped up the last 22 months of his Administration: Nashville should enact term limits.
“I have a sense of what you can accomplish. I think two terms keeps (mayors) focused, keeps the people that work with them focused and gives them the reality and the belief that they must and can finish in those two terms."
Perhaps, when we compare Memphis and Nashville, there’s no more important lesson than this one.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Super Regions Bring Super-sized Challenges For Memphis
It’s a given that regions are the competitive units for the global economy, but while Memphis still struggles to come to grips with what this really means, a new reality is unfolding to complicate our competitiveness even more.
It’s the age of the megapolitans -- super-regions strung together by economies, commuting patterns, culture and demographic trends, giving birth to what are becoming the super-novas of economic units.
More than two-thirds of the country’s population already live in 10 megapolitans, which are growing at a faster rate than the U.S. as a whole, according to Robert Lang, the Virginia Tech University professor who’s become the nation’s expert on this statistical phenomenon. He predicts that the population of the megapolitans will grow by 85 million people and see $33 trillion in construction spending in the next 35 years.
History In The Making
While these super-regions would command attention in their own right, the fact that they are emerging as a new brand of federalism is taking root across the U.S. makes this a moment in time when history may be in the process of being fundamentally reshaped.
On this weekend’s Smart City interview with Jonathan Taplin, the University of Southern California professor discussed the abdication of federal responsibilities that has led to cities taking action on issues such as global warming, stem cell research and fuel standards. He made the point that these demands for changes in policy come as a result of the digital age and the size of states like California which is a leader for the movement.
Another trend giving momentum for this shift is the emergence of 10 nation-states that will exist in our midst – economic and political centers of power that can drive change at the national level because the alternative is that they will create it for themselves.
In the Backwater
The problem for Memphis is that when the age of megapolitans dawns, we’ll be in its backwater, no closer than about 200 miles to the nearest one – the Piedmont megapolitan, which embraces 19 million people in an area that stretches from Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta and Birmingham. Its western edge teases the Nashville metro.
The largest of the megapolitans is the gigantic Northeast, stretching from New England to Northern Virginia and holding 50 million people and a $3 trillion economy.
The Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago corridor holds 40 million people in the Midwest; Southland embraces Southern California and Las Vegas with its 22 million people; the I-35 megapolitan runs from San Antonio, Dallas and Kansas City with 15 million people; and the Peninsula is essentially all of Florida south of the mainland and holds 14 million people.
Small Is Big
The smaller megapolitans include NorCal, which has San Francisco and Central Valley’s 12 million people; the Gulf Coast, running from Houston through New Orleans to Pensacola, also holds 12 million people; the seven million people in Cascadia live in the western third of Washington and the upper quarter of Oregion; and the bottom half of Arizona with its five million people makes up the Valley of the Sun.
As the fluid shape of these megapolitans begins to emerge, the imperative for them now is to find ways integrate them into the global economy, as Europe has been doing – and across country borders no less – for decades. For example, the self-named Alpine Diamond region has been collaborating, cooperating and marketing an area for more than 20 years that includes Lyon, France; Torino, Italy, and Geneva, Switzerland. The strongest evidence of the success of this approach is the light rail system that was constructed as a result of the tri-country clout.
For Professor Lang, the criteria for the megapolitan are:
* It combines at least two, but may include dozens of existing metro areas
* has more than 10 million in population projected by 2040
* It constitutes an organic cultural region with a distinct history and identity
* It has roughly similar physical environment
* It links large centers through major transportation infrastructure
* It forms a functional urban network via goods and service
* It creates a usable geography that is suitable for large-scale regional planning
Edge(less) Cities
These edgeless super-regions defy the traditional notion of a central city surrounded by an urban core and a suburban ring. Instead, megapolitans are amorphous, irregular, unpredictable and seemingly alive in the way that their borders undulate and shift.
In the face of such growth in the megapolitans, issues like sustainability, equity, rational government structure and global competitiveness will only be amplified and take on new importance, some observers predict. It also will produce more burbtowns with new versions of center cities and greater density.
The gravitational pull produced by these megapolitans will escalate trends that are already evident today. For example, these 10 super-regions will be the major magnets for talent in the U.S., and it’s no wonder: The dozen or so cities that today are attracting the bulk of 25-34 year-old workers today fall within a megapolitan.
The Pressing Questions
As we now know, companies will move to the cities where the talent lives, and as a result, these workers will attract more and more companies to these super-regions, and because talent is key to the innovation economy, it’s likely that these megapolitans will also be the seedbeds for the innovative breakthroughs that determine economic success today.
In other words, it’s likely that these 10 megapolitans will dominate the American economic and political landscapes like nothing seen in a century. So, the question that Memphis needs to answer is “How do we become part or make a connection with a megapolitan?” or more likely, “What does Memphis need to do to become more strongly competitive in the age of the megapolitan?”
As for the first questions, projections suggest that it’s unlikely that Memphis will become part of a super-regions. We’re just too far off the growth corridors, and it seems unlikely that I-69 – which on most days feels more like a real estate scheme than a transportation plan - can produce the kind of growth that could attach Memphis to the Midwest megapolitan, and it seems even more unlikely that the Piedmont super-region will ever ooze this far west.
Low-Wage, Low-Skill, Low Expectations
So, the more pertinent question for Memphis is deciding what strategies can make it more competitive. Our top-of-mind answer is that Memphis needs to concentrate on quality – as in quality government, quality of life, high-quality transportation and quality community.
If Memphis is willing to continue to sell itself at a discount, it will continue to pick up the crumbs from the knowledge economy table, and worst of all, it will seal the fate of our region, because we will forever be on the lower rungs of economic life in the U.S. In a knowledge economy where talented workers are looking for high quality of life and high quality cities, it seems obvious, but we’ve made a history of chasing warehouse/distribution/logistics jobs to the detriment of a comprehensive, healthy economy plan.
Our reliance on low-wage, low-skill jobs will continue, and our future is preordained if nothing happens to shake things up. To this end, the Memphis region needs to act against type.
Walking The Walk
We need to be known for experimenting with some of the most innovative programs in the South. While it would be a good strategy for most cities, it would have extra impact here because no one would expect it from us.
We need to walk the walk of a region, because God knows, we’ve talked the talk for 15 years. We need to start acting like a region, developing joint plans in areas where agreement should be motivated by mutual enlightened self-interest, such as transportation and water and air quality. We need the MPO to demonstrate the same sort of innovative thinking that characterizes the agency in other cities, where it’s taken on strategic regional planning (actually linking transportation planning to land use and economic development) and in a few cases has even morphed into a form of regional government.
