I Did It My Way

I know some folks would like to think they lit a fire of sorts underneath Mayor Herenton urging him to leave office early. I like the way he kept his word while doing it in his own time and on his own terms. It had nothing to do with a FBI investigation or some sinister backroom deal that he had worked out earlier. He had just grown weary of going up against that same brick wall. His suggestions to those that follow him was quite descriptive of what he has been doing for the last eighteen years. These were the mayor's parting words.

“You know what you need to be unified on? Getting our kids educated equally. ... Cleaning up the slum so people got decent places to live. You ought to be unified on making sure that there are no barriers to employment and promotions.”

Other priorities he said he hopes will continue to be in the forefront after his administration are fighting crime, single-source funding for schools, consolidated education and an improved convention center.

He acknowledged the fact that he was in the minority but he also expressed his support for city/county consolidation. Something that wasn't likely to be accomplished under his watch. That's a job for A.C. Wharton and younger people on the horizon.Having come to that realization of his limitations. There was nothing else he could really do as mayor. I'm reminded of a parody done by Paul Shankman about the mayor. Little did he know he was writing his epitaph. Like the parody said "I did it my way."