Consolidation Talks Continue

By Nicole Erwin

Memphis, TN – The Memphis mayoral special election will have candidates vying for attention with their notions of political change. The future hopes of a consolidated city and county government will be in the forefront. Nicole Erwin reports why a seemingly good idea will likely never occur within any administration.

Former Mayor Willie Herenton has talked about a consolidated government for 17 years, basically since the inception of his administration. Critics have claimed the biggest barrier to a metro government was Herenton himself. Now that he is out of the picture, it is likely the topic will be on the table again. Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton and Pro Tem Memphis Mayor Myron Lowery plan to run for the Memphis mayoral office in the upcoming special election. Both support a consolidated government.

"One of the problems I think that African American mayors have historically faced, is that they tend to be mayors of cities that are majority African American, and we know that there is a clear overlap between race and poverty and so they are dealing with tremendous need and also dealing with the realities of a dwindling tax base. And when you think about Memphis in particular, Memphis has this history of annexation so its an enormous city and limited resources to address the needs of that area," Arielle Goldberg said.

Arielle Goldberg is an assistant professor of political science and urban studies at Rhodes College. She says that Memphis has a long history of racial tension and has followed a fairly traditional pattern of white flight from the central city to the suburbs. She says that now that those lines have been drawn it makes the possibility of a consolidated government more difficult.

"Part of it though is that people move out to the suburbs because they want to pay lower taxes, and to be honest in some cases, enjoy the benefits of the city without paying for them. And look nobody wants their taxes to increase. One of the arguments is that taxes won't increase, well we'll see," Goldberg said.

Former Mayor Willie Herenton was the first, elected black mayor for the city. He says when spoke about consolidated government ten years ago, the African American community was afraid of diluting a black political base, but not anymore.

"I think African Americans now will take a wider view because the demographics are such that African Americans can win elections county wide now. But the resistance on the part of the white suburbanites, primarily is still there," Herenton said.

Herenton says that Bartlett, Germantown, Collierville and Lakeland are set in their ways, refusing to look at the bigger picture.

"The suburban communities would not have grown in the way that they have had people been satisfied with the circumstances of living in Memphis, partially."

Germantown Mayor Sharon Goldsworthy agrees that the suburban perspective is not in favor of a metro government.

"In recent years the predominant thing that I hear from the people that move to Germantown, they can talk about the qualities they like, the amenities that sort of the thing. But almost the bottom line is a sense of safety and security, they do not see that same comfort level in the city of Memphis," Goldsworthy said.

Goldsworthy says concerns regarding a duplication of services are minuscule. Rarely she says does she see a Memphis city police officer in Germantown or a county officer in Memphis. Simply, a consolidated government is not in the best interest of her suburban constituents.

Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton disagrees. "I would hope that in this day in time in which we are barely making by on the resources that as cost of government increases, inflation does not pass us by, that people would say, wait a minute every dollar I make I need myself, and I don't want a big ol' government down there, two of them that's gobbling up more of my hard earned dollars, I want to get rid of this inefficiency," Wharton said.

Former Mayor Willie Herenton says it will take a fiscal crisis for critics of a metro government to reconsider. As much as critics would like to point the failed attempts at a consolidated government at the Herenton administration, associate professor Arielle Goldberg says it simply can't be the case.

"Consolidation has not succeeded in a lot of places, and efforts have failed I think 85 percent of the time. So its not like other people are succeeding tons and Memphis and Shelby County are failing," Goldberg said.

Goldberg says there are a few recent studies suggesting that there has been an improvement in services in Nashville since consolidation. Other studies have looked more closely at Louisville, Kentucky because the decision to consolidate was more recent. She says things like greater efficiency and lower costs for Louisville have not been born

"But there were some political changes, power of the mayor was enhanced, that did help to provide a more unified vision. There was an increased focus on economic growth, there was increased focus on suburban development and downtown development, but one of the things they saw in Louisville at least initially was that it did dilute the influence of the African Americans," Goldberg said.

Goldberg says consolidation could provide a region the ability to speak with a more unified voice by decreasing competition between the city and the county; however, she says there are limitations on the effects. Goldberg says ultimately all municipalities are dependent on regional development which encompasses Memphis and places as far as Desoto, County. While people might want to avoid the problems of the city longterm it will impact everyone's quality of life. She says short sightedness and fear of losing political footing will ultimately keep Memphis from developing the tax base needed to supplement its large geography.