As we have said repeatedly, we need to bring rationality to our tax structure, which is one of the most regressive in the U.S. and results in lower incomes paying larger percentages of their salaries in taxes than the wealthy. But more broadly, we need a regional tax for amenities that would serve as a venture capital fund for cultural and historical facilities.
Agenda Items
In addition, we need to be defined by our commitment to sustainability. We need a greenprint to make the most out of the riverfront, Shelby Farms Park, Wolf River greenway and Memphis Greenline, but there are projects in other cities in the region that are just as important.
But we need much more. We need incentives and codes that encourage density and urban reinvestment and redevelopment. We need government fleets of hybrid cars and LEED-certified public buildings. We need greenways, walkable neighborhoods and bike paths.
And we need create a city where people with choices elect to live, particularly families with children, and that means not only improving neighborhoods but improving schools, the toughest job of all.
A Choice
Some say that none of this can be done. And the harsh truth is that some key indicators for Memphis paint a discouraging picture for the future.
In other words, it may take a citizen revolt to make it happen, to make sure we’ve got the most progressive agenda, to make sure we’re having the right conversations, to increase the intellectual capital brought to issues and to spark new thinking.
And, we shouldn’t have to wait until 2040 to get it started.
It’s the age of the megapolitans -- super-regions strung together by economies, commuting patterns, culture and demographic trends, giving birth to what are becoming the super-novas of economic units.
More than two-thirds of the country’s population already live in 10 megapolitans, which are growing at a faster rate than the U.S. as a whole, according to Robert Lang, the Virginia Tech University professor who’s become the nation’s expert on this statistical phenomenon. He predicts that the population of the megapolitans will grow by 85 million people and see $33 trillion in construction spending in the next 35 years.
History In The Making
While these super-regions would command attention in their own right, the fact that they are emerging as a new brand of federalism is taking root across the U.S. makes this a moment in time when history may be in the process of being fundamentally reshaped.
On this weekend’s Smart City interview with Jonathan Taplin, the University of Southern California professor discussed the abdication of federal responsibilities that has led to cities taking action on issues such as global warming, stem cell research and fuel standards. He made the point that these demands for changes in policy come as a result of the digital age and the size of states like California which is a leader for the movement.
Another trend giving momentum for this shift is the emergence of 10 nation-states that will exist in our midst – economic and political centers of power that can drive change at the national level because the alternative is that they will create it for themselves.
In the Backwater
The problem for Memphis is that when the age of megapolitans dawns, we’ll be in its backwater, no closer than about 200 miles to the nearest one – the Piedmont megapolitan, which embraces 19 million people in an area that stretches from Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta and Birmingham. Its western edge teases the Nashville metro.
The largest of the megapolitans is the gigantic Northeast, stretching from New England to Northern Virginia and holding 50 million people and a $3 trillion economy.
The Pittsburgh, Detroit and Chicago corridor holds 40 million people in the Midwest; Southland embraces Southern California and Las Vegas with its 22 million people; the I-35 megapolitan runs from San Antonio, Dallas and Kansas City with 15 million people; and the Peninsula is essentially all of Florida south of the mainland and holds 14 million people.
Small Is Big
The smaller megapolitans include NorCal, which has San Francisco and Central Valley’s 12 million people; the Gulf Coast, running from Houston through New Orleans to Pensacola, also holds 12 million people; the seven million people in Cascadia live in the western third of Washington and the upper quarter of Oregion; and the bottom half of Arizona with its five million people makes up the Valley of the Sun.
As the fluid shape of these megapolitans begins to emerge, the imperative for them now is to find ways integrate them into the global economy, as Europe has been doing – and across country borders no less – for decades. For example, the self-named Alpine Diamond region has been collaborating, cooperating and marketing an area for more than 20 years that includes Lyon, France; Torino, Italy, and Geneva, Switzerland. The strongest evidence of the success of this approach is the light rail system that was constructed as a result of the tri-country clout.
For Professor Lang, the criteria for the megapolitan are:
* It combines at least two, but may include dozens of existing metro areas
* has more than 10 million in population projected by 2040
* It constitutes an organic cultural region with a distinct history and identity
* It has roughly similar physical environment
* It links large centers through major transportation infrastructure
* It forms a functional urban network via goods and service
* It creates a usable geography that is suitable for large-scale regional planning
Edge(less) Cities
These edgeless super-regions defy the traditional notion of a central city surrounded by an urban core and a suburban ring. Instead, megapolitans are amorphous, irregular, unpredictable and seemingly alive in the way that their borders undulate and shift.
In the face of such growth in the megapolitans, issues like sustainability, equity, rational government structure and global competitiveness will only be amplified and take on new importance, some observers predict. It also will produce more burbtowns with new versions of center cities and greater density.
The gravitational pull produced by these megapolitans will escalate trends that are already evident today. For example, these 10 super-regions will be the major magnets for talent in the U.S., and it’s no wonder: The dozen or so cities that today are attracting the bulk of 25-34 year-old workers today fall within a megapolitan.
The Pressing Questions
As we now know, companies will move to the cities where the talent lives, and as a result, these workers will attract more and more companies to these super-regions, and because talent is key to the innovation economy, it’s likely that these megapolitans will also be the seedbeds for the innovative breakthroughs that determine economic success today.
In other words, it’s likely that these 10 megapolitans will dominate the American economic and political landscapes like nothing seen in a century. So, the question that Memphis needs to answer is “How do we become part or make a connection with a megapolitan?” or more likely, “What does Memphis need to do to become more strongly competitive in the age of the megapolitan?”
As for the first questions, projections suggest that it’s unlikely that Memphis will become part of a super-regions. We’re just too far off the growth corridors, and it seems unlikely that I-69 – which on most days feels more like a real estate scheme than a transportation plan - can produce the kind of growth that could attach Memphis to the Midwest megapolitan, and it seems even more unlikely that the Piedmont super-region will ever ooze this far west.
Low-Wage, Low-Skill, Low Expectations
So, the more pertinent question for Memphis is deciding what strategies can make it more competitive. Our top-of-mind answer is that Memphis needs to concentrate on quality – as in quality government, quality of life, high-quality transportation and quality community.
If Memphis is willing to continue to sell itself at a discount, it will continue to pick up the crumbs from the knowledge economy table, and worst of all, it will seal the fate of our region, because we will forever be on the lower rungs of economic life in the U.S. In a knowledge economy where talented workers are looking for high quality of life and high quality cities, it seems obvious, but we’ve made a history of chasing warehouse/distribution/logistics jobs to the detriment of a comprehensive, healthy economy plan.
Our reliance on low-wage, low-skill jobs will continue, and our future is preordained if nothing happens to shake things up. To this end, the Memphis region needs to act against type.
Walking The Walk
We need to be known for experimenting with some of the most innovative programs in the South. While it would be a good strategy for most cities, it would have extra impact here because no one would expect it from us.
