By Michael Roy Hollihan
Herman Morris strides through the doors of the Exum Towers, an African-American senior living center, and looks around. Only a few people populate the quiet lobby, none seeming to expect him. He sticks out his hand and introduces himself anyway. His wife Brenda and campaign volunteer William Connor spread out, looking around. They’re expecting something that’s clearly not happening.
It seems there’s been a glitch.
Such is life on the campaign trail. As Carol Chumney, Herman Morris, and John Willingham trudge that trail, seeking to unseat Memphis Mayor Dr. Willie Herenton, it’s a lonely and sometimes disappointing path, occasionally broken by friendly faces and cheering crowds. Nonetheless, they all walk it with purpose and hope.
When he entered his record fourth term, Mayor Herenton seemed nigh-on unbeatable. But a short three years later, a voter recall effort, rising crime, a child out of wedlock, and the MLGW imbroglio have taken their toll. He’s even acted out a fading boxer’s dream by getting into the ring with a far-past-his-prime Joe Frazier. The city’s finances have lurched from budget crisis, to windfall, to crisis again; from year to year it’s hard to know if a tax increase will be called for. He’s been criticized for not taking the lead in combating infant mortality in Memphis.
Herenton has never been as vulnerable as he seems today. Nor has he been more pugnacious. He’s told any whites who don’t like what’s happening in Memphis to leave. He called out his mayoral opponent, Herman Morris, with a schoolyard taunt of “boy.” (more…)
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