The town hall hosted by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) on Feb. 12 at his office in The Clifford Davis/Odell Horton Federal Building was a departure from previous meetings.

This time, a smaller group sauntered through the congressman’s office as he discussed a range of topics, including jobs, credit scores, The MED (Regional Medical Center at Memphis), veterans and other key local issues.

“There is a difference in your credit report and your credit ratings,” said Cohen, who recently introduced H.R. 4538, the Fair Access to Credit Scores Act of 2010. This bill would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to require that credit scores be furnished to all consumers receiving their free annual credit reports.

It also calls for a GAO study on factors used to determine bankruptcy risk scores – a number that indicates the likelihood that an individual will file for bankruptcy.

Cohen also noted that he voted for a jobs bill, which passed the House in December. “It included money for unemployment insurance and Medicaid, but also for transportation projects,” he said. The congressman said the jobs bill totaled  $150 billion and, if passed into law, could stimulate the economy and “create avenues that create jobs later on.”

A member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Cohen said the committee will push to get a transportation reauthorization bill passed this year.     “We (the region) are the transportation distribution capital of the world – rails, rivers, roads and runways, the four ‘R’s’ – that makes us so important,” he said.

“The Senate and the (Obama) administration have resisted it,” said Cohen, “but we feel that is the best way to get jobs created quickly and put people to work.”

The government needs to put emphasis on job creation, Cohen said.

“There are all kinds of ripple effects,” he explained. “People get depressed, lose their jobs; they need health care. When the private sector is not making investments and the GDP is falling, the only way to get the economy moving is through the public sector.”

Cohen also underscored the need to address challenges for returning service members. Many of them come home either physically scarred or emotionally damaged, he said.

“A lot of the Vietnam Veterans were forgotten. This Congress has put more money into Veterans programs than any other Congress in history,” said Cohen, adding, “We’re trying to get a new administrator at the Veterans Hospital of Memphis.”

The town hall provided an opportunity for constituents to talk with Cohen face-to-face.  A line formed at the congressman’s desk while others talked with the staff.

‘He is my brother from another mother’

Randy Wade, Cohen’s 9th district director, is running for Shelby County sheriff. He filed a petition on the same day as the town hall meeting, officially declaring his candidacy.

Cohen said he couldn’t deny Wade the opportunity to move to the next level of constituent service and pledged his support. Wade said Cohen is a friend and that he will stump for him as he campaigns for sheriff.

“He is my brother from another mother,” Wade told the small crowd of cheering supporters.

Deidre Malone opens her campaign headquarters. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

‘We’re ready for them’

On Saturday (Feb. 13), Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone, who announced her candidacy for Shelby County mayor last September, opened her campaign headquarters at 3161 Poplar Ave.

And while Interim Mayor Joe Ford has taken out a petition for the Democratic Primary and Sheriff Mark H. Luttrell Jr. is running in the Republican Primary, Malone said she isn’t bothered at all.

“We’re ready for them,” said Malone, owner of The Carter Malone Group, an advertising firm. “I’m not afraid of much. I’m prepared to be the next mayor of Shelby County.”

Fighting for “effective political representation”

Interim County Commissioner Edith Moore filed a petition on Feb. 12 to keep the job that the commission appointed her to on Dec. 21. She is serving the rest of Interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford’s term in District 3, Position 3.

A retired community advocate as well as an IBM retiree, Moore is campaigning for a full four-year term and will face Ford’s son, Justin Ford, in the Democratic primary on May 4.

Her platform includes jobs, increased funding for The MED, affordable health care, crime abatement and a return to “effective political representation.”

‘Bowling’ for votes

The New Orleans Saints won its first Super Bowl in the franchise’s history on Feb. 7. A Super Bowl Party at the Westin Hotel provided an opportunity for Reginald French, owner of Integrated Technologies and a former city administrator, to officially announce his bid for Shelby County sheriff.

Corey Maclin of Corey Maclin & Associates took advantage of the Super Bowl atmosphere to stump for votes in his bid for Shelby County Clerk at the Whitehaven Celebration Complex in Whitehaven.

Maclin, 39, also is the president/CEO of Memphis Wrestling, a television show he has hosted for more than a decade. He faces several other candidates in the race for Shelby County Clerk.