"2004 Inaugural Prayer Brunch Remarks" Mayor Herenton (2/3)

This audio was released by various media, including the Memphis Commercial Appeal, so I believe it is public domain.

Many consider these remarks the beginning of the end of Mayor Herenton's respectability in Memphis. Herenton touched on a number of issues in his comments: (1) the development of downtown and the future of the Pyramid, (2) city/county consolidation, (3) funding for schools, (4) his fiscal responsibility, and last, but certainly not least (5) that God called him to be mayor and no one else was capable of doing the job.

Unfortunately for Herenton, things went south shortly thereafter. Budget shortfalls began to appear on a regular basis -- starting as early as the fall of 2004. The future of the Pyramid is still being worked out four years later. School funding is annual political theater. Consolidation is dead in the water. God may have called Herenton to be the mayor of Memphis, but He also called him to admit paternity, too. And I can't list all of the scandals that have gone on in City Hall -- there isn't enough room.

Once upon a time, Memphis was actually beautiful. Whitehaven looked like Germantown. East Memphis looked like Collierville. Raleigh and Bartlett looked like Arlington. "Keep Memphis Beautiful" was in full effect. Sure, crime existed, but it was still controllable and neighbors looked out for neighbors. Today Memphis is a model for urban decay. Yes, moral and societal issues have played a role in the decay, but city leaders ignoring the problem has only made it worse. Downtown may be great, but the rest of the city looks like a neutron bomb has been dropped on it. Raising taxes isn't going to fix the problem; you will always have a budget shortfall as long as you allow declining property values to shrink your tax base.

It's time to rebuild Memphis, and not just politically.

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