Memphis Downtowner February 2010 : Page 24
MY 2 CENTS 2 continued from page 22 As a child, I played …not much! I was so much ingrained in the world of work that there wasn’t much time — there wasn’t a value to playing, so to speak. I worked in the store while Mother cooked breakfast, went to school, went to my after-school cleaning job at the jewelry store downtown, then worked the grocery store at night. Saturdays, I stocked groceries at the wholesale house, worked the jewelry store, then went back to run the grocery store. It was only a few years ago that I took up golf! I have never strayed from my plain, old country values. The biggest difference between being a county mayor and a city mayor is that the buck stops with the city mayor, whereas in county government, you could pass the buck on. But there isn’t any passing it on here. In college, John Fordwas the nerd! Remember the cartoon character Mr. Peabody, who wore big glasses and carried around a big briefcase? That was John! We lived in the same apartment complex and were members of the same fraternity. He’d carry boxes of vocabulary-building cards with him at all times, and he’d craft long sentences with big words. He’d say to girls, “My, my! You are the epitome of feminine pulchritude.” He worked four or five jobs. That’s one thing about the Fords I really admire. They are one of the most industrious families! Lebanon today still has Tater Peeler Road. Legend has it that a farmer was taking a wagonload of potatoes to market, and the road was so rough — and it was rough! — that by the time he got to Lebanon, the potatoes had jostled and rubbed against each other so much, they were peeled! Most people don’t know that I love country music. The time I was most afraidwas one summer while working on Mr. Tatum’s hog farm on Tater Peeler Road. I was in grade school, and I worked there raking rocks and throwing them in a sinkhole. One day, Mr. Tatum, who was white, said, “Bullet” — black boys were never called by their first name — “we need to finish this project tomorrow.” I said, “I’ve got to go to school tomorrow.” He said, “You can go to school any time.” I knew what my daddy’s expectations were: I had to go to school tomorrow. But what a white man said was gospel. Did I follow the law of the white man’s land or did I follow the law of my household? That night, I finally told my father. He looked at me calmly and said, “Okay.” The next morning after he came in from his night job, Daddy drove me over to Mr. Tatum’s. My stomach started to hurt. What if Mr. Tatum fired Daddy? What would happen to our family? And all because of me! When Mr. Tatum answered the door, Daddy said, “When I’m at work here, I’m going to follow your rules. But I set the rules in my house, and my boy is going to school.” That was that. Daddy was willing to put everything on the line to make sure I didn’t follow in his footsteps. When my first child was born it hit me like a ton of bricks. I walked outside of the back of the hospital and said, “Gee whiz … it ain’t about me anymore!” Growing up, the household chore I hated most … Hmm, there were so many! I guess bringing in the coal for the stove. The bucket wasn’t balanced. It would tip, and the coal would spill out. Also, cleaning out the chicken house — a terrible job! I’d like to ask God, “Am I doing what you intended for me to do?” The ultimate test of the value of real estate is, what is its highest and best use, and I often wonder: Am I doing what is my highest and best use for what God wants me to do? What I like least about politics is the absence of a rule book. As a lawyer, we had rule books, and there were consequences to making misstatements and telling lies. In politics, there are no consequences for dishonesty. I detest it. What I most admire about my predecessor is his candor, even when he stepped on toes. Willie Herenton was willing to flat- out tell it like it is. It’s something I wish I could improve in myself. To do what’s right, you sometimes have to hurt people.My style is to let people down easy, which is really not always the best way. When somebody is just dead wrong, you need to just tell them they’re dead wrong! I tend to cross-examine and get them to conclude they’re dead wrong! Wine or beer … a little wine — and this is out of the Bible — is good for digestion! I’ve always wondered about … I’ve never doubted the existence of God, but man’s inhumanity to man — how does that fit into the concept of a loving, caring, and protective religion? What is it in a creature created by God that would allow that creature to commit such horrible acts? Did God create that? And if he didn’t create it, how does he allow it? The one person I’d like to get to knowis Nelson Mandela. How do you endure long suffering when you know you’re right, and then walk this earth without being bitter and mean? Mandela is the epitome of living it. As Shelby County’s first black mayor, I felt my faith restored in the goodness of people — black and white — who said that this county would never, ever tolerate two black mayors no matter how good they are. The most rewarding thing was what the people accomplished by showing they could transcend color. Before I die, Iwant to visit Italy. I love Italian food, cars, clothes, and wine — for my stomach! I also want to help my wife achieve her dream of opening an academy for troubled inner-city boys. I’m not easily angered. My final 2 cents …My campaign’s slogan was One Memphis. I analogize One Memphis as a period of gestation that was born when I was elected city mayor. And just as it takes a village to raise and nurture a child, it’s going to take a village — and not just one political candidate — to raise and nurture One Memphis, bring it to adulthood, and give it a long and vigorous life in the hearts and minds of every resident of our good city. 24 MEMPHIS DOWNTOWNER FEBRUARY 2010 MEMPHISDOWNTOWNER.COM
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