“We sent a message,” says Chumney
by Dr. Sybil C. Mitchell
smitchell@tri-statedefender.com
With 17 years of service in elected office under her belt, Memphis City Councilwoman Carol Chumney took an unfamiliar stand before hundreds of supporters at The Peabody Hotel on Thursday.
There was no victory to celebrate. When it became clear that the lead Mayor Willie W. Herenton’s took early would hold up, Chumney took the podium to concede.
“I know I did not win tonight, but I am very proud of the campaign we ran,” she said. “I love the city of Memphis, and I believe we sent an important message tonight.
“We sent a message that Memphis deserves better – safer streets, safer schools, safer neighborhoods. Our children deserve better than what they are getting.”
The tone of defiance drew a burst of applause and cheers from supporters. She paused.
“I will work with Mayor Herenton and the new city council, but we have got to do better.”
Chumney noted the hundreds of volunteers who worked the polls on her behalf and said she appreciated “all the support and hard work you put into this campaign.
“Let’s come together, and let’s continue to work and move Memphis forward.”
Chumney held on to a strong second place, beginning with the release of the early voting numbers.
With all 227 precincts reporting, she tallied 57,180 votes compared to Dr. Herenton’s 70,177 votes and Morris’s county of 35,158.
