By Alex Doniach
The Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Memphis Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery called on elected officials Monday to speak out against former Mayor Willie Herenton, who he said has "tried to treat this community like puppets."
It was Lowery's first critical public statement since Herenton indicated he may seek to reclaim the office he retired from only two weeks earlier.
"We've all been dancing to his tune and enough is enough," said Lowery, who pulled a petition Monday to qualify to run in the October special election to replace Herenton. "I think more elected officials need to speak out."
Lowery declined comment on Herenton's mental soundness, as has been debated on the Memphis airwaves of late, but questioned his drug use.
"I would challenge him to a drug test. How's that?"
When Herenton pulled an election petition last week, he blamed his decision to do so on Lowery's "reckless style of leadership" as interim mayor.
Lowery said that as the underdog in the Oct. 15 special election he has no idea why Herenton has targeted him.
"Why would he attack me and not the front-runner?" Lowery wondered. "It says I'm doing something right, and I think people understand that."
County Mayor A C Wharton, who is also running for city mayor, declined comment on Herenton's actions, saying he would not indulge discussions on what a non-candidate would do.
"I just don't do that," he said.
Lowery, who is campaigning against Wharton, said he has nothing negative to say about Wharton's leadership style with one exception: "I think he should be more vocal about things that effect our community that he's been Mr. Nice about."
Lowery said he was particularly dismayed recently when, during a radio interview with blogger Thaddeus Matthews, Wharton allowed Matthews to repeatedly refer to Lowery using the N-word.
"You need to stand up and say no," Lowery said.
-- Alex Doniach: 901-529-5231
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© 2009 Scripps Newspaper Group
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Photo By Jim Weber
By Amos Maki
The Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, August 14, 2009
A day after former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton shocked the city by pulling a petition to run in the special election to replace himself, he took to the airwaves to defend his actions.
The man who dominated public life in the Bluff City for more than a quarter-century appeared to be doing damage control, calling in to a morning radio show and doing a 5 p.m. interview with Joe Birch at WMC-TV Channel 5.
On Friday morning, He called Bobby O’Jay on WDIA-AM 1070 after the popular morning-show host suggested something may be wrong with Herenton mentally.
"I've watched a number of your comments relative to me, and they have not been complimentary," said Herenton. "I think you've made references to my state of mind and for the record let me advise you, my state of mind is real good. I know what I'm doing."
Herenton, who cited his recognition in 2003 as American City & County magazine's "Municipal Leader of the Year," said he wasn't a power-hungry person, and that his pulling a petition was not an attention-grabbing stunt.
"I don't have any addiction. I'm very secure. I don't have a power need. If I did, I would not have retired, so you are absolutely incorrect. I don't have any addiction. I'm at peace with myself. I'm very secure. I don't have any power syndrome. I don't have any of those needs.
"I love Memphis. I have a right to pull a petition and not be accused of not being in the right state of my mind. You don't have a right to speculate that something is amiss with me."
Later in the day, he told Channel 5's Joe Birch he didn't understand why it bothered people that he might run in the special election he created by resigning:
"In human behavior, people make decisions, they change their minds. What is inappropriate about that? I (also) changed my mind about the date of my retirement."
When Birch asked Herenton if he was concerned about the nearly $1 million cost to taxpayers for the special election, the ex-mayor said: "There is an election commission. They are responsible for supporting these elections, and if we have an election, they just pay for it. Just pay for it. You're paying for the democratic process. We don't have an anarchy. If you have elections, just pay for it.
"Somebody's got to pay for the election. There may be more elections. That's not a big issue for me."
While Herenton retrieved the paperwork to enter the race, he has yet to turn in the petition with the $100 filing fee and 25 signatures required to run. The special election -- estimated to cost taxpayers $1.16 million, $840,000 of it paid by the City of Memphis and the rest by the state -- will be Oct. 15.
Over the last year or so, Herenton has kept the city on edge about his intentions.
He first announced an intention to step down in March 2008 -- just three months into his historic fifth term -- then changed his mind. In June, he again announced he would retire, saying he planned to run for Congress against U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and go into business with his son, Rodney.
Herenton said in a statement Thursday that he was considering entering the race because of the way Mayor Pro Tem Myron Lowery has acted while he has been in office.
"It is clear to many citizens that my retirement from office created opportunities for Mayor Pro Tem Lowery and a puzzling list of mayoral candidates to turn our city backward," Herenton wrote. "I am disappointed in Myron's reckless style of leadership. He must be stopped."
Friday morning, Herenton said he regularly listened to O'Jay's show and that he could describe the radio host in unflattering terms if he wanted to.
"I could say you're ignorant," said Herenton. "I could simply say you have a short man's syndrome, but I'm not going to get into that."
O'Jay quickly fired back.
"I could say you're acting ignorant, too. I could say you have a tall man's syndrome," O'Jay said.
"You're trying to bully me on my own show and I'm not going to let you do it."
-- Amos Maki: 901-529-2351
Staff reporter Ryan Poe contributed to this article.
HE SAID IT
"I think you've made references to my state of mind and for the record let me advise you, my state of mind is real good. I know what I'm doing."
"I don't have any power syndrome. I don't have any of those needs."
"I love Memphis. I have a right to pull a petition and not be accused of not being in the right state of my mind. You don't have a right to speculate that something is amiss with me."
"In human behavior, people make decisions, they change their minds. What is inappropriate about that? I (also) changed my mind about the date of my retirement."
"Somebody's got to pay for the election. There may be more elections. That's not a big issue for me."
"I could say you're ignorant. I could simply say you have a short man's syndrome, but I'm not going to get into that."
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© 2009 Scripps Newspaper Group
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