We need to walk the walk of a region, because God knows, we’ve talked the talk for 15 years. We need to start acting like a region, developing joint plans in areas where agreement should be motivated by mutual enlightened self-interest, such as transportation and water and air quality. We need the MPO to demonstrate the same sort of innovative thinking that characterizes the agency in other cities, where it’s taken on strategic regional planning (actually linking transportation planning to land use and economic development) and in a few cases has even morphed into a form of regional government.
As we have said repeatedly, we need to bring rationality to our tax structure, which is one of the most regressive in the U.S. and results in lower incomes paying larger percentages of their salaries in taxes than the wealthy. But more broadly, we need a regional tax for amenities that would serve as a venture capital fund for cultural and historical facilities.
Agenda Items
In addition, we need to be defined by our commitment to sustainability. We need a greenprint to make the most out of the riverfront, Shelby Farms Park, Wolf River greenway and Memphis Greenline, but there are projects in other cities in the region that are just as important.
But we need much more. We need incentives and codes that encourage density and urban reinvestment and redevelopment. We need government fleets of hybrid cars and LEED-certified public buildings. We need greenways, walkable neighborhoods and bike paths.
And we need create a city where people with choices elect to live, particularly families with children, and that means not only improving neighborhoods but improving schools, the toughest job of all.
A Choice
Some say that none of this can be done. And the harsh truth is that some key indicators for Memphis paint a discouraging picture for the future.
In other words, it may take a citizen revolt to make it happen, to make sure we’ve got the most progressive agenda, to make sure we’re having the right conversations, to increase the intellectual capital brought to issues and to spark new thinking.
And, we shouldn’t have to wait until 2040 to get it started.
Friday, September 28, 2007
This Week On Smart City: A City In The Clouds
Two new reports are out from CEOs for Cities, and their authors are with us this week to discuss their findings.
Charles Leadbeater, who consults worldwide on innovation strategy, suggests that cities now face problems more like clouds than clocks that cannot be solved with traditional, top-down approaches. Charles has advised companies, cities and governments around the world on innovation strategy and drawn on that experience in writing his forthcoming book We-think: The Power of Mass Creativity, which charts the rise of mass, participative approaches to innovation from science and open source software, to computer games and political campaigning.
Joe Cortright claims cities have advantages that are going unrecognized. They offer more variety, convenience, discovery and opportunity, and these advantages are the source of economic advantage. Joe is an economist and principal with Impresa Consulting based in Portland, Oregon, specializing in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Charles Leadbeater, who consults worldwide on innovation strategy, suggests that cities now face problems more like clouds than clocks that cannot be solved with traditional, top-down approaches. Charles has advised companies, cities and governments around the world on innovation strategy and drawn on that experience in writing his forthcoming book We-think: The Power of Mass Creativity, which charts the rise of mass, participative approaches to innovation from science and open source software, to computer games and political campaigning.
Joe Cortright claims cities have advantages that are going unrecognized. They offer more variety, convenience, discovery and opportunity, and these advantages are the source of economic advantage. Joe is an economist and principal with Impresa Consulting based in Portland, Oregon, specializing in regional economic analysis, innovation and industry clusters.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website, which also has a listing of broadcast times in other cities and the sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Continuing The Discussion About Economic Advantage
The conversation about what small advantages in Memphis can become major economic advantages is continuing, and so we want to post recent comments here to make sure you're keeping up (and can contribute):
Jon said...
Memphis also has a great radio station -- www.AllMemphisMusic.com
Gregg said...
I meant to post this and time got away. I agree with all that's been mentioned about the arts and the parks. That's what makes people happy once they get to Memphis.Clearly from a purely economic standpoint (i.e. GETTING people to Memphis), our location is a huge advantage for logistics and distribution. FedEx knows this. All the rail companies know this. We HAVE to leverage that by thinking long-term about making it easy to ship goods to and from Memphis.
Heavy freight is boring, the pay scales are relatively poor and you don't need a "creative class" type of employee. However, the speed at which we can get lighter goods to global destinations is a huge advantage with FedEx. The head of the regional chamber touched on this today as it relates to medical devices . The fact we can get a replacement knee to Mumbai in under 24 hours is a huge competitve advantage. Obvious initiatives would be to get a 2nd rail line into Pidgeon Industrial Park to break the CN monopoly on rail there.
Another would be the super terminal to get the BN out of the Poplar corridor (and move people on that...not freight).
Anonymous said...
If anything, our location, which is an advantage for logistics businesses, is a decided DISADVANTAGE in another way; to wit, we are isolated from the synergies that being close to other cities would bring.
2 hours from Little Rock
3 hours from Nashville3 hours from Jackson, MS
5 hours from St. Louis
4 hours from Birmingham
We're kind of stuck out here in a Delta sea of cotton fields with every other city of consequence half a day’s drive away.As an example of synergies, Atlanta is planning for high speed rail to Chattanooga. Now if I'm recruiting for Chattanooga, I'm pushing that concept mightily and telling everyone who'll listen that they can live in Chattanooga or that area and be in Atlanta in 1 hour to work. That's just an example.
Santo said...
Your blog is required reading for my students, so hopefully they’ll see and respond to the gentle prod. (Or maybe I’ll just make your question of the week an essay on the midterm!)
We did have one nod toward the Aerotropolis idea, and a bit of discussion about music and art. By the way, the CA had a similar question for readers in the Sep. 16 viewpoints section: What is Memphis’ single greatest asset? 15 of the 17 responses printed on Sep. 23 mentioned arts and/or music.
Does that mean it’s true? (I’m considering exploring the potential relationship between art/music and neighborhood level revitalization in a course this spring. Stay tuned.)
Smart City Consulting said...
Dr. Santo: Thanks for the compliment. We look forward to any insights from your students, and in line with the arts/music/creativity, we think our next question of the week will be about whether readers believe that Memphis is more innately creative than other cities.
In the wake of the comments about creativity, we had one person suggest that all of our talk about creativity in present-day Memphis is an exercise in myth-making. It raises an interesting question, particularly if we want to make sure that great music isn't just in our rear view window (although it's hard to think that with folks like Amy LaVere still around).
gatesofmemphis said...
Myth-making in what way? If they meant it pejoratively, let me say that making myths is ipso facto proof of our creativity.
A stagnant-to-destructive parallel anti-culture has also thrived throughout Memphis history. Creative Memphis' evil and abusive fraternal twin. We should be honest about its existence, but it has always been on the wrong side of world history and maybe, one day soon, Memphis history.great thread. I'm looking forward to the next question
Jon said...
Memphis also has a great radio station -- www.AllMemphisMusic.com
Gregg said...
