2nd Mayoral Candidate Debate
John Willingham has won the mayoral debate as far as knowing the facts are concerned. He is a giant killer of sorts, because in spite of how well he does in the debates, he still won't win the race. His answers about race relations and education were the most truthful I've heard so far. Jackson Baker asked him a question that blew him out of the water though. "Why keep doing the same thing expecting different results"? Obviously he doesn't feel he's doing that. He banks on the 13% of the Black vote he got in the last election. He figures the 13% plus the white vote he expects to get will be enough to carry him over. What he doesn't consider is that part of that 13% will go to Chumney or Morris. However the city is divided, it wont end up in his favor. As I said before"he is the wrong color and in the wrong party".Herman Morris gave an excellent showing, if you were looking for a sales pitch. It sounded like a PowerPoint presentation. The only thing missing was the slides. One thing came across loud and clear in my opinion. He doesn't connect to the average citizen. In most cases the Mayor is going to be more educated than the average voter, but he must still be able to empathize. Herman Morris is a very smart and accomplished man whose talents would be better suited for the boardroom. When they asked him about his plans for education. That's what gave him away. Though that's one of the most pressing problems in this city, he really hadn't given it serious thought. That's not one of his main priorities. His base of support , aren't made up of the poor and down trodden. They aren't those people looking for a handout or government assistance, in the form of programs. They want to benefit from the administration in a totally different way.
Carol Chumney just doesn't have the swagger necessary. She always sounds like she's about to cry. That might not seem like a reason not to vote for her to some; but it is to me. With a practically all new city council. We need somebody that can't be intimidated. Once the mayor said "no one on the council has what it takes to run the city". Carol Chumney is sneaky. She tries to accomplish her goals by pitting people against each other. She operates from a pyramid perspective. The problem with that is, it eventually runs out.
posted by Common at
7:48 PM
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5 Comments:
Herman Morris didn't get to the top of Memphis Light, Gas & Water without sweating details and knowing which way the wind's blowing. When it became clear years ago that there was a quiet rift between him and Mayor Willie Herenton, Morris — an attorney for MLGW for nine years before being named president — got the board to approve a unique package of severance benefits for himself, other officers, and MLGW employees in case they lost their jobs.
When the mayor decided last month not to reappoint Morris, the Flyer requested details of MLGW's severance and benefits policy from the utility company and the city. Documents show Morris is seeking severance, pension, outplacement, sick leave, and vacation benefits worth $1,171,286. The Commercial Appeal reported in a front-page story Tuesday that "Morris bows out with $205,000." That is less than one-fifth of his total proposed severance and benefits package. Under his proposal, Morris would agree not to sue the city, disclose proprietary information, or solicit existing or prospective customers from MLGW or Memphis Networx. Morris also would agree to "forfeit" $113,267 of compensatory time "earned through business travel on weekends, storm restoration, and out-of-town meetings" and 58 percent of his unused "sick leave days," worth $127,425 by his calculations.
The greater impact of the 15-page Severance Benefit Personnel Policy is that it applies not just to Morris but to other top executives and hundreds of employees. Several managers with longer tenure than Morris could be entitled to packages worth well over $1 million if they "voluntarily enter into separation and release agreements." In other words, if they quit, they define the terms. Herenton was stunned when he learned details of the severance provisions two weeks ago. He called them "vulgar" in a meeting with MLGW board members in his office last week and scolded board members for being derelict in their duty. He earlier made an oblique reference to the severance provisions as "something troubling I learned yesterday" when he met with City Council members last Tuesday.
The stealth severance deal was adopted without discussion or publicity by the board effective January 1, 2001, and revised November 18, 2002. Morris' five-year term expired in 2002 but he continued to serve as president through 2003. He proposes that a few days of his vacation days be bumped into 2004 so his service will total 15 years. Part of Morris' proposed package could be money he contributed to MLGW's pension plan. The summary doesn't say exactly how much, if any, Morris contributed. Instead, it uses a multiplier to bring the figure to $513,937. In addition to that, Morris proposes that he be paid another $518,926 "representing the difference between the value of a normal pension based on 15 years of service and the amount of the multiple of contributions refunded by the pension plan."
Parts of the proposal are unusual, although Morris is hardly the only public employee to exploit the complicated array of city, county, school-board, and MLGW pensions and retirement policies. MLGW officials responded to the Flyer with a one-paragraph faxed statement saying, "MLGW employees are eligible for severance benefits under a policy that covers both management and bargaining unit employees." Several things about MLGW's pension/severance plan bother the mayor, who was sharply criticized himself 13 years ago for "double-dipping" his pension after he resigned as school superintendent.
The concept of severance pay for appointed public officials whose terms expire is "something I have never seen in government anywhere in America," Herenton said. Storm restoration pay is another puzzler. The mayor, police director, and several other division directors are generally considered to be on call for emergencies around the clock as part of their duties. The pension multiplier is a third area of concern. Barring a legal challenge, Herenton's hands may be tied by the severance surprise. It applies to employees and officers appointed to full-time positions who lose their jobs due to downsizing, change in control or ownership of MLGW, or — as in the case of Morris — expiration of their appointed term.
At least 12 MLGW managers make more than $100,000 annually, and some of them have worked longer than 15 years. In the corporate world, an anti-takeover provision is known as a poison pill. Herenton is familiar with the tactic from serving on the boards of First Tennessee and Holiday Inns years ago. "We did that to insulate management," he said. "This is a corporate model applied to a public agency." The severance policy specifically addresses several shake-up scenarios, from privatization to merging MLGW with another government entity. One clause talks about reorganization as an authority and consolidation of city and Shelby County government. Neither of those would be considered a change in control.
That's why they were encouraging him to run.
How soon the citizens forget. It's good to know I wasn't the only one to recall this. This is the scandal under which Morris was fired.
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