It’s budget season in Memphis and Shelby County, and for the first time ever, both city and county mayors are making financial plans amid a global pandemic that is negatively impacting their budgets.
This week, Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby...
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris has received the support of 16 elected county officials on an initiative raising the pay of temporary workers to $15 per hour.
A memorandum of understanding supporting this action has been signed by the officials...
Now hear this: Early voting starts on Friday (July 13) and five sites will be open. Then on Tuesday (July 17), all 27 early voting locations will be open to cast ballots for the Aug. 2 election.
The fact that all...
Mayor Jim Strickland highlighted Wednesday’s Joint Task Force COVID-19 update with protocols that will be enforced as some restrictions are lifted.
A day earlier, Strickland extended the city’s safer-at-home executive order, with some exceptions, until May 5.
The changes were being...
By Montee Lopez, Special to The New Tri-State Defender
With the unanimous consent of those voting, the Memphis City Council has ended the life of the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority (BSTDA). Council members – with District 5’s representative, Edmund For Jr., recusing himself – embraced a resolution on Tuesday that was first introduced at a council committee meeting in March. Ford is a non-voting member of the BSTDA. Created in 2015 under the tenure of former Mayor AC Wharton Jr., the 13-member BSTDA was authorized to design and maintain the attractiveness of the Beale Street Entertainment District while also seeking proper management. The Downtown Memphis Commission now controls the entertainment district on an interim basis. The responsibility of selecting new management of the district is now in the hands of the City of Memphis. Tuesday’s resolution, sponsored by Councilman Martavius Jones and Councilwoman Patrice Robinson, reflected the Council’s conclusion that BSTDA had failed. “They didn’t do what they set out to do,” Jones said, pointing out that BSTDA had two years to find management for the street. He linked the absence of a manager to the possibility that BSTDA had unrealistic goals. “I think they went in with the expectation a national group would come in and pitch a proposal to manage the street,” Jones said. The Beale Street Entertainment District isn’t big enough to attract a national managing company, said Jones, who associated the matter with what he sees as the council erroneously doling out powers and responsibilities they should retain. “In the time I’ve been on the council, what I’ve found … is the council (has) delegated its authority to committees not accountable to taxpayers,” Jones said. “That reduces transparency.” The elimination of the BSTDA is a step towards the restoration of transparency, he said. Meanwhile, several pending lawsuits loom that could affect the future of the entertainment district and the connectivity of the Beale Street Merchants Association, The Beale Street Historic Development Corporation, the Downtown Memphis Commission, and other entities. The timetable for selecting a permanent manager for the district is uncertain, but Ken Taylor with the Beale Street Merchants Association said the longer Beale Street district goes without management, the more money it loses. “The longer we hold on finding a manager for the street, the more potential investments we lose,” Taylor said, noting the potential of less income being generated from Africa in April and the Beale Street Music Festival – two big moneymakers with upcoming festival activities. Both Taylor and Jones want the same thing - positive and constantly improvement of Memphis’s most memorable tourist attraction. “I want a management group who can continue to uphold the image and historic values of Beale Street.” The New Tri-State Defender reached out to Mayor Jim Strickland concerning comments on finding management for the street. We are still awaiting a response.
With the unanimous consent of those voting, the Memphis City Council has ended the life of the Beale Street Tourism Development Authority (BSTDA). Council members – with District 5’s representative, Edmund For Jr., recusing himself – embraced a resolution on Tuesday that was first introduced at a council committee meeting in March. Ford is a non-voting member of the BSTDA. Created in 2015 under the tenure of former Mayor AC Wharton Jr., the 13-member BSTDA was authorized to design and maintain the attractiveness of the Beale Street Entertainment District while also seeking proper management. The Downtown Memphis Commission now controls the entertainment district on an interim basis. The responsibility of selecting new management of the district is now in the hands of the City of Memphis. Tuesday’s resolution, sponsored by Councilman Martavius Jones and Councilwoman Patrice Robinson, reflected the Council’s conclusion that BSTDA had failed. “They didn’t do what they set out to do,” Jones said, pointing out that BSTDA had two years to find management for the street. He linked the absence of a manager to the possibility that BSTDA had unrealistic goals. “I think they went in with the expectation a national group would come in and pitch a proposal to manage the street,” Jones said. The Beale Street Entertainment District isn’t big enough to attract a national managing company, said Jones, who associated the matter with what he sees as the council erroneously doling out powers and responsibilities they should retain. “In the time I’ve been on the council, what I’ve found … is the council (has) delegated its authority to committees not accountable to taxpayers,” Jones said. “That reduces transparency.” The elimination of the BSTDA is a step towards the restoration of transparency, he said. Meanwhile, several pending lawsuits loom that could affect the future of the entertainment district and the connectivity of the Beale Street Merchants Association, The Beale Street Historic Development Corporation, the Downtown Memphis Commission, and other entities. The timetable for selecting a permanent manager for the district is uncertain, but Ken Taylor with the Beale Street Merchants Association said the longer Beale Street district goes without management, the more money it loses. “The longer we hold on finding a manager for the street, the more potential investments we lose,” Taylor said, noting the potential of less income being generated from Africa in April and the Beale Street Music Festival – two big moneymakers with upcoming festival activities. Both Taylor and Jones want the same thing - positive and constantly improvement of Memphis’s most memorable tourist attraction. “I want a management group who can continue to uphold the image and historic values of Beale Street.” The New Tri-State Defender reached out to Mayor Jim Strickland concerning comments on finding management for the street. We are still awaiting a response.
