Columnist
Otis Sanford is a political columnist, author and professor emeritus in Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis.
There are 274 articles by Otis Sanford :
In 1991, U.S. District Judge Jerome Turner said runoffs in Memphis elections were designed to keep Black candidates from becoming mayor. And he was correct at the time.
“No other state has been successful in turning down federal education money, so Tennessee is plowing new ground with this wrong-headed, purely political sideshow.”
“There is no indication that younger voters went to the polls in any significant numbers. But many of those who did show up clearly favored Young.”
“This is a crucial election. And it’s important that voters get it right. It’s also important that turnout starts to match the interest. So undecided voters, make up your mind.”
The Daily Memphian celebrates its fifth anniversary by asking long-term writers to share a few of their favorite stories. Here are those stories and why the authors chose them, in their own words.
“Memphis is at a critical juncture. We cannot afford to continue the stagnation. We cannot continue allowing crime, poverty and low educational achievement to define this city.”
Each of the seven serious contenders for Memphis’ next mayor owe voters answers to important, and different, questions about their pasts.
“I consider the former mayor, who was elected five times, the most pivotal player in this year’s election for a couple of reasons.”
“Young people must be told the truth about our history — not shielded from it because it makes adults uncomfortable.”
“There is a legitimate public policy debate to be had over the appropriateness of the death penalty. It seems clear that since the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in the U.S. in 1976, it has not been a deterrent to murder. And opposition to it transcends political party lines.”
“My love of CK’s was about the people, the regulars, who showed up like clockwork every morning and became an informal coffee klatch to talk sports — mainly pro football — and politics, or to share the latest gossip.”
“If we want to really make a difference for everyone in our city, we will keep working to reduce crime, improve education and strengthen families.”
“Whether the residency issue continues to dog Van Turner and Floyd Bonner Jr. in the court of public opinion remains to be seen. But both have legitimate responses about their time living outside the city.”
“Republicans, through dirty dealing and hypocrisy, have managed to pack the Supreme Court with a 6-3 ultraconservative majority that is having a profound and negative impact on the lives of Americans.”
“With incumbent Jim Strickland forced to leave office at the end of the year because of term limits, the field is wide open for anyone who can make the best case for why she or he is the most qualified and most electable candidate.”
Given the activism that is being whipped up among younger voters and others who believe there should be some limits to gun rights, the Tennessee 3 incident could be the turning point away from GOP super-dominance in Tennessee.
Buddy Chapman, 83, is calling it all quits. He will step down as the leader and face of CrimeStoppers effective April 1.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson, who is African American, seemed to channel the sentiments of millions of Americans who know that hate crimes are real. They are disgusted by the idea that someone would lie about being a victim.
Memphis needs a feel-good story, a redemption story, of overcoming stumbles, our pain and our negative national image. We need Ja Morant to bring his moves back to the Grindhouse soon and break ankles — not hearts.
“Let’s pay tribute to one of the good ones who, by losing his life, reminded us again how dangerous policing can be.”
During the Tyre Nichols funeral, the forceful messages from the pulpit and soul-stirring music from the choir celebrated Nichols’ life, but the service also became a spark for a renewed call for police reform — locally and nationally.
Memphians, who already feel beleaguered by violent crime that at times seems out of control, must now come to grips with the fact that elements within the police department — however small — are partakers of criminal violence themselves.
Voters who show up for the District 86 race could serve as a bellwether for whether Memphians are ready to elect a new generation of political leaders or if they are content to stick with familiar names who have been around local politics and government for decades.
For the sake of all of us who believe cleanliness is indeed next to godliness, let’s make a commitment in the new year to support the cleanup efforts in Memphis.
Barring some technicality in the law, there is nothing complicated about whether there is a link between Alicia Franklin’s rape and Eliza Fletcher’s murder.