Consolidation May Not Be The Key...

Smart City Memphis blog writer and Memphis Magazine columnist, Tom Jones, came to the University of Memphis to speak today about the topic of consolidation between the City of Memphis and Shelby County Governments.

He told the crowd that one of the biggest myths about government consolidation is that it saves a great deal of money. Jones said this simply isn't true for the most part. He did say that if any money is saved, it is at the administration level, but that it wouldn't be enough to make a difference. He pointed to Louisville, KY having a successful consolidation and that Nashville also successfully consolidated its city and county governments. For Nashville, however, that was about 45 years ago that they consolidated and that it has taken most of that time for improvements to show. Heavy proponents for city and county consolidation may be looking at it as a "quick fix" to the city's and county's budget problems.

Under Tennessee state law, for consolidation to pass and become a reality, it must be voted in with a dual majority, meaning that it must pass within the City of Memphis as well as pass outside the city. Also, when or if the governments consolidate, state law likewise says that the school systems must merge. Some within the Shelby County School system are vehemently opposed to that idea.

Jones offered a suggestion that could be seen as a compromise to consolidation. Memphis City Government would be responsible for services that are inclusive to the upkeep of the city, i.e. Fire Services, Police Services, and Waste Management Services, while Shelby County Government would be responsible for all other services.

Another topic discussed was school consolidation in which Jones revealed a great idea, from Mayor Herenton of all people. The idea is to split the very large school district of 150,000 students into 5 smaller sub-districts of about 30,000 students each. Each sub-district will be appointed a superintendent and these 5 superintendents will report to the school board and an elected "Grand Poohbah" superintendent. Actually a VERY good idea. Maybe this idea will come to fruition even if Herenton is not appointed superintendent of Memphis City Schools.

Learned a lot about this topic today. Wendy, are you sure I can't change my topic?

It's Not A Lot, But To Some It Means The World

Today, Dr Pete Gathje of Emmanuel House Manna, located at 1268 Jefferson Ave. He spoke today about the homeless problems abroad in the the United States as well as right here in Memphis. He gave those in attendance a brief overview of the facts and figures involved with homelessness. One important fact that hit close to home was that 58.6% of those living in the Southern Black Belt are actually working but cannot afford the basic necessities of life. Therefore, if these people are not already homeless, they soon will be. Gathje gave us a definition of homelessness. It is a condition in which a person "lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence." He pointed out that there are two types of homelessness, temporary (people who have only been homeless for a few months) and chronic (people who have spent years in a state of homelessness).
He also spoke to us about the Memphis Center City Commission and that their grand solution for the homeless problem in Memphis is to criminalize the homeless and lock them away rather than attempt to help them. One of their associate organizations, Partners for the Homeless, does some good things, but they fully support the Center City Commission's criminalization of the homeless. Some partner. With a friend like that, I don't think I would need an enemy. Next, Dr. Pete spoke about the Union Mission on Poplar Aveenue near the intersection of Danny Thomas Blvd. They charge the homeless $6.00 to stay there and require the homeless person provide an ID and be fingerprinted (because of their cooperation with the Center City Commission's criminalization efforts. The Union Mission also makes religious worship a part of their requirements for someone to stay there.
These three places seem to be nothing more than dens of oppression rather than places that help people. Gathje explained the work being done at Emmanuel House Manna. As he puts it, they do not do all that much. But I am pretty sure that if Manna House had to close for whatever reason, it would damage the lives of those who seek their help. Yes, they may only be providing a place where someone can grab a quick shower, a cup of coffee and some socks and hygiene products, but to those who come there, it really means the world to them that they have even that much.

Matthews Take On Lester Street Murders

Local radio personality and Memphis Blogger Thaddeus Matthews has done it again. He has put controversial postings on his website. Matthews has posted images of the six murder victims from the Lester Street killings. The fact that Matthews posts controversial topics and statements on his website is not surprising. What is surprising is the fact that he is publicly apologizing to viewers, readers, and the family members of Shindri Roberson for posting the same image of her on his site as the Commercial Appeal did on the front page.

While Matthews is under no legal obligation to inform the family of his intent and while there is no law preventing him from doing so, he is issuing a retraction of sorts. He is apologizing to the family, telling them that he should have at least informed them of his intent. The fearless blogger is quoted in his latest blog as saying "what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong." He explains this by saying that it was improper to post the facial image of Shindri Roberson on his blog because whether or not she had a child, he would not want the child seeing that image of his or her mother and that being the child's final memory of her.

Matthews' smash-mouth, provocative style is refreshing to an old cynic like me, but even I can agree that he might have gone a step too far with posting the facial shot of Ms. Roberson. To his credit, his motivation is an honorable one. He wishes to ensure that the Memphis Police Department doesn't just sweep this under the rug and that they don't try to cover it up in the event they can't find the killer or killers.