The 901: Memphis elites want to take over Tom Lee Park — oh, and also birds aren't real

The 901 is a running commentary on all things Memphis

Ryan Poe
Memphis Commercial Appeal

Good morning from Memphis, where a renovation is uncovering the (literal) skeletons in Earnestine and Hazel's walls. But first...

Wake up, Memphis: The elites have an evil plan to restrict the people's access to Tom Lee Park by spending millions of dollars to...make it more attractive to everyday users.

Oh, and also birds aren't real. They're all really government surveillance drones.

Both of those conspiracy theories were touted in Memphis yesterday but only one of them was meant satirically. The other one — the one claiming Memphis River Parks Partnership is evil and bent on Memphis in May International Festival domination — was embraced by former Memphis mayor and current mayoral candidate Willie Herenton.

"This park belongs to the people," Herenton said at a riverfront press conference yesterday, riffing off of a prepared statement. "It is for the citizens of this community. No mayor — and certainly not any special interest group — should block access or take away our citizens’ right to enjoy the riverfront."

Now, there are many valid concerns someone could have with MRPP's plan to spend $60 million — most of it state sales taxes — to renovate the Downtown park. And most of the concerns have rightly focused on the potential downsides for Memphis in May, which is the city's premier festival, with an economic impact of more than $111 million.

What isn't a valid concern is that park access will be restricted by adding more trees, a recreational pavilion for sports and concerts, and play areas, among other amenities.

March 24, 2008 - Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton waits to have a portrait taken with the city's division directors Monday morning inside the Hall of Mayors at City Hall. Herenton said Monday that he will stay on as mayor if he doesn't become superintendent of Memphis City Schools.

But Herenton was exactly right that no special interest group should block the people's ability to enjoy the public park. That's why Memphis in May is working with MRPP to find a compromise that will let the people enjoy their park throughout the rest of the year.

None of this is to give Herenton too hard of a time. As I told a (Bartlett-based) supporter recently, Herenton will likely down in history as one of Memphis' most significant mayors, and he's done lots of good for the city in the past, earning him much love and respect.

But he seems to be taking his cues, in this case, from the Memphis in May founders who recently called for MRPP and Memphis in May to prematurely end their mediation, scrap the current plan, and create a new plan that has no effect on MIM's operations. Interestingly, Herenton said he's heard people from (the generally wealthier) Midtown and East Memphis complain about the plan, but few from the north or south sides.

Going a step further, Herenton yesterday called for a referendum and threatened to nix MRPP's public-private partnership agreement with the city, our Sam Hardiman reports.

Herenton called for a referendum on the Tom Lee Park renovations, said he would undo the renovations if he was elected mayor. He added if the partnership had gone against the will of the people, he would revoke its authority to manage the river parks. 

Politically, Herenton seems to be looking to score points against incumbent mayor Jim Strickland, who is — the theory goes — pulling the MRPP's strings. Strickland's campaign consultant, Steven Reid, didn't pull his counter-punches, coming after Herenton for the much-maligned and costly Beale Street Landing project:

Reid said, “Any improvement to the park will be made without using city capital improvement funds or from our general revenue fund, as opposed to Mayor Herenton’s stewardship of the riverfront, which brought a wildly overbudget Beale Street Landing, taking money away from core city services, and tons of delays.” 

The Beale Street Landing project cost $43 million and began when Herenton was mayor and was completed during AC Wharton's time in office. Two restaurants on the site have failed. 

The other more prominent candidate in the race, Shelby County commissioner and activist Tami Sawyer, is (wisely) sitting this one out, her team told WMC Action News 5.

If Herenton doesn't like the plan for Tom Lee Park, that's all well and good; he should oppose it. What's unfortunate is that he's opposing the plan for these reasons, stoking conspiracy theories and misinformation that will only further muddy the waters. Instead, he should be promoting a real conversation about the real issues with this real estate.

Now, excuse me while I go remove the bird feeder from my backyard.

Speaking of the Memphis mayor's race

Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton, Shelby County commissioner Tami Sawyer, and incumbent mayor Jim Strickland are officially qualified to run for mayor.

Here's the list of candidates who qualified this week to run in the Oct. 3 city election, as compiled by our Sam Hardiman. For more on the candidates, check out our voter guide.

Also, here's how the four most prominent mayoral candidates ranked in second-quarter contributions, according to the latest campaign finance reports:

  1. Jim Strickland: $172,225 (spent $34,641)
  2. Willie Herenton: $69,660 (spent $14,448)
  3. Tami Sawyer: $64,440 (spent $39,122)
  4. Lemichael Wilson: $9,543 (spent $2,777)

The reports confirm what we already knew: Strickland has the money while Sawyer is leaning heavily on social media to build name recognition and grassroots support.

Meanwhile, Herenton seems off to a slower start, with more than half of his donors living outside of the city. He also spent significantly less than either Strickland or Sawyer, and on more old-school kinds of voter outreach. (His two biggest expenses: $4,500 in ads with controversial radio host Thaddeus Matthews and $3,444 for a headquarters lease.)

Bones found in Earnestine and Hazel's walls

As if Earnestine and Hazel's wasn't spooky enough, crews working on the renovation of the iconic brothel-turned-bar in Downtown Memphis this week found bones in the walls.

It's not immediately clear that these were human bones, our Micaela Watts and Jennifer Chandler report. They were sent somewhere to be identified, owner Caitlin Chittom said.

The contracting company's vice president, Chris Tigner, said word got out quickly about the discovery, and someone alerted police, and inaccurately told them a body was located in the bar. 

Police and fire crews swarmed the bar around 11 p.m., Tigner said. 

There was no body, and no one can say with certainty what organism the bones originated from. 

Tigner explained that the bones, as well as a box with items like old bottles, was found in the wall adjacent to the steps that lead from the main floor to upstairs.

But the bones may be the least of the worries for fans for E&H and its classic Soul Burgers. The worry is that the renovations will give the old bar a new feel:

U of M sets $44M fundraising record

The University of Memphis set a new record for fundraising over the past year, raising $44.1 million for both academics and athletics, the school announced yesterday.

That broke a previous record of $37.9 million in fiscal year 2016, a release noted.

The number is a barometer in some ways of how alums and donors feel about the institution. And right now, with the top basketball recruiting class in the country under the leadership of coach Penny Hardaway, the U of M's boosters seem as happy as ever.

“Donors are investing in the University in historic fashion,” said President M. David Rudd. “The UofM has had record success, raising $167 million in a five-year stretch. That number represents two annual records for total fundraising and two record years for academic fundraising, coupled with record increases in total donor numbers. We also have seen unprecedented growth in corporate partnerships.”  

But the donations didn't just flow to athletics. Most of the funds raised, $32.5 million, went to academics. The U of M attributed that to several factors, including support for the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Research and Classroom Building.

Things to know, places to go, in the 901

The Fadeout: Faux Killas at Lamplighter

Memphis-based Faux Killas is one of several acts (with Louise Paige and Rosey) set to play at the opening of the recently re-discovered "secret room" at the Lamplighter Lounge in Midtown, the Memphis Flyer reports.

Here's the band's "Middle of the Road" from its latest, 2018 album "Chiquita":

Like The Fadeout? The 901's Spotify playlist has all the Fadeouts featuring local artists.

Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.

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