I meant to post this and time got away. I agree with all that's been mentioned about the arts and the parks. That's what makes people happy once they get to Memphis.Clearly from a purely economic standpoint (i.e. GETTING people to Memphis), our location is a huge advantage for logistics and distribution. FedEx knows this. All the rail companies know this. We HAVE to leverage that by thinking long-term about making it easy to ship goods to and from Memphis.
Heavy freight is boring, the pay scales are relatively poor and you don't need a "creative class" type of employee. However, the speed at which we can get lighter goods to global destinations is a huge advantage with FedEx. The head of the regional chamber touched on this today as it relates to medical devices . The fact we can get a replacement knee to Mumbai in under 24 hours is a huge competitve advantage. Obvious initiatives would be to get a 2nd rail line into Pidgeon Industrial Park to break the CN monopoly on rail there.
Another would be the super terminal to get the BN out of the Poplar corridor (and move people on that...not freight).
Anonymous said...
If anything, our location, which is an advantage for logistics businesses, is a decided DISADVANTAGE in another way; to wit, we are isolated from the synergies that being close to other cities would bring.
2 hours from Little Rock
3 hours from Nashville3 hours from Jackson, MS
5 hours from St. Louis
4 hours from Birmingham
We're kind of stuck out here in a Delta sea of cotton fields with every other city of consequence half a day’s drive away.As an example of synergies, Atlanta is planning for high speed rail to Chattanooga. Now if I'm recruiting for Chattanooga, I'm pushing that concept mightily and telling everyone who'll listen that they can live in Chattanooga or that area and be in Atlanta in 1 hour to work. That's just an example.
Santo said...
Your blog is required reading for my students, so hopefully they’ll see and respond to the gentle prod. (Or maybe I’ll just make your question of the week an essay on the midterm!)
We did have one nod toward the Aerotropolis idea, and a bit of discussion about music and art. By the way, the CA had a similar question for readers in the Sep. 16 viewpoints section: What is Memphis’ single greatest asset? 15 of the 17 responses printed on Sep. 23 mentioned arts and/or music.
Does that mean it’s true? (I’m considering exploring the potential relationship between art/music and neighborhood level revitalization in a course this spring. Stay tuned.)
Smart City Consulting said...
Dr. Santo: Thanks for the compliment. We look forward to any insights from your students, and in line with the arts/music/creativity, we think our next question of the week will be about whether readers believe that Memphis is more innately creative than other cities.
In the wake of the comments about creativity, we had one person suggest that all of our talk about creativity in present-day Memphis is an exercise in myth-making. It raises an interesting question, particularly if we want to make sure that great music isn't just in our rear view window (although it's hard to think that with folks like Amy LaVere still around).
gatesofmemphis said...
Myth-making in what way? If they meant it pejoratively, let me say that making myths is ipso facto proof of our creativity.
A stagnant-to-destructive parallel anti-culture has also thrived throughout Memphis history. Creative Memphis' evil and abusive fraternal twin. We should be honest about its existence, but it has always been on the wrong side of world history and maybe, one day soon, Memphis history.great thread. I'm looking forward to the next question
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Leasing City Assets Fills Chicago Coffers
Cities – including Memphis – are sitting on assets that can be leased to pay for crumbling infrastructure, to improve maintenance and to improve bond ratings.
At least that’s the opinion of Dana Levenson, former Chief Financial Officer for the City of Chicago and architect of the leases of the Chicago Skyway and the city-owned parking garages that brought $2.5 billion into his city’s coffers.
Speaking to this week’s CEOs for Cities meeting in Chicago, Mr. Levenson said the leases not only infused much-needed money into the city budget, but they improved service and operations. “There’s no question that they are better run than when they were under city control,” he said. “In other words, users are getting more value and taxpayers are getting more help.”
Chicago Fire
Borrowing a leasing concept popular in Europe for years, Levenson spearheaded what was called by some critics a “fire sale” of city assets. Except for one thing: there was no sale. Instead, Chicago entered into a long-term leases, retaining ownership and setting our terms for future operations.
For the Skyway - about eight miles of elevated highway - Chicago entered into a 99-year lease for $1.83 billion. Five groups vied for the Skyway concession contract, and the winning amount was paid by a consortium of Australian and Spanish investors.
When the parking garages came up for lease, 13 companies fought for the right to manage them, and eventually, Chicago signed a contract with Morgan Stanley for $563 million.
Public Policy Innovation
It didn’t take long for some governors to join the new movement. Indiana signed a 75-year lease with the same group that leased the Chicago Skyway and it paid $3.85 billion to manage the Indiana Toll Highway. Virginia inked a 99-year contract for Pocahontas Parkways for $603 million, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has the Pennsylvania Turnpike out to bid.
Back in Chicago, although Mr. Levenson left to work for the Royal Bank of Scotland, the momentum continues with Mayor Richard Daley’s interest in leasing Midway Airport.
The big question is whether this interest in leasing public assets is just an momentary aberration in public policy or whether it signals things to come. Regardless, cities looking to get on board should do it now, Mr. Levenson advised.
Asphalt Jewels
“The beauty is that cities can unlock capital from dead assets, and we’re not talking about the ‘crown jewels’ unless your idea of ‘crown jewels’ is asphalt. Best of all, the asset stays in place, because no one is going to move the Chicago Skyway or the garages to Australia,” he said. “In other words, the assets remain here, they are better run and future risk is transferred to the private sector.”
Pension funds – like the powerful one for California teachers - are driving the interest in the leases, because private management of public assets can generate 10-12 percent yearly gains. So far, only about $7.4 billion has been spent on these infrastructure leases, a small fraction of the $175 billion of funds in the global marketplace for them. When this amount is leveraged, Mr. Levenson said that the buying power is $700 billion.
While the former banker was motivated by the financial infusion, he said better operations was almost an equal draw. City officials simply aren’t equipped to manage operations like garages and toll roads.
Bean Counters
“Garage management by city government consisted of compiling numbers each month,” he said. “We didn’t do anything if the number went up or down. We just kept statistics. In the private sector, they act if the capacity goes down and they base payment on maximizing capacity. For the city, the garages just sit there as profits dip.”
He said the lesson was reinforced by the least of the toll road. “In three months from the time of the contract, the private sector had installed electronic tollways,” he said. “City government would still be thinking about it.”
In Chicago, the money from the leases wasn’t used to balance the operating budget. “You don’t use a windfall to plug a budget hole,” he said. Rather, the Daley Administration used the money to created a long-term reserve fund, paid off bond debt, created a mid-term annuity and used five percent of the total to fund 20 social programs in Chicago.
Complaints
Most of the opposition to the leasing of infrastructure is more philosophical than practical – complaints about paying tolls to a foreign company and a fear of escalating fees and tolls.