By Montee Lopez, Special to The New Tri-State Defender
Meet Kelley Bynum. She, along with her husband, founded SKB Facilities & Maintenance, a local janitorial service that the couple has been working on for close to 10 years; all while working full-time jobs. “It was a process,” Bynum said. “It was a matter of finding out how to run a business, what it takes, funding – all those things.” The Bynums now have close to 200 employees and a contract with the City of Memphis. On Wednesday afternoon, she accepted the SBE (Small Business Enterprise) Champion Award, given during the second We Mean Business Symposium hosted by the City of Memphis Office of Business Diversity and Compliance at the Tower Center Room at Clark Tower. While business is booming now for Bynum and company, she readily remembers the doubts and rough spots. Joann Massey, the director of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development for the City of Memphis, is maneuvering to help more budding entrepreneurs succeed. “Often times, people don’t know where to start,” Massey said, referring to access to opportunities and funding for start-up businesses, especially ventures initiated by minorities. In Shelby County there are 49,000-plus African-American-owned business; only 784 of them have employees. Most are self-employed businesses, with many operating out of homes. “We’re trying to streamline the services offered to small, women- and minority-owned businesses and make access to them easier,” Massey said. That’s part of the reason why she developed “Propel.” It’s a 12-week program focused on helping existing businesses strengthen their models, the delivery services offered and engagement of customers – both public and private. “Businesses can’t afford to close their doors for a day going to offices, organization, filling out paperwork, and taking them places.” Last year, Massey, along with other city leaders, introduced the “We Mean Business Symposium” in conjunction with several other partnerships. She also oversaw the launch of a series of websites where people looking to start their own businesses can learn about specific licenses needed to operate. To get a contract with the city, a business must be able to supply a service the city needs - such as construction. However, the city can still help other business owners get on their feet. Helping minorities in Memphis is a passion for Massey. That concern is a way of life with roots in the New Chicago neighborhood where she grew up and experienced the effects of poverty first hand. “Being an African American, I know the challenges and the barriers we face,” Massey said, “and I’m all too familiar with them.” Massey has her sights set on helping to grow generational wealth for African Africans. She knows that increasing minority-owned businesses is crucial to that goal. Memphis, she said, moving in the right direction. “We’re not satisfied,” Massey said. “We’re not celebrating.”
Meet Kelley Bynum. She, along with her husband, founded SKB Facilities & Maintenance, a local janitorial service that the couple has been working on for close to 10 years; all while working full-time jobs. “It was a process,” Bynum said. “It was a matter of finding out how to run a business, what it takes, funding – all those things.” The Bynums now have close to 200 employees and a contract with the City of Memphis. On Wednesday afternoon, she accepted the SBE (Small Business Enterprise) Champion Award, given during the second We Mean Business Symposium hosted by the City of Memphis Office of Business Diversity and Compliance at the Tower Center Room at Clark Tower. While business is booming now for Bynum and company, she readily remembers the doubts and rough spots. Joann Massey, the director of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development for the City of Memphis, is maneuvering to help more budding entrepreneurs succeed. “Often times, people don’t know where to start,” Massey said, referring to access to opportunities and funding for start-up businesses, especially ventures initiated by minorities. In Shelby County there are 49,000-plus African-American-owned business; only 784 of them have employees. Most are self-employed businesses, with many operating out of homes. “We’re trying to streamline the services offered to small, women- and minority-owned businesses and make access to them easier,” Massey said. That’s part of the reason why she developed “Propel.” It’s a 12-week program focused on helping existing businesses strengthen their models, the delivery services offered and engagement of customers – both public and private. “Businesses can’t afford to close their doors for a day going to offices, organization, filling out paperwork, and taking them places.” Last year, Massey, along with other city leaders, introduced the “We Mean Business Symposium” in conjunction with several other partnerships. She also oversaw the launch of a series of websites where people looking to start their own businesses can learn about specific licenses needed to operate. To get a contract with the city, a business must be able to supply a service the city needs - such as construction. However, the city can still help other business owners get on their feet. Helping minorities in Memphis is a passion for Massey. That concern is a way of life with roots in the New Chicago neighborhood where she grew up and experienced the effects of poverty first hand. “Being an African American, I know the challenges and the barriers we face,” Massey said, “and I’m all too familiar with them.” Massey has her sights set on helping to grow generational wealth for African Africans. She knows that increasing minority-owned businesses is crucial to that goal. Memphis, she said, moving in the right direction. “We’re not satisfied,” Massey said. “We’re not celebrating.”
The Shelby County Commission on Monday voted in favor of a joint resolution with the Memphis City Council to ask the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to probe all sheriff- and police-involved shootings that result in serious injury or...