Why A. C. Wharton Should Run for Mayor of Memphis

If you want a Herenton-bashing article, you will not find it here. This native Memphian thinks Dr. Willie Herenton has had successes while he has been Mayor of Memphis. But as time has gone on, it is time for a fresh perspective in the office.

Memphis is our home. To many of us, it is our birthplace. It is also considered to many to be the "birthplace of rock and roll." Elvis called Memphis his home as well as countless others, famous or otherwise, who see the value of this great city.

Memphis is certainly not perfect. There have been many political and other issues that have developed over the years. Guess what? They are not all Herenton's fault. There are a myriad of factors involved that is not the focus of this article. We should focus on the successes and be thankful to Willie Herenton. The fact that it is time to move on should not be considered a failure for him, just time for change.

Moving on Going on the assumption that we all agree that it is time to move on, let's talk about A. C, Wharton. Leaders and citizens in Memphis have banded together in an effort to "Draft A. C. Wharton" into running for Mayor of Memphis. Wharton has until July 19, 2007 to file to run for office. A. C. Wharton is currently the mayor of Shelby County. His popularity is solid and continues to be on the upward swing. For those of us who have had the pleasure of listening to him speak on various issues, we are always left with the feeling that this man puts a positive perspective on leadership. He has a special ability to motivate as well as reassure that "it is going to be ok." Read the home-page for the Shelby County website, and you will get a sense of this: http://www.shelbycountytn.gov/FirstPortal/dotShowDoc/dotContent/Government/OfficeoftheMayor/mayor_wharton_index.htm. Just today, Wharton held a public press conference to announce that he will consider running for office, despite in the past he explained that he would not run against his friend, Willie Herenton.