© 2024 WKNO FM
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

BTH: Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris on His First Week in Office

WKNO-TV

Just one week into his new job as Shelby County Mayor, Lee Harris tells WKNO-TV's Behind the Headlines that his office is off to a great start. 
 
Harris looks forward to streamlined communications between various government entities and closer relationships with municipal mayors. To ensure that, Harris says that he's meeting with city mayors individually and plans to host a roundtable conference to make sure the districts are communicating. 
 
On education, Harris plans to create the position of education liaison to the Shelby County School Board. He also mentions other leadership positions in the works, and how they will serve the county.  
 
When asked about county taxes, Harris says he sees no current need for an increase. The county is in good financial health and even considers the future possibility of reducing taxes. In the meantime, Harris wants to make sure that citizens are getting a “bang for their buck,” which equates to spending money where it benefits the most citizens.   
 
MATA transportation is one of those things, though he is skeptical about proposals to add a public transportation fee to MLGW bills. Harris believes that some kind of dedicated funding to public transportation is a good thing, because the community at large benefits.   
 
https://youtu.be/xvU6NXiqJmc","_id":"0000017a-2ee4-d736-a57f-3eefab0a0000","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/xvU6NXiqJmc">https://youtu.be/xvU6NXiqJmc","_id":"0000017a-2ee4-d736-a57f-3eefab0a0000","_type":"035d81d3-5be2-3ed2-bc8a-6da208e0d9e2"}">https://youtu.be/xvU6NXiqJmc

Reporting from the gates of Graceland to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, Christopher has covered Memphis news, arts, culture and politics for more than 20 years in print and on the radio. He is currently WKNO's News Director and Senior Producer at the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. Join his conversations about the Memphis arts scene on the WKNO Culture Desk Facebook page.