 |
| While workers were leaving and reporting for work late Tuesday night at Cummins Diesel Recon on Pershing Ave., Memphis mayoral candidate Carol Chumney and campaign volunteer Richard Mack distributed campaign literature, candy and cold bottles of water. This woman and her children were delighted to meet the candidate. (Photos by Wiley Henry) |
An installment of the Tri-State Defender series crafted to paint a more complete picture of the candidates for Mayor of Memphis.It’s about 6:45 p.m. Saturday evening and Carol Chumney is modeling at Eureka True Vine Baptist Church just two days after facing a field of mayoral hopefuls in a televised debate at Opera Memphis.
Chumney, a candidate for Memphis mayor in the Oct. 15 special election, often comes to mind for her willingness and readiness to fight for causes she believes in.
Those attending “An Evening to Remember” fashion show at the church, however, painted a deeper, fuller portrait of the former legislator and city councilwoman: They say she is smart, articulate, and community-oriented.
“Carol’s service in the community is not always brought out,” said Rev. Frederick De’Wayne Tappan Sr., the church’s senior pastor. “That synergy hasn’t allowed her to standout.”
Tappan says Chumney has the right skill set for mayor: administrative acumen, an understanding of political history, knowledge of government operations and the ability to work with diverse stakeholders and groups.
“She’s been an ardent community worker. Our church is community-minded and it brought us together,” added Tappan, who studied history at the University of Memphis under Chumney’s father, Professor Jim Chumney.
“I didn’t associate the name until I met Carol. You can see where Carol gets a lot of wisdom and her political issues. That uniquely qualifies her for whatever position she undertakes in public service – including mayor.”
Richard Mack, a campaign volunteer who has followed Chumney’s career for the last 25 years, says he finds her to be an “eloquent” spokesperson for the underserved.
He points to the June 12th storm that hit Memphis, leaving in its wake streets littered with fallen trees, debris and power outages. “Carol asked me if I could gather a team of people to go out and help people who were affected by the storm,” Mack, owner of Partner for Environmental Protection, says.
“The next day, after the storm, Carol went to an elderly couple’s home on Horn Lake Road. The power was out. They had gotten a generator from the fire department, but it was still hot (in the house). The lady of the house was so appreciative; she didn’t think Carol would come to her home.”
“My first instinct is to help people,” said Chumney. “When I was out in the storm, I didn’t know (there) was going to be a special election. I feel good when I accomplish something to help people.”
Constituent services are a central plank in her political platform. Sparks flew during a debate on Action News 5 after Chumney asserted that city and county government employees weren’t responsive enough to the needs of the storm victims.
Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton Jr., who beat Chumney in 2002 for the seat that he has held for seven years, says he was offended by Chumney’s assertion.
“I’m not going to let anybody slur our county employees because of your lack of knowledge. That’s just not fair,” he told Chumney.
Chumney fired back, saying she had not seen Wharton in the trenches as she had been assisting storm victims.
“You didn’t stay long enough Ms. Chumney,” Wharton responded. “You can’t just pop up when the cameras are there.”
Chumney said Saturday at her campaign headquarters at 3179 Poplar that she was shocked to find Wharton rattled.
“I just talked about what I had observed,” she said. “I guess he got upset about it. So I guess it was true.”
Meanwhile, Chumney says voters are ready for change and ready to elect a female. If elected, she says there would no longer be “business as usual or more of the same backroom politics.”
‘This time we’re going to win’ After Chumney filed a qualifying petition to run in the special election, she remained relatively quiet until she could mobilize her team and rev up her campaign.
“This time we’re going to win,” said Chumney, who finished second behind then-mayor Willie W. Herenton in the 2007 mayoral election. She garnered 35 percent of the vote.
“I take on the tough fights that many people don’t want to take on,” said Chumney, known for public spats with Herenton, Wharton and some of her council mates when she represented District 5.
A successful attorney, Chumney was first elected to public office in 1990, winning a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives. “I was a 29-year-old nobody,” said Chumney, who served for the next 13 years.
She won a seat on the Council in 2003 and chaired several committees including the Public Service and Neighborhoods, Public Safety & Homeland Security, and MLGW.
That experience coupled with longevity in the House will help catapult her into the mayor’s office, says Chumney, who questions whether Wharton is a clear front-runner.
“The only poll you’ve seen was not statistically accurate,” says Chumney, 48. “It was conducted by Yacoubian Research (a marketing firm). Carpenter wasn’t in the race and I don’t think Whalum was in the race. So you can’t rely on that.”
Chumney says crime and school funding are two of the most pressing challenges facing the next mayor. Her mantra is “Count of Carol.”
“We got to deal with the crime issue, the economic issue,” she says. “It’s hard to get the jobs in this community when there is a perception that we’re the most dangerous city in the United States of America.”
Education also requires immediate attention, she says. “They (the school system) ought to have more certified teachers in schools; that’s the problem.”
Memphis elections in recent years have been racially divisive, said Chumney, noting her admiration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Dr. King’s dream wasn’t limited to one type of person,” she said. “His dream was for everyone – boy, girl – regardless of race, gender or religion.”
Chumney believes President Barack Obama’s historic win is proof that “people are tired of folks playing the race card.”
She said, “Obama got elected in a majority white country, (U.S. Rep.) Steve Cohen got elected in a predominately African-American congressional district, and I almost got elected the last time.”
Memphis is more than 60 percent African American. While some African-American leaders contend that Cohen can’t represent African Americans in Congress, Chumney disagrees. She said she could represent African Americans.
“I’ve fought for the underdog,” she said. “I just want things to be fair. I don’t like to see people mistreated. I like to see people get a fair chance.” The Chumney administration, she said, will reflect the populace.
“You’ll also see other races, other than black and white. If there is somebody who’s qualified who is Latino, Asian or whatever, they deserve a shot like anybody else.”
She says the mayor’s job is not a monarchy.
“When I got elected to the state legislature, I approached it (the election) like, ‘Hey, this may be it for me. If I’m elected, I may only have two years and may not get elected again,’” says Chumney.
“That’s how I passed all those bills as a freshman (legislator). That’s the way I look at this term. I’m going to do as much as I can. I want to leave the city of Memphis in a much stronger position,” she says.
About Carol Chumney Carol Chumney graduated with honors from White Station High School in 1979. She earned a full academic presidential scholarship to the University of Memphis and graduated magna cum laude in 1983.
In 1986, Chumney earned her Juris Doctorate, also from the University of Memphis. Thereafter, she worked in private practice and for 16 years at Glankler Brown, first as an associate and then as a partner.
Then in 1990, her political career began to unfold. She won seven elections for the state legislature and one for the city council.
Quote: “I was always interested in getting into politics. We used to always go over and visit my (paternal) grandparents, and my mom and my grandfather would debate politics,” she said.
“On my mother’s side … there was a sheriff in the family in Benton County, a state representative, and a governor in the family tree. (And) her brother was a lawyer in Mississippi. …Politics is in the blood.”
