Herenton: "Tonight, we're declaring victory."
by Wiley Henry
whenry@tri-statedefender.com
The anti-Herenton faction said he couldn’t do it. But Dr. Willie W. Herenton proved them wrong Thursday evening by defeating his two chief mayoral opponents – City Council member Carol Chumney, and former Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division CEO Herman Morris.
The victory earned Herenton an unprecedented fifth term as Memphis mayor.
“If you voted for Herenton, you voted for a winner,” said Stan Bell amid chants of “four more years” at the Cook Convention Center. Bell, a radio personality for station V101.1, fired up the crowd of Herenton supporters and declared victory before Herenton made his entrance to the victory party.
With 227 precincts reporting, Herenton received 70,177 votes, 42.44 percent. Chumney followed with 57,180 votes, 34.58 percent. Morris trailed with 35,158 votes, 21.26 percent.
Fourteen candidates appeared on the ballot, with Chumney and Morris waging the fiercest battles to topple Herenton.
In conceding the election, Morris said he accepted the will of the people. In her concession speech, Chumney was less conciliatory. She said Memphis deserves better, but said she would be willing to work with Herenton.
Atty. Charles Carpenter, Herenton’s campaign manager, said he was pleased with the results, but expressed disappointment that Herenton received very little support from white voters and very little support from the business community.
“I thought it was unfair that the business community and the white community turned against the mayor,” said Carpenter, who also was Herenton’s campaign manager in 2003 when Herenton received substantially more support from the white community and the business community.
In his victory speech, Herenton said this election was particularly disappointing to him. “I’m going to be real nice,” he said, “but there are some mean-spirited people in Memphis. There are some haters.”
He said he knows who is for him and who is against him. “First, I want to thank God for favor,” the mayor-elect said. “And the second thing is, I want to thank God for discernment. Out of discernment, I know who is for me and who is against me.”
“We are with you Mayor Herenton!” the crowd shouted.
“Tonight, we’re declaring victory,” the mayor responded.
The mayor said he made a promise to his mother and to his pastor, Rev. James Netters, that he would be obedient and not say anything that could be misconstrued as offensive.
Still, he could not resist a few jabs at elements of the media.
“They are going to say how is Willie going to pull the races together? I didn’t separate them.”
Herenton recalled how he had been embarrassed on national TV as he helped honor local superstar Justin Timberlake.
“I want you to know that Memphis has a lot of healing to do. I don’t have the problem,” he said. “They got the problem. . . I get up on the stage and it was 95 percent young white kids who booed me on national television. My city was embarrassed. I smiled, but I was hurt.
“Let me tell you what hurt me. The white citizens were not outraged. Nobody wrote letters and said it was shameful that we embarrassed the mayor on national television. The white citizens condoned it with their silence.”
Herenton said Memphis has a major decision to make: whether it will be a divided city or whether it will be one city.
Michael Walls, a staunch Herenton supporter since his first historic win in 1991, said there was a systematic plot to “blind” voters into thinking that the mayor was trailing Chumney and Morris in the polls.
“Contrary to popular belief, the mayor’s base is still strong,” he said.
William Larsha, a longtime political analyst, said it is customary for the African-American community to rally behind one of its own when that person is threatened by the white establishment.
“The people wanted changed, but they still trust Mayor Herenton,” said Bell.
Rev. Frank Ray, pastor of New Salem Baptist Church, said the work that Herenton has done isn’t complete. He needs four more years, Ray said, to continue the city’s growth.
“Herenton is the best thing that could have happened to the city of Memphis – period.”