That’s why he said the contracts between City of Chicago and the lessees are so critical. It sets out strict conditions for the lease, including limits for the number and size of fee and toll increases, setting the standard for service and nailing down the fine print that in the end spells the difference between wise public policy and exploitation by the private sector.
And what are the kinds of public assets that should be considered for lease? Mr. Levenson’s list includes convention centers/stadiums, hospitals, prisons, harbors and waterways/ports. “It’s at least worth looking at the possibility,” he said. “It’s sure better than the options – asking the federal government for help, begging for state funds or increasing local taxes.”
Lease, Not Sell
While the terms of the leases in Chicago seem daunting, Mr. Levenson defends them against critics concerned that lawyers cannot now hammer out a contract that foresees all the changes that can take place over a century. And yet, if Chicago can close on the Midway Airport deal, what has largely been a curiosity in public policy may become a stampede.
Interestingly, no one in Chicago is suggesting a lease of the water system. “It’s the ultimate political landmine,” said Mr. Levinson, a conclusion already proven here when Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton laid out a proposal to sell Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division.
The public’s reaction to that idea was explosive and immediate, and while it probably created reticence in City Hall for similar proposals, it might be worth taking a thoughtful look at some of our undervalued infrastructure assets as sources for new revenue. And most of all, talk about leases, not sales.
Our Toll Road Candidate
Unfortunately, we’ve already missed the boat on the best opportunity that we had for a lease. From our point of view, we would have started with Tennessee Highway 385 that circles the outer borders of Shelby County – a $500 million gift to developers.
Now, there’s a road we’d have loved to put toll booths on.
At least that’s the opinion of Dana Levenson, former Chief Financial Officer for the City of Chicago and architect of the leases of the Chicago Skyway and the city-owned parking garages that brought $2.5 billion into his city’s coffers.
Speaking to this week’s CEOs for Cities meeting in Chicago, Mr. Levenson said the leases not only infused much-needed money into the city budget, but they improved service and operations. “There’s no question that they are better run than when they were under city control,” he said. “In other words, users are getting more value and taxpayers are getting more help.”
Chicago Fire
Borrowing a leasing concept popular in Europe for years, Levenson spearheaded what was called by some critics a “fire sale” of city assets. Except for one thing: there was no sale. Instead, Chicago entered into a long-term leases, retaining ownership and setting our terms for future operations.
For the Skyway - about eight miles of elevated highway - Chicago entered into a 99-year lease for $1.83 billion. Five groups vied for the Skyway concession contract, and the winning amount was paid by a consortium of Australian and Spanish investors.
When the parking garages came up for lease, 13 companies fought for the right to manage them, and eventually, Chicago signed a contract with Morgan Stanley for $563 million.
Public Policy Innovation
It didn’t take long for some governors to join the new movement. Indiana signed a 75-year lease with the same group that leased the Chicago Skyway and it paid $3.85 billion to manage the Indiana Toll Highway. Virginia inked a 99-year contract for Pocahontas Parkways for $603 million, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell has the Pennsylvania Turnpike out to bid.
Back in Chicago, although Mr. Levenson left to work for the Royal Bank of Scotland, the momentum continues with Mayor Richard Daley’s interest in leasing Midway Airport.
The big question is whether this interest in leasing public assets is just an momentary aberration in public policy or whether it signals things to come. Regardless, cities looking to get on board should do it now, Mr. Levenson advised.
Asphalt Jewels
“The beauty is that cities can unlock capital from dead assets, and we’re not talking about the ‘crown jewels’ unless your idea of ‘crown jewels’ is asphalt. Best of all, the asset stays in place, because no one is going to move the Chicago Skyway or the garages to Australia,” he said. “In other words, the assets remain here, they are better run and future risk is transferred to the private sector.”
Pension funds – like the powerful one for California teachers - are driving the interest in the leases, because private management of public assets can generate 10-12 percent yearly gains. So far, only about $7.4 billion has been spent on these infrastructure leases, a small fraction of the $175 billion of funds in the global marketplace for them. When this amount is leveraged, Mr. Levenson said that the buying power is $700 billion.
While the former banker was motivated by the financial infusion, he said better operations was almost an equal draw. City officials simply aren’t equipped to manage operations like garages and toll roads.
Bean Counters
“Garage management by city government consisted of compiling numbers each month,” he said. “We didn’t do anything if the number went up or down. We just kept statistics. In the private sector, they act if the capacity goes down and they base payment on maximizing capacity. For the city, the garages just sit there as profits dip.”
He said the lesson was reinforced by the least of the toll road. “In three months from the time of the contract, the private sector had installed electronic tollways,” he said. “City government would still be thinking about it.”
In Chicago, the money from the leases wasn’t used to balance the operating budget. “You don’t use a windfall to plug a budget hole,” he said. Rather, the Daley Administration used the money to created a long-term reserve fund, paid off bond debt, created a mid-term annuity and used five percent of the total to fund 20 social programs in Chicago.
Complaints
Most of the opposition to the leasing of infrastructure is more philosophical than practical – complaints about paying tolls to a foreign company and a fear of escalating fees and tolls.
That’s why he said the contracts between City of Chicago and the lessees are so critical. It sets out strict conditions for the lease, including limits for the number and size of fee and toll increases, setting the standard for service and nailing down the fine print that in the end spells the difference between wise public policy and exploitation by the private sector.
And what are the kinds of public assets that should be considered for lease? Mr. Levenson’s list includes convention centers/stadiums, hospitals, prisons, harbors and waterways/ports. “It’s at least worth looking at the possibility,” he said. “It’s sure better than the options – asking the federal government for help, begging for state funds or increasing local taxes.”
Lease, Not Sell
While the terms of the leases in Chicago seem daunting, Mr. Levenson defends them against critics concerned that lawyers cannot now hammer out a contract that foresees all the changes that can take place over a century. And yet, if Chicago can close on the Midway Airport deal, what has largely been a curiosity in public policy may become a stampede.
Interestingly, no one in Chicago is suggesting a lease of the water system. “It’s the ultimate political landmine,” said Mr. Levinson, a conclusion already proven here when Memphis Mayor Willie W. Herenton laid out a proposal to sell Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division.
The public’s reaction to that idea was explosive and immediate, and while it probably created reticence in City Hall for similar proposals, it might be worth taking a thoughtful look at some of our undervalued infrastructure assets as sources for new revenue. And most of all, talk about leases, not sales.
Our Toll Road Candidate
Unfortunately, we’ve already missed the boat on the best opportunity that we had for a lease. From our point of view, we would have started with Tennessee Highway 385 that circles the outer borders of Shelby County – a $500 million gift to developers.
