Mayor AC Wharton

Shelby County Mayor AC Wharton is “strongly encouraging” county residents to begin working on their questions for the 2009 season of “Ask AC . . . Your Voice In County Government,” the Mayor’s quarterly, public access television talk show.

The 30-minute program kicks-off the New Year on Jan. 8 on Comcast channel 30 beginning at 7 p.m.  

Shelby County residents can electronically submit questions to the Mayor, who will choose as many as he can to answer on the show. Mayor Wharton said the first show will highlight a critical workforce development issue: affordability of higher education.  

Dr. Nathan Essex, President of Southwest Tennessee Community College, will join the Mayor to provide an overview of the County’s strategy for overcoming barriers to college completion and student success. The Scholarships for Technical and Educational Programs (STEP) initiative is designed to provide the “last dollars” students need to afford stated-funded community college and technical training programs, which increases the likelihood of graduation.

To submit questions on any county-related topic or comment on the STEP initiative, residents must send an email to publicaffairs@shelbycountytn.gov by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6.  Up to three questions may be submitted per email address.  Residents must include their name, address, and telephone number.