According to early results, voters in Memphis have “overwhelmingly” decided to surrender the administration of their city school system to Shelby County control.
Local readers will recall that, about seventeen years ago, Hamilton County and Chattanooga incurred a roughly similar school system merger.
With that in mind, Memphis and Shelby County are hereby wished all good things.
Today voters in Robertson and Sumner Counties who reside in the 18th Senate District will choose a replacement for now-U.S. Rep. Diane Black. One of Black’s rivals in last year’s GOP congressional primary, Kerry Roberts, faces Portland Mayor Ken Wilber, a Democrat.
Roberts is an accountant from Springfield. Wilber is a longtime public official in Portland. Political consultant Matthew Hurtt, in an endorsement of Roberts, says the Republican enjoyed a fundraising advantage, likely due to the help of another former congressional candidate (Jeff Hartline); but that Democrats will be mustering their get-out-the-vote efforts. Turnout is decidedly more critical in special elections than on regular election days.
Another open seat to be officially filled by today’s election is in the 98th House District. Rep. Antonio “2 Shay” Parkinson won the Democratic primary in January, and as there were no other candidates in the general election, was sworn into office after being appointed by the Shelby County Commission. The district was previously represented by the late Ulysses Jones, who passed away last November.
Last but not least, there is a citywide ballot measure for voters in Memphis. The referendum asks whether the administration of the Memphis City School System should be transferred to the Shelby County Board of Education. Should the voters decide affirmatively, the transition would be subject to a state law passed last month which dictates a merger process for Shelby County.
The polls are open today from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. CST in the applicable precincts.
At 9:30 a.m. the Hamilton County Commission will attempt to decide unevenly between two candidates seeking to replace outgoing County Mayor Claude Ramsey. Two previous votes held on the same day (27 December 2010) resulted in a tie. Four commissioners were for Mike Carter, a top Ramsey aide; and four more preferred Commissioner Jim Coppinger.
The vote itself is the not-so-simple culmination of a process that began when Ramsey was first picked to head Governor-elect Bill Haslam’s administration. Many have commented on the lack of public input to the procedure. A public forum was held on Monday, but it was sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Republican Women, not the county commission—and it followed the initial deadlocked vote. Several have decried the Commission’s apparent preference for keeping their intentions private.
Ray Minner, on Facebook:
It is hard to imagine how Commission Chairman Fred Skillern and some of his colleagues could have mucked up this process any worse if they had deliberately set out to try. Larry, his brother Daryll, and his other brother Daryll would have done it cleaner and quicker, and we would have at least been entertained along the way. As it is, the entire episode from beginning to end (Oh, wait! We’re not AT the end yet, are we?) has exposed the reality of just how much these elected officials care about public input, transparency in government, and accountability. Private interviews of the candidates was an idea that should have been dismissed out of hand at its very first mention.
Minner also speculates that for Commissioner Larry Henry, whose application was submitted and then withdrawn, the “political realities” cited likely included closed-door conversations with his colleagues. Henry cast his vote for Coppinger last week.
David Morton, editor of Chattarati, also found fault with the selection process in general, but was particularly disturbed by reports that a scheme is being hatched to seat Commission Chairman Fred Skillern’s preferred candidate:
The proposed deal, for Skillern to step down and clear the way for Coppinger’s ascension, follows the letter of the law. But not its spirit. And as this whole ordeal has played out over the past month, the County Commission has moved further away from the law’s spirit inch by inch, which is quite alarming considering the weight and duration of this particular appointment.
Only holding private interviews was a serious lapse in judgment. Not only does it rob the public of an opportunity to learn more about the candidates, it’s a political liability for commissioners and the appointed mayor. Were it not for the candidate forum sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Republican Women last night, citizens would have had no direct opportunity to learn about their next mayor.
That’s a troubling reality, but not nearly as troubling as the rumored Skillern-Coppinger deal.
Coppinger is not alone in having elected officials attempt to work behind the scenes on his behalf. Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield at first said he was not lobbying for either candidate, but later admitted that he has made calls in support of Carter.
Most acknowledge that neither candidate is a bad choice, and that the county will muddle through the nineteen months or so until a properly elected mayor is seated. But there is also the unfortunate perception that, no matter which candidate gets the job, the remainder of the term will be clouded by lingering suspicions about how it was gotten.
See also: Stuart James
The Hamilton County Board of Commissioners met this morning to decide a replacement for County Mayor Claude Ramsey, who is leaving local government to serve in Governor-elect Bill Haslam’s administration. No replacement was selected today, however, because the vote and a re-attempt both resulted in a tie.
Although eight people had submitted applications to be considered for the post, only the two frontrunners received nominations in the session: Mike Carter, a former judge and currently special adviser to Ramsey; and Commissioner Jim Coppinger, who represents District 3. With Coppinger unable to vote, the potential for deadlock was realized when Commissioners Chester Bankston, Greg Beck, Tim Boyd, and Warren Mackey cast votes for Carter; and Commissioners Jim Fields, Joe Graham, Larry Henry, and Fred Skillern voted for Coppinger.
The exercise will be repeated on next Wednesday (5 January 2010). As several have noted, the question now becomes “which commissioner will change his vote?” And as Times Free Press reporter Dan Whisenhunt tweeted, County Attorney Rheubin Taylor says that if no action is taken by the 11th (when Ramsey officially steps down), then Commission Chair Skillern becomes interim mayor, and would thus be unable to vote (although a total of 5 votes would still be needed to select a replacement).
All of this re-raises the question “why not a special election to replace Ramsey?” The Tennessee Constitution states in Article VII, Section 2:
Vacancies in county offices shall be filled by the county legislative body, and any person so appointed shall serve until a successor is elected at the next election occurring after the vacancy and is qualified.
The timing is unfortunate, since the next election is in 2012. Some have wondered aloud whether Ramsey should have declined to run for reelection in August, given that he turned around and accepted a job in the Haslam government. The insinuation that Ramsey may have known a job offer was coming is best viewed in the light that Ramsey publicly supported Zach Wamp for governor.
The best possible solution, from the citizens’ point of view, is for the Commission to have conducted the appointment process in as open a manner as possible. Since that did not play out, the best we can hope for is a speedy end to the drama and a return to efficient governing by whomever is chosen.
Neo: What are you trying to tell me, that I can dodge bullets?
Morpheus: No, Neo. I’m trying to tell you that when you’re ready, you won’t have to.
Raise your hand if you were surprised that the mayoral recall effort ran into its terminal obstacle today. OK, you with your hands raised: please see me after class for extra help with this lesson. (Sorry, Barry. It is in my blood.) The apparent failure of the Recall Ron movement is due to three primary factors. Read on.
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