Willie Herenton	Rev. James Netters	Charles Carpenter

A week ago, James L. Netters had two prominent church members who were thinking hard about running for mayor.

The senior pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church found himself – at least briefly – in an agonizing position: which would he support?

Dr. Willie W. Herenton had received his pastor’s unyielding support throughout his 18-year tenure as mayor of Memphis. Attorney Charles Carpenter was seeking to replace Herenton and Netters had been among those flanking Carpenter when he announced his bid.

The revered pastor of both men was conflicted when Herenton, without Netters’ knowledge, pulled a petition last week to reclaim the seat he had just vacated.

“When attorney Carpenter made his announcement to run, Dr. Herenton wasn’t in the race,” Netters noted. “But when Dr. Herenton announced again, I wanted to see where he was going.”

On Monday, Herenton made it clear on ‘The Thaddeus Matthews Show’ that he no longer wanted his old job back. He said he intends to focus on the Ninth District race, where he will oppose U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen.

Now that Herenton is no longer a contender in the Oct. 15 special election, Netters has amped up his endorsement of Carpenter.

If Herenton had stayed in the race, Netters said that it is likely he would have taken a low profile and prayed with both Herenton and Carpenter.

“I couldn’t have gone publicly with anyone,” he said. “You can’t take sides. I love both of them equally.”

Netters recalled a similar dilemma when his friend and frat brother, Criminal Court Judge W. Otis Higgs Jr., challenged then-mayor Wyeth Chandler in the 1975 and 1979 mayoral elections.

“I was Chandler’s assistant and I offered to resign,” said Netters. “Higgs was my frat brother and the church was behind him too. But Chandler asked me not to resign.”

In this scenario, Netters opted to take a low profile. “Because I worked for one and my heart was with the other, I decided to take a low profile. That’s what I would have done in this race,” he said.

There are stark differences between Herenton and Carpenter, said Netters, but both are capable leaders.

“Both men have high integrity and are honest men,” he said. “One is introverted; the other is extroverted. One speaks his mind and the other is soft-spoken. But both men are forcible and very responsible.”

When Netters served as a board commissioner for the Memphis Light Gas and Water Division, he said, “I worked with Carpenter. He was a strong guiding figure to move things in the right direction.”

He said Herenton – though a strong-minded individual – is misunderstood. “He is a person who follows his convictions. People misjudge him because he follows his own way of thinking,” said Netters, adding that Herenton’s “integrity is very sincere and very pure.”

Netters is following the mayor’s race closely. Of the more then 30 people who have shown an interest in the race, he believes Carpenter and Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton Jr. have the best chances of winning the election.

Neither man, however, received a ringing endorsement from Herenton when Matthews pressed him for answers on Monday’s show. Herenton said Wharton, while he expects him to win, is not his kind of politician.

Rumors swirled in 2007, however, when Herenton and Wharton reportedly struck a deal at a restaurant. Netters, not saying exactly if he was privy to the conversation, said Herenton nevertheless made a commitment to Wharton.

“He made a commitment to Mayor Wharton and he will stand by it,” said Netters, “and Carpenter understands that.” Carpenter served as Herenton’s campaign manager for three of his five terms.

“He said long ago – and I know the commitment – even before retirement that he wanted to see Mayor Wharton come over and bring consolidation. That was the commitment and goal.”