WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): Southern politics, at least from an urban perspective, may seem adversarial at times, but not always. And this week we take a look at some recent decisions that fall on the largely popular end of the spectrum. With us again is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you for having me, Chris.
BLANK: Otis, I think some folks were pleasantly surprised by the proposed name that Tennessee lawmakers decided for the new I-55 bridge over the Mississippi, considering what they could have named it. "Kings' Crossing" is as ecumenical as you can get, politically -- paying tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley and BB King all in one. Can we get an amen to that decision?
SANFORD: Yes, we can get an amen and pass the plate, because I think this is an outstanding idea. And I don't know who the one person who came up with with it first, but whoever it is, she or he deserves a raise.
BLANK: Right, sometimes bridges are named to curry political favor, or to idolize somebody on one side of a political perspective. How did that not happen here?
SANFORD: Well, I just think people saw how much the bridge means to the City of Memphis. And while that could have easily been a decision to name it after some Tennessee politician, it would have been a slap in the face to name it for someone that did not have the connection -- good and bad -- because, obviously let's look at the facts here. Dr. King was assassinated here in town. But he made a difference here. And we know that BB King made a difference, and obviously Elvis Presley. It was a good decision and it was the proper decision.
BLANK: The Memphis City Council also has been putting money to some worthy causes. Some may call them essential causes. Let's get some quick thoughts on those. The first is $900,000 to deal with blight in Memphis. Is there a specific problem this addresses, besides litter?
SANFORD: Well, yes. I mean, I think the biggest issue that it addresses is having more people to go after landlords and homeowners who have just let their structures turn into eyesores. And that is visible all over town, Chris. This money, part of it, will be used to go after these landlords and owners and force them either to clean up or the city will take over the property and get it into a shape that can put it back on the tax rolls.
BLANK: That's great news for some neighborhoods. And speaking of neighborhoods, communities in Southwest Memphis still have many environmental concerns about the new xAI data centers. There are now two of them. But the upside of those projects is more tax revenue, and the city council voted to earmark a quarter of those revenues from xAI back to those neighborhoods in the company's shadow. Also, the company is pledging money for public school renovations there. What kind of impact could this have?
SANFORD: Oh, I think it'll have a positive impact. These two facilities are here, and they're going to be here. And as long as they are here and they are paying tax money -- to bring back at least a quarter of that tax money to beautify and uplift and help the respective neighborhoods is a good thing. And the same for the schools. The xAI is planning to pump a lot of money into infrastructure at these four schools in the area. If they're going to be here, let's accept that they want to be good citizens and be a part of the community. I think it's a good thing.
BLANK: Well, finally, Otis, I'm going to imagine you were breathing a sigh of relief to learn that the Grizzlies will likely remain in Memphis for the foreseeable future. After two years of behind-the-scenes negotiations over the FedEx Forum, the city and the team are closing in on a deal. Now, that would include $550 million dollars in stadium renovations. Seems like a lot of money, a big chunk covered by taxpayers. But as a fan, what does this news mean for you, and is it a good deal?
SANFORD: Well, I think it's a good deal, and not I'm not just speaking for a fan, I'm also speaking for a taxpayer. One of the details here is that the taxpayer money obligation is spread out a lot longer than it would have been had it not been for these negotiations. So we're not on the hook for a lot of money upfront. And I think that the Grizzlies are being a very, very fair partner in these negotiations. I mean, let's be honest about it: Memphis is the smallest market in the National Basketball Association. And there are other cities that would love to have an NBA team, Seattle being one of them. And so, if there's an overture here by the Grizzlies to be committed to stay in town, working with city leaders to get these renovations done and it won't be too painful for taxpayers, then that's a really good thing. The thing that we have to continue to do, and the Grizzlies are saying this: we have to continue to make sure that the Downtown area is a place that people want to go to. That means we have to address the issues down there. Blight issues exist Downtown. Crime is an issue Downtown. And so the city has to address that as well.
