FAST FACTS:
(MEMPHIS, TN) 9/10/09 Country greats Flatt and Scruggs reportedly never got along.
Abbott and Costello would tell jokes on stage, and say nothing to each other off stage. Don't even talk about Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis...their split was national news in the 1950's. But now it's time for a new duo that seems to despise each other. Lowery and Herenton.
They'll never take their act on the road, because nobody would bother to see them. But in Memphis, Lowery and Herenton are bigtime. Witness the events of the FedExForum. Allen Iverson was being introduced as the latest member of the Memphis Grizzlies. But the big cheers, and boos, were for Former Mayor Willie Herenton, and Mayor Pro-Tem Myron Lowery.
Willie Herenton is preparing to run for the United States Congress. His legacy is important. And he enjoys talking about it. "The legacy that we have built," he says, "...the fact that you're standing in this great forum, interviewing me today is a part of the Herenton legacy. They'll never be able to destroy that."
Mayor Lowery says there are other parts of the Herenton legacy. Paying private attorneys more than $2-million dollars for work...$35-thousand dollars a month...with no written contract, just a verbal agreement. "I have changed the policy," Lowery said. "No more verbal contracts for the expenditures of city funds."
Lowery is also upset over the decision of Memphis City Attorney Elbert Jefferson to pay for Herenton's legal fees. Herenton is under investigation by the FBI, and several months ago, he hired lawyer Robert Spence for advice. Spence has said his work wasn't for the city but for Herenton the individual. Taxpayer money can only be used for city work. "He had a personal benefit," Lowery said. "The mayor authorized payment for his personal expenses that are questionable and that the FBI is now investigating.
Those are fighting words to Willie Herenton. "There's nothing out of the ordinary about those fees being paid," he said. "It is utterly ridiculous for anyone to make the assumption that there's something improper. This investigation is not about Willie Herenton. It's about Mayor Willie Herenton."
- City attorney paid $55,000 for Herenton lawyer bills
- Herenton Lawyer says he wasn't doing city business
- City attorney and Herenton say yes it was
(MEMPHIS, TN) 9/10/09 Country greats Flatt and Scruggs reportedly never got along.
Abbott and Costello would tell jokes on stage, and say nothing to each other off stage. Don't even talk about Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis...their split was national news in the 1950's. But now it's time for a new duo that seems to despise each other. Lowery and Herenton.
They'll never take their act on the road, because nobody would bother to see them. But in Memphis, Lowery and Herenton are bigtime. Witness the events of the FedExForum. Allen Iverson was being introduced as the latest member of the Memphis Grizzlies. But the big cheers, and boos, were for Former Mayor Willie Herenton, and Mayor Pro-Tem Myron Lowery.
Willie Herenton is preparing to run for the United States Congress. His legacy is important. And he enjoys talking about it. "The legacy that we have built," he says, "...the fact that you're standing in this great forum, interviewing me today is a part of the Herenton legacy. They'll never be able to destroy that."
Mayor Lowery says there are other parts of the Herenton legacy. Paying private attorneys more than $2-million dollars for work...$35-thousand dollars a month...with no written contract, just a verbal agreement. "I have changed the policy," Lowery said. "No more verbal contracts for the expenditures of city funds."
Lowery is also upset over the decision of Memphis City Attorney Elbert Jefferson to pay for Herenton's legal fees. Herenton is under investigation by the FBI, and several months ago, he hired lawyer Robert Spence for advice. Spence has said his work wasn't for the city but for Herenton the individual. Taxpayer money can only be used for city work. "He had a personal benefit," Lowery said. "The mayor authorized payment for his personal expenses that are questionable and that the FBI is now investigating.
Those are fighting words to Willie Herenton. "There's nothing out of the ordinary about those fees being paid," he said. "It is utterly ridiculous for anyone to make the assumption that there's something improper. This investigation is not about Willie Herenton. It's about Mayor Willie Herenton."
