The following is an excerpt from our May issue:
By Sheriff Mark Luttrell
The Shelby County Commission is currently studying several proposals that at the very least result in some realignment of government functions, and at the most, a restructuring of five current political offices. Which direction the study goes and the degree of change we see will ultimately be decided by the voters.
Shelby County, along with Knox County are the only two counties that have taken advantage of a 1977 constitutional convention amendment and qualified for a charter form of government. We have been under this system of government since 1986. Knox County followed our lead and established their charter government in 1990. Their charter was patterned closely after Shelby County with a few minor variations. The Tennessee Supreme Court in 2006 declared the Knox County Charter unconstitutional and although no mention was made of Shelby County, the inference is strong that if legally challenged the Shelby County charter would also be declared unconstitutional. The County Commission is now taking what I think is the responsible step to correct this constitutional flaw before it becomes a judicial mandate requiring an immediate resolution.
There are a variety of ways to correct this problem, but it appears that the most expeditious way, the one that has been chosen, is for the County Commission to craft the language for a proposed amendment to the county charter and then have that amendment submitted to the voters for acceptance or rejection. I have no problem with this method as long as we exercise due diligence and ensure that the citizens of Shelby County have input into the process and that their opinions are given appropriate weight in all deliberations. (more…)
On an April Friday that petitions for the Memphis mayoral election were made available, candidate John Willingham was sitting at Donald’s Donuts on Union Avenue with two dozen supporters, holding court.