Now, there’s a road we’d have loved to put toll booths on.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Question Of The Week: Memphis' Small Advantages
Little more than a week ago, we submitted a “question of the week” based on Harvard University economist Edward L. Glaeser’s 43-page paper, “Urban Colossus: Why Is New York America’s Largest City.”
In it, he made a seminal point about the economy of cities -- urban economies are shaped by small advantages that over time become huge advantages.
So the question that we asked was:
Knowing that small advantages can become huge economic advantage, what should Memphis be keying on?
We got the kind of insights and comments that we always get here - the kinds that make us hopeful about the future of our city. (By the way, Santo, we're still waiting for your students' answers, which we're sure we'd find instructive.)
Here’s what you said --
Anonymous said...
* clean up Wolf River and make it usable -- boating, swimming, fishing, and plain old watching.
* expand and emphasize Shelby Farms, and Shelby Forest.
* another Musicfest in the fall.
* turn Memphis into the medical capital of the South. You already have UT MED, U of M has a good nursing program (make it better). We have St. Jude & Lebonheur.
* More magnet city schools like White Station.
* Put term limits on political seats.
* Don' t annex areas the city can’t support.
Anonymous said...
Is it just me or does it seem like the state of Tennessee doesn't care much about investing in UTCHS? I mean, go to other cities and look at state med schools and associated hospital/research areas. Ours doesn't seem to measure up.
Anonymous said...
You wrote, "Recently, Memphis Fast Forward unveiled the latest economic development plan for our city, naming its priorities as logistics, music/film, biomedical and tourism."
Is that a plan? Or merely a recognition of facts?
And if we are in sorry shape in spite of those facts, what's the plan to bring new industry?Or maybe you're talking about a new shuffling of existing priorities. I don't know.
Anonymous said...
Or shuffling of the deck chairs?
Anonymous said...
Can we leverage our trees? They are one, uncomplicated-ly good thing about the city. I'd like to see new vitality to City Beautiful.
Are there enough qualified students to fill another school like White Station High School? And whose parents are broad-minded enough to send them to public school? The multicultural education I got there was certainly a small, wonderful thing about the city for me.
gates of Memphis said...
Perhaps a key advantage is Memphis' special combination of low-cost of living, and creativity. We could use this combination to develop a major creative subculture based on personal dreams rather than personal wealth. So many other creative cities, due to their high costs of living, end up pushing out the artists and dreamers. Memphis could encourage them to live here.
Requirements:
1. creating place and density to help foster creative energy.
2. cultural institutions that promote creation rather than consumption.
3. economic and social system which supports artists and dreamers, either directly through their earning a living through their art and creativity, or indirectly through free health care and access to jobs.
Obstacles:
1. Memphis' monied, institutional and political classes' general lack of curiosity about anything outside their class and social circles.
2. our absolute reliance on for profit developers to create/shape/destroy our urban landscape and its energy and beauty;
3. economic system that punishes creative risk with poverty and health care loss.
Anonymous said...
We're always bragging about the city's history of entrepreneurs. We need to invest in that ability rather than concentrating on industries. It's about aptitudes, not industry sectors.
Anonymous said...
You're always talking on this blog about the future being determined by innovation and entrepreneurship. It's hard to see how logistics and tourism got on that list. I think that Memphis needs to concentrate on seeding creativity with a special venture fund.
If the Arts Council really wants to do something - besides just change its name and little else - it would put up the money for a fund that treats our musicians, our filmmakers, and our artists as worthy of investment. That's where the greatest progress can come, particularly if the Arts Council and others would set up a way that business and the arts collide and produce new ideas and innovation.
It's the silo thinking that's killing Memphis, and there's no bigger silo than the Arts Council and the private sector, who can't figure out that all these quirky, strange people aren't pains in the butt but people who can help create Memphis, not just their art.
Santo said...
One of my classes just read Glaeser’s “Urban Colossus” last week. I’ll see if they come up with any ideas. As for me, I think there’s reason to believe that we must have some small advantage in some subcategory of the broad term “music.”
Maybe it’s a combination of musical heritage, music industry infrastructure, musically inspiring urban decay (in a good way?), and general affordability. (That would make a great Chamber of Commerce Slogan.)
I’m not sure what the exact advantage is, or how Memphis might capitalize on it, but consider this piece about how Portland has become America’s Indie rock Mecca: http://www.slate.com/id/2173729/fr/flyout
Portlander Taylor Clark shares his thoughts on why a growing number of successful musicians who got their start in other places have chosen to settle in the Rose City. Read it if you have the time, but I’ve tried to distill his theories to four mains reasons here:
1. Indie rockers come to Portland because they want “to live in a place where they could walk like gods among mortals.”
2. For Indie rockers, Portland is a comfortable place to live. It has “laid-back weirdness,” which, in part means “you can venture into public dressed like a convicted sex offender or a homeless person, and no one looks at you askew.” Other related reason include “the people are nice,” “the food is good,” and “creativity is the highest law.”
3. “Housing is affordable, especially compared with Seattle or San Francisco.”
4. Indie rockers love Portland because “the city produces very enthusiastic rock crowds.”Nothing earth shattering there. Maybe this kind of success needs to happen “organically,” but if it is possible to create it, why not here? Laid back weirdness? Well, we’ve got laid back, and we’ve got weirdness, so why not “laid back weirdness?”
Housing is affordable in Portland? No, it’s not. I spent four years there not too long ago. Housing is affordable in Memphis. And we’ve got plenty of mortals for gods to walk among. Better still, here they can walk among mortals along streets that some of their gods walked back in the day.
As for the enthusiastic rock crowds, I haven’t been in a real rock crowd since my daughter was born 4 years ago, but I’d imagine Memphis could muster up a mosh pit with the best of them, right?
Going back to my earlier point about the musical inspiration of life in a gritty city, consider this comment on Taylor piece by Slate reader “Anse”:
“I remember Tom Waits once said the reason he preferred to stay in cheap hotels when he was on tour wasn't just because he could save money; lower-class neighborhoods had more stories. Luxury was an obstacle to getting to the root of things.”
In it, he made a seminal point about the economy of cities -- urban economies are shaped by small advantages that over time become huge advantages.
So the question that we asked was:
Knowing that small advantages can become huge economic advantage, what should Memphis be keying on?
We got the kind of insights and comments that we always get here - the kinds that make us hopeful about the future of our city. (By the way, Santo, we're still waiting for your students' answers, which we're sure we'd find instructive.)
Here’s what you said --
Anonymous said...
* clean up Wolf River and make it usable -- boating, swimming, fishing, and plain old watching.
* expand and emphasize Shelby Farms, and Shelby Forest.
* another Musicfest in the fall.
* turn Memphis into the medical capital of the South. You already have UT MED, U of M has a good nursing program (make it better). We have St. Jude & Lebonheur.
