The 9:01: Challengers look to unseat Memphis Council's embattled Berlin Boyd

The 9:01 is your morning blend of Memphis news and commentary

Ryan Poe
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Chairman Berlin Boyd during a Memphis City Council meeting Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019.

Good morning from Memphis, where the two Congressmen who represent Memphis have very different takeaways from the Mueller report. But first...

Although the most expensive Memphis City Council race this year could be the one for outgoing member Kemp Conrad's seat, the most interesting one could be in District 7.

Memphis City Council member Berlin Boyd, who has recently come under fire again for his potential conflicts of interest, could face four challengers in the Oct. 3 election, according to the latest, first-quarter campaign finance reports. Although they can't pick up petitions to officially join the race until May 20, the candidates filing reports are teacher Michalyn Easter-Thomas, insurance property claims adjuster and musician Jerred Price, teacher Catrina Smith, and management consultant Thurston Smith, who unsuccessfully ran for the same council seat in the previous election.

During his tenure, Boyd has become a key swing vote on the council, often but not always siding with a council faction that is characterized by fiscal conservatism and the backing of powerful, well-heeled leaders in the local business community. Some of his stances have angered activists, particularly his sponsorship of a controversial resolution in 2016 to give control of most of the Overton Park greensward to the Memphis Zoo.

Thurston S. Smith

But Boyd has the financial advantage heading into the campaign, raising $31,000 and spending $64 in the first quarter to give him an on-hand balance of $72,051. His list of contributors includes several heavy-hitters, including FedEx chief executive Fred Smith and his son, Greater Memphis Chamber president Richard Smith; Memphis Grizzlies president Jason Wexler; First Horizon chief executive Bryan Jordan; and many of the city's most prominent developers and architects.

Of Boyd's challengers, Jerred Price — who is known locally for his popular Elton John impersonation concerts — leads in fundraising. Price raised $7,430 and spent $5,712, leaving him with an on-hand balance of $1,020 at the end of the first quarter. Behind him, Thurston Smith, who is well-known in Democratic Party circles, raised $3,200, loaned himself $16,000, and spent $10,231 to end the quarter with $9,569. Catrina Smith raised $1,500 and ended the quarter with $5,242. Easter-Thomas raised no money. [CORRECTION: A previous story mistakenly counted Thurston Smith's loan as money raised. The revised numbers mean Price leads the challengers in fundraising.]

Boyd was recently under scrutiny for his role in bringing his employer, FedEx Logistics, to the old Gibson Guitar Building, which is partly owned by his partner in a Midtown multifamily development, Shelby County Schools board member Billy Orgel. After The CA's story on the potential conflicts, Boyd amended his state-required disclosure of interest statement to include his employment at FedEx Logistics.

Boyd also caught flak in 2017, when he was heading up a task force on Beale Street security, after he said he "forgot" to recuse himself from a vote that could have benefited his then-client, the Beale Street Merchants Association. In the same meeting, he didn't recuse himself from another vote benefiting a cell phone tower development company belonging to Orgel.

Another race to watch is in Super District 9 Position 1. Businessman Chase Carlisle, whose family company is developing the One Beale mixed-use project in Downtown Memphis, and University of Memphis' University District development officer Cody Fletcher are facing off for the seat of the term-limited Kemp Conrad.

In the first quarter, the well-connected Carlisle raised $120,000 — the most of any council candidate in the quarter. The also well-connected Fletcher raised $51,615, setting up what will likely be the most expensive council race of the year.

SCS investigates superintendent Ray

Interim School Superintendent Joris Ray

Shelby County Schools interim superintendent Joris Ray was investigated after the district received two unverified, semi-anonymous complaints about alleged sexual harassment, our Jess Rollins and Sarah Macaraeg report. From the story:

"Through our investigation, we have been unable to substantiate the sexual harassment claims made in M. Jones letter against Dr. Ray," Andre B. Mathis, a member of Glankler Brown, wrote in an investigative summary.

The revelation of the investigation, which had not previously been disclosed, comes as the board prepares to vote April 30 whether to abandon a search for a new superintendent and hire Ray outright. 

The question now is whether the allegations — which are, again, unsubstantiated — will sway any school board members toward continuing a national search for a superintendent. Ray has expressed interest in the permanent position.

Speaking of schools: Gov. Bill Lee could limit his school vouchers proposal to Shelby and Davidson counties, our Joel Ebert reports from Nashville.

Memphis lawmakers react to Mueller report

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, the Memphis Democrat at the forefront of a push to impeach President Donald Trump, is calling on the House of Representatives to censure Trump for interfering with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian collusion.

If you haven't read the 448-page report (here it is in full), Mueller decided not to bring charges against the president for collusion but also didn't exonerate him. The report also delivers a searing indictment (in the non-legal sense) against Trump's many attempts to derail the investigation, leaving open the question of whether he's guilty of obstructing justice. Here's Cohen's take, as reported by our Katherine Burgess:

“This illegal, unethical and immoral conduct by Donald Trump and misleading information by Attorney General (William) Barr needs to be sanctioned by our legislative bodies, and the way we can do that is through a censure resolution," Cohen said. “There’s too much there not to see there’s a connection between Trump and Russia that is not healthy for the United States of America."

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Germantown, had a different take, releasing a statement saying Barr "made it very clear that there was no collusion and no obstruction of justice."

“As a former United States Attorney, I believe Attorney General Barr handled the legal requirements with the public’s need for full transparency extremely well,” Kustoff said. “I hope the (Democratic) party can finally move on and end their politically motivated investigations against President Trump. I look forward to thoroughly reading the full report in the coming days.”

Speaking of the Mueller report: The report also looked at the activities of a fake Tennessee GOP Twitter account linked to Russians.

What to know and read in the 901

The Fadeout

Memphis-based indie folk artist Aaron James of the local Unapologetic record label is out with a new single, "My New Best Friend of Loneliness," which will fade us out today:

Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 9:01, a weekday morning blend of Memphis news and commentary. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.

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