WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): In Tennessee's most Democratic county, perhaps the most powerful state lawmakers are two Republicans. Rep. Mark White and State Sen. Brent Taylor don't just have political differences with many Shelby County agencies or people, their efforts to circumvent local voters have found support in Nashville. To talk with us about that is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you, Chris. Thank you for having me.
BLANK: Before we get into specific bills, Otis, I wonder: have there been times in the past when one or two politicians used the state to really keep local officials in line.
SANFORD: I can't think of anything that's rivaling what we are seeing right now, Chris. I mean, certainly there have been really, really powerful state lawmakers in the past. But there's a difference. They were not wielding that power to basically go after any individual location in the State of Tennessee. They were just powerful men. That is not what we're seeing here.
BLANK: We've talked about State Sen. Brent Taylor's highly irregular effort to remove District Attorney Steve Mulroy. Now, Senator Taylor is on to a business matter. He says that the cost of commercial development in Memphis is too high. So he's sponsoring a bill that creates a state board of Republican political appointees that would negotiate special tax rates, basically getting around Memphis government. Is this good for the city, or good for business?
SANFORD: There's no question that it would be good to have more development going on here in Memphis and Shelby County. But I do disagree vehemently with him just sort of usurping the authority of local governments and getting the state to make deals about economic development here in Memphis and Shelby County. We have an EDGE board -- Economic Development Growth Engine -- and we have a city council and a county commission and we have mayors. This is overreach at its worst and I just can't believe that Sen. Taylor has gone this far with his ego trip with statewide politics.
BLANK: Rep. Mark White has also been pushing a new board of political appointees to run Memphis-Shelby County Schools. And his bill passed in subcommittee this week. And I want to talk about this tactic of creating new boards or, as has been happening in Nashville, forcing civic boards, like their convention center or their airport authority, to have political appointees on them. Shouldn't Tennesseans in urban areas where this is happening be concerned about how a political party is getting power in lieu of winning elected office?
SANFORD: Well, not only should they be concerned, they should be worried, flabbergasted. Any other word that you want to come up with, here. You know, I listened to Rep. Mark White say the other day that his efforts involving Memphis-Shelby County Schools is not a takeover. It's more like an intervention, as if we're talking about somebody who has a drug problem or an alcohol problem. If this is not a state takeover, I don't know what it is. I just don't understand where the Republican party... well, I guess I do understand where they got the idea that they could just takeover everything and run roughshod over every local government, individuals, companies, faith-based organizations. They are on a march to takeover and it's alarming.
BLANK: Well, finally, Otis, another of Sen. Taylor's bills is moving forward. This one criminalizes people and organizations who give aid to undocumented people. There are many churches and faith-based charities who help immigrant communities often without asking about status. To that, Taylor said, quote, "I would remind the churches that even heaven has an immigration policy." Otis, is our General Assembly ready to put churchgoers in jail for helping immigrants?
SANFORD: Oh my God. First of all, I'm trying to get used to that quote that you just gave. To to go after well-meaning faith-based organizations, charitable organizations, individuals, even family members is to me un-American. But it may be becoming the trend for what the Republicans not just in Tennessee, but everywhere, have resorted to. This is an effort to sanitize this state and this country. And this, again, It's alarming. Everything we've talked about today should be worrisome to any right-thinking individual who believes in freedom, who believes in the rule of law all and believes in fairness. I just hang my head in a shameful way that we have a legislature that's doing all of this.
