Today was election day in the great city of Memphis. Inexplicably, the people of Memphis (of which I am not one - I live in Germantown) have re-elected Mayor W.W. Herenton to a record fifth term. He is not a good mayor.
That is not one man's opinion. That is undisputable fact... in one man's opinion. (But many, many other one mans and womans agree. Even, I suspect, many who voted for him.)
Even if no other mayor could have done a better job over the last several years - which I doubt very seriously - any decent leader could have made people feel that they were better represented and that their interests were better served. I'm sorry that the voters of Memphis - driven largely by race, rather than by interest in strong leadership or a better community - have decided to be satisfied with his poor service. Race will be a dividing factor in this city until people stop letting it be. That's it. Plain and simple. Vote for good leaders and good leaders will be elected. That's how it works.
In the process of revising the city charter, there has been a lot of support expressed for term limits for the office of mayor, mostly because of the extreme dissatisfaction with this administration. Assigned the anti-term limits position, I made a group presentation to my peers in a community leadership program in which I argued against the institution of term limits. I argued, and believed in my heart, that term limits also limit the freedom of the citizenry to elect its leaders. They are an easy way out, designed to protect us from ourselves. They are wrong.
I still feel that way in principle, but tonight I am reminded that voters often are not responsible enough to be trusted with the future of their own communities. It is a horrible statement about us, but it is, as evidenced by tonight's returns, regrettably true.
I would be very happy, years from now, to look back and say that I was wrong and that the voters who re-elected the mayor were right. I would be glad to see him and, as a result, our community succeed. I will not, however, be holding my breath. Instead, I call upon every citizen to be committed to building a community where people can safely and happily make a living and make a life. It is, after all, the choices and actions of individuals - not mayors - that determine whether communities are safe and successful or dangerous and deteriorated.
I'll do my best. Please do yours. And spread the word.
*The title of this post comes from a funny Saturday Night Live moment from the 90's. On "Weekend Update, " Norm MacDonald (I think it was Norm) announced that Kenny G had released a new Christmas album and exclaimed, "Happy Birthday, Jesus. Hope you like crap!" Everyone except Kenny G fans thought it was funny. (Translation: Everyone thought it was funny.)
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