* More magnet city schools like White Station.
* Put term limits on political seats.
* Don' t annex areas the city can’t support.
Anonymous said...
Is it just me or does it seem like the state of Tennessee doesn't care much about investing in UTCHS? I mean, go to other cities and look at state med schools and associated hospital/research areas. Ours doesn't seem to measure up.
Anonymous said...
You wrote, "Recently, Memphis Fast Forward unveiled the latest economic development plan for our city, naming its priorities as logistics, music/film, biomedical and tourism."
Is that a plan? Or merely a recognition of facts?
And if we are in sorry shape in spite of those facts, what's the plan to bring new industry?Or maybe you're talking about a new shuffling of existing priorities. I don't know.
Anonymous said...
Or shuffling of the deck chairs?
Anonymous said...
Can we leverage our trees? They are one, uncomplicated-ly good thing about the city. I'd like to see new vitality to City Beautiful.
Are there enough qualified students to fill another school like White Station High School? And whose parents are broad-minded enough to send them to public school? The multicultural education I got there was certainly a small, wonderful thing about the city for me.
gates of Memphis said...
Perhaps a key advantage is Memphis' special combination of low-cost of living, and creativity. We could use this combination to develop a major creative subculture based on personal dreams rather than personal wealth. So many other creative cities, due to their high costs of living, end up pushing out the artists and dreamers. Memphis could encourage them to live here.
Requirements:
1. creating place and density to help foster creative energy.
2. cultural institutions that promote creation rather than consumption.
3. economic and social system which supports artists and dreamers, either directly through their earning a living through their art and creativity, or indirectly through free health care and access to jobs.
Obstacles:
1. Memphis' monied, institutional and political classes' general lack of curiosity about anything outside their class and social circles.
2. our absolute reliance on for profit developers to create/shape/destroy our urban landscape and its energy and beauty;
3. economic system that punishes creative risk with poverty and health care loss.
Anonymous said...
We're always bragging about the city's history of entrepreneurs. We need to invest in that ability rather than concentrating on industries. It's about aptitudes, not industry sectors.
Anonymous said...
You're always talking on this blog about the future being determined by innovation and entrepreneurship. It's hard to see how logistics and tourism got on that list. I think that Memphis needs to concentrate on seeding creativity with a special venture fund.
If the Arts Council really wants to do something - besides just change its name and little else - it would put up the money for a fund that treats our musicians, our filmmakers, and our artists as worthy of investment. That's where the greatest progress can come, particularly if the Arts Council and others would set up a way that business and the arts collide and produce new ideas and innovation.
It's the silo thinking that's killing Memphis, and there's no bigger silo than the Arts Council and the private sector, who can't figure out that all these quirky, strange people aren't pains in the butt but people who can help create Memphis, not just their art.
Santo said...
One of my classes just read Glaeser’s “Urban Colossus” last week. I’ll see if they come up with any ideas. As for me, I think there’s reason to believe that we must have some small advantage in some subcategory of the broad term “music.”
Maybe it’s a combination of musical heritage, music industry infrastructure, musically inspiring urban decay (in a good way?), and general affordability. (That would make a great Chamber of Commerce Slogan.)
I’m not sure what the exact advantage is, or how Memphis might capitalize on it, but consider this piece about how Portland has become America’s Indie rock Mecca: http://www.slate.com/id/2173729/fr/flyout
Portlander Taylor Clark shares his thoughts on why a growing number of successful musicians who got their start in other places have chosen to settle in the Rose City. Read it if you have the time, but I’ve tried to distill his theories to four mains reasons here:
1. Indie rockers come to Portland because they want “to live in a place where they could walk like gods among mortals.”
2. For Indie rockers, Portland is a comfortable place to live. It has “laid-back weirdness,” which, in part means “you can venture into public dressed like a convicted sex offender or a homeless person, and no one looks at you askew.” Other related reason include “the people are nice,” “the food is good,” and “creativity is the highest law.”
3. “Housing is affordable, especially compared with Seattle or San Francisco.”
4. Indie rockers love Portland because “the city produces very enthusiastic rock crowds.”Nothing earth shattering there. Maybe this kind of success needs to happen “organically,” but if it is possible to create it, why not here? Laid back weirdness? Well, we’ve got laid back, and we’ve got weirdness, so why not “laid back weirdness?”
Housing is affordable in Portland? No, it’s not. I spent four years there not too long ago. Housing is affordable in Memphis. And we’ve got plenty of mortals for gods to walk among. Better still, here they can walk among mortals along streets that some of their gods walked back in the day.
As for the enthusiastic rock crowds, I haven’t been in a real rock crowd since my daughter was born 4 years ago, but I’d imagine Memphis could muster up a mosh pit with the best of them, right?
Going back to my earlier point about the musical inspiration of life in a gritty city, consider this comment on Taylor piece by Slate reader “Anse”:
“I remember Tom Waits once said the reason he preferred to stay in cheap hotels when he was on tour wasn't just because he could save money; lower-class neighborhoods had more stories. Luxury was an obstacle to getting to the root of things.”
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
IRV Gives Election Results ASAP
It’s not often that Memphis has the chance to be a trend setter, but one of the least understood proposals before the Memphis Charter Commission would give us just such a chance.
It’s Instant Runoff Voting, a proposal submitted to the Commission by Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy, whose solidly liberal credentials should allay concerns that IRV is a plot to give white voters more clout at the polls.
He’d be hard-pressed to have more graphic examples of the wisdom of IRV than this year’s city elections. After all, it’s likely that a number of City Council races will require costly runoff elections, where voters will back into selecting a winner rather than voting for their hopes and dreams for the future.
Eliminating Spoilers
Sadly, there’s no runoff for the Memphis mayor and Council super-districts, meaning that there’s the real prospect that some elected officials – notably the mayor – will take office with more people voting against the winner than in favor of him or her.
For the sake of example, consider the race for District 6 Council race where yet another Ford progeny, Edmund Ford Jr., is running for the seat left open by his father in the wake of his federal indictment. His major opponents are Reginald Milton, Ed Vaughn, James Catchings and a few assorted others.
It’s likely that no candidate will get a majority of the vote, and as a result, a follow-up runoff costing Memphis taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars will be held. There’s also the prospect that the turnout will be much smaller.
Cheaper And Immediate
It could be different. It could be cheaper, more efficient and the results could be immediate.
That’s the beauty of Instant Runoff Voting. Memphis voters would no longer have to vote twice to get a winner, because on election night, a majority winner would be proclaimed.
Here’s how it works:
When voters go to the polls, they vote for candidates in order of their preference. The pick their first choice, their second choice, their third choice, and so on.
