Fast Facts:
(MEMPHIS 7/8/09) "Come in here," Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said. "I want you to see something." We walked through a hallway into his office, and couldn't help but notice the moving boxes. They were lined up along the hallways and offices that are grouped on the 7th floor. "Does this look like I'm not resigning" Herenton asked? "We're going to get a moving company to gather all the memorabilia and move it out."
Willie Herenton is about to close a chapter of his life. A chapter that has lasted almost 18 years. "I made a promise to my mother and to my family," he said. "I have told all division directors to get everything done, because I'm out of here July 30th."
Make no mistake about it, though, Willie Herenton is retiring on the 30th because he wants to, and not because he has to. City Council members voted to post the office open and to accept his retirement on July 30th. Herenton called the council action "amusing." "It's utterly ridiculous. They made themselves look like a group of kids on a playground. A bunch of clowns. The fact still remains that if I choose to stay the remainder of my term, it is certainly within my right."
Mayor Herenton says he had intended to retire on July 10th, but said there were other items that needed to be resolved, so he pushed it back until the 30th. One of them is his pension. It will be made official on July 30th. He says he didn't want to dump a lot of complicated information on the desk of City Council Chairman Myron Lowery. Lowery will become Mayor Pro-Tem when Herenton retires.
Herenton has known Myron Lowery for about 30 years, he says. "Myron is an unusual personality," he says. "It is extremely doubtful if he will ever be elected Mayor. I don't think that's anywhere in the cards."
Herenton still had more to say about Lowery. "This guy wants to sit in the chair of the Mayor so bad he can taste it. His behavior has been reckless, it's been bizarre, and I think he could have handled this transition with greater ease and sophistication."
As he prepares to leave, the Mayor is not very optimistic about how things will operate in the 90 days before the special mayoral election. "You're going to have chaos," he says. "Myron Lowery doesn't understand management."
For those who still don't believe him, the Herenton solution is simple. "All you've got to do is listen to me. I'll tell you the truth."
- Mayor Herenton says he will retire on July 30th
- He promised mother and family he would leave
- Predicts chaos during 90 days before special election
(MEMPHIS 7/8/09) "Come in here," Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said. "I want you to see something." We walked through a hallway into his office, and couldn't help but notice the moving boxes. They were lined up along the hallways and offices that are grouped on the 7th floor. "Does this look like I'm not resigning" Herenton asked? "We're going to get a moving company to gather all the memorabilia and move it out."
Willie Herenton is about to close a chapter of his life. A chapter that has lasted almost 18 years. "I made a promise to my mother and to my family," he said. "I have told all division directors to get everything done, because I'm out of here July 30th."
Make no mistake about it, though, Willie Herenton is retiring on the 30th because he wants to, and not because he has to. City Council members voted to post the office open and to accept his retirement on July 30th. Herenton called the council action "amusing." "It's utterly ridiculous. They made themselves look like a group of kids on a playground. A bunch of clowns. The fact still remains that if I choose to stay the remainder of my term, it is certainly within my right."
Mayor Herenton says he had intended to retire on July 10th, but said there were other items that needed to be resolved, so he pushed it back until the 30th. One of them is his pension. It will be made official on July 30th. He says he didn't want to dump a lot of complicated information on the desk of City Council Chairman Myron Lowery. Lowery will become Mayor Pro-Tem when Herenton retires.
Herenton has known Myron Lowery for about 30 years, he says. "Myron is an unusual personality," he says. "It is extremely doubtful if he will ever be elected Mayor. I don't think that's anywhere in the cards."
Herenton still had more to say about Lowery. "This guy wants to sit in the chair of the Mayor so bad he can taste it. His behavior has been reckless, it's been bizarre, and I think he could have handled this transition with greater ease and sophistication."
As he prepares to leave, the Mayor is not very optimistic about how things will operate in the 90 days before the special mayoral election. "You're going to have chaos," he says. "Myron Lowery doesn't understand management."
For those who still don't believe him, the Herenton solution is simple. "All you've got to do is listen to me. I'll tell you the truth."
