Government of Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee is governed by a mayor and thirteen city council members, six elected at large from throughout the city and seven elected from geographic districts.

In 1995, the council adopted a new district plan which changed council positions to all districts. This plan provides for nine districts, seven with one representative each and two districts with three representatives each.

Memphis Mayor

The current mayor of the city of Memphis is Dr. W. W. Herenton, a formidable and controversial local political figure. Dr. Herenton is currently serving his fourth consecutive term as Mayor. He was elected for the first time in 1991, when he became Memphis' first elected African American mayor. (J.O. Patterson, Jr., had previously served as mayor on an interim basis, thus preventing Herenton from actually being the first black mayor.) Herenton has recently announced that he will be stepping down from office.

Prior to his election, Dr. Herenton served for 12 years as the superintendent of Memphis City Schools.

Consolidation efforts

In recent years, there has been discussion of the potential of a merger of Shelby County and Memphis into a metropolitan government, similar to that in Nashville.

Racial polarization

Memphis politics have been very racially--and ideologically--polarized for many years. Most whites have supported the Republican Party since the 1960s, while most blacks have remained loyal to the Democratic Party.

A major influence in Memphis' black politics is the Ford family of funeral directors, whose political prominence dates to the Crump era. The best-known member of this family is Harold Ford, Sr., who represented most of Memphis in the U.S. House from 1975 to 1997. His brother, John, was a state senator for 30 years and is currently at the center of the Tennessee Waltz scandal.

Congressional representation

Memphis is split between two congressional districts. Most of the city is within the Ninth Congressional District, which has been represented by liberal Democrat Steve Cohen since 2007 Cohen is the first white Democrat to represent a significant portion of Memphis in over 40 years. Previously, the district had been held by the Ford family--in the persons of Harold, Sr. and his son, Harold, Jr.--for 32 years. Harold, Jr. gave up the seat to make an unsuccessful run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Bill Frist.

Much of east Memphis is in the 7th District, represented by the conservative Republican Marsha Blackburn.

The district lines reflect the heavy polarization of the Memphis area. The 9th is a heavily Democratic, majority-black district and is considered one of the most Democratic districts in the South. In contrast, the 7th is a heavily Republican district with a strong tinge of social conservatism.

Memphis City Beautiful Commission

Established in 1930, the Memphis City Beautiful Commission is the oldest beautification project in the United States. [cite web | url= http://www.cityofmemphis.org/framework.aspx?page=150 | title = Memphis City Beautiful Commission | publisher = City of Memphis | accessdate = 2008-05-30]

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