Simple Math
If a candidate wins a majority, that person obviously is the winner. If there is no candidate with a majority, the rankings of the other candidates are used to declare a winner.
All ballots are recounted, and the candidate receiving the least number of first place votes is eliminated. The ballots are counted again, and voters who chose the eliminated candidate now have their votes counted for the second-ranked candidate. The weakest candidates are progressively eliminated and votes redistributed until a single candidate has a majority of the votes.
In this way, IRV offers the chance for better voter choice and wider voter participation in selecting the winner. According to proponents like Commissioner Mulroy, IRV allows voters to vote for their favorite candidate without the fear that they are helping to elect their least favorite candidate. Best of all, the ultimate winner actually has the real support of a majority of voters.
No Longer A Novelty
For four years, San Francisco has been using IRV, and the response from the public has been highly supportive. Soon, Oakland and Minneapolis will add the instant runoff to its election process after voters overwhelmingly approved it at referendum.
North Carolina is beginning to use it in certain judicial races, and Arkansas, South Carolina and Louisiana use the ranked ballot for overseas and military voters. Meanwhile, Ireland uses it in its president’s election, London in its mayor’s election and Australia for its House of Representatives.
Support of IRV has also come from one of the most unexpected places – political parties. With instant runoffs, parties can choose to nominate multiple candidates without worrying about watering down their voter support.
More Than Saving Money
Now, the liberal vote can be split between multiple candidates, allowing a conservative candidate to win. But IRV allows voters to rank all of their candidates so that if a district’s dominant political philosophy does not fall victim to spoilers in the race who pull away enough votes from one major candidate to elect the other.
For example, in New Mexico, Green Party and Democratic Party candidates split liberal voters, allowing Republicans to be elected in districts in which they clearly are out of step.
Until Shelby County passes a vote-by-mail system, Instant Runoff Voting is the best idea to come along in years, because not only does it save significant public money, it has actually been credited with reducing negative campaigning. Because candidates aren’t just campaigning for people’s votes, but also for second and third rankings, which means that they are less likely to vilify opponents whose supporters can mean the difference between victory or defeat.
A Blow For Progressive Government
No part of American society is more resistant to change than the public sector, but the Charter Commission has the opportunity to strike a blow for innovation in our election process. One Commission member says IRV is too complicated for Memphis voters, a pretty damning statement considering that all it does it require voters to rank candidates 1-2-3.
So far, some of the Memphis Charter Commission members seem a bit perplexed by IRV, and a couple have said that it’s not easy to explain. Then again, neither is the electoral college.
Here’s hoping that the Commissioner will give Instant Runoff Voting the serious consideration that it deserves. It would be good if Memphis could be known for its commitment to progressive policies for a change.
It’s Instant Runoff Voting, a proposal submitted to the Commission by Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy, whose solidly liberal credentials should allay concerns that IRV is a plot to give white voters more clout at the polls.
He’d be hard-pressed to have more graphic examples of the wisdom of IRV than this year’s city elections. After all, it’s likely that a number of City Council races will require costly runoff elections, where voters will back into selecting a winner rather than voting for their hopes and dreams for the future.
Eliminating Spoilers
Sadly, there’s no runoff for the Memphis mayor and Council super-districts, meaning that there’s the real prospect that some elected officials – notably the mayor – will take office with more people voting against the winner than in favor of him or her.
For the sake of example, consider the race for District 6 Council race where yet another Ford progeny, Edmund Ford Jr., is running for the seat left open by his father in the wake of his federal indictment. His major opponents are Reginald Milton, Ed Vaughn, James Catchings and a few assorted others.
It’s likely that no candidate will get a majority of the vote, and as a result, a follow-up runoff costing Memphis taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars will be held. There’s also the prospect that the turnout will be much smaller.
Cheaper And Immediate
It could be different. It could be cheaper, more efficient and the results could be immediate.
That’s the beauty of Instant Runoff Voting. Memphis voters would no longer have to vote twice to get a winner, because on election night, a majority winner would be proclaimed.
Here’s how it works:
When voters go to the polls, they vote for candidates in order of their preference. The pick their first choice, their second choice, their third choice, and so on.
Simple Math
If a candidate wins a majority, that person obviously is the winner. If there is no candidate with a majority, the rankings of the other candidates are used to declare a winner.
All ballots are recounted, and the candidate receiving the least number of first place votes is eliminated. The ballots are counted again, and voters who chose the eliminated candidate now have their votes counted for the second-ranked candidate. The weakest candidates are progressively eliminated and votes redistributed until a single candidate has a majority of the votes.
In this way, IRV offers the chance for better voter choice and wider voter participation in selecting the winner. According to proponents like Commissioner Mulroy, IRV allows voters to vote for their favorite candidate without the fear that they are helping to elect their least favorite candidate. Best of all, the ultimate winner actually has the real support of a majority of voters.
No Longer A Novelty
For four years, San Francisco has been using IRV, and the response from the public has been highly supportive. Soon, Oakland and Minneapolis will add the instant runoff to its election process after voters overwhelmingly approved it at referendum.
North Carolina is beginning to use it in certain judicial races, and Arkansas, South Carolina and Louisiana use the ranked ballot for overseas and military voters. Meanwhile, Ireland uses it in its president’s election, London in its mayor’s election and Australia for its House of Representatives.
Support of IRV has also come from one of the most unexpected places – political parties. With instant runoffs, parties can choose to nominate multiple candidates without worrying about watering down their voter support.
More Than Saving Money
Now, the liberal vote can be split between multiple candidates, allowing a conservative candidate to win. But IRV allows voters to rank all of their candidates so that if a district’s dominant political philosophy does not fall victim to spoilers in the race who pull away enough votes from one major candidate to elect the other.
For example, in New Mexico, Green Party and Democratic Party candidates split liberal voters, allowing Republicans to be elected in districts in which they clearly are out of step.
Until Shelby County passes a vote-by-mail system, Instant Runoff Voting is the best idea to come along in years, because not only does it save significant public money, it has actually been credited with reducing negative campaigning. Because candidates aren’t just campaigning for people’s votes, but also for second and third rankings, which means that they are less likely to vilify opponents whose supporters can mean the difference between victory or defeat.
A Blow For Progressive Government
No part of American society is more resistant to change than the public sector, but the Charter Commission has the opportunity to strike a blow for innovation in our election process. One Commission member says IRV is too complicated for Memphis voters, a pretty damning statement considering that all it does it require voters to rank candidates 1-2-3.
So far, some of the Memphis Charter Commission members seem a bit perplexed by IRV, and a couple have said that it’s not easy to explain. Then again, neither is the electoral college.
Here’s hoping that the Commissioner will give Instant Runoff Voting the serious consideration that it deserves. It would be good if Memphis could be known for its commitment to progressive policies for a change.
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