WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): From the Memphis-Shelby County Schools District to xAI, this week has been full of promises, promises, or maybe some broken promises. With us again to talk about these is political analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you, Chris. Great to be back with you.
BLANK: Well, let's start with the schools, Otis. After the state audit, which we talked a lot about last week, the new superintendent Roderick Richmond promised to address the issues the audit raised. And on Monday, he made good on that. The district launched two separate websites. One is a sort of progress report of what Richmond previously had planned to do. And the second addresses the audit more directly. What are some of your initial thoughts about his response?
SANFORD: The first thing I noticed, Chris, is that he's not in denial. Or he's certainly not being defensive about the issues that the audit raised, and he's acknowledging the shortcomings, especially when it comes to proper record keeping. And he's trying to implement what he called in his statement, guardrails and processes for improvement. Now, that may sound like bureaucratic speak, but I think he is at least trying to address the problem, and he's recognizing that there are some concerns.
BLANK: As we've discussed before, these efforts likely will not stave off a state intervention being pushed by local Republican lawmakers, but I wonder if it signals that the new superintendent is someone who will be able to navigate this political prospect of having to answer to two school boards in the future: the (appointed) state school board, and our local elected school board.
SANFORD: Well, I think he's trying and he's showing that he's trying. But a lot of the success will depend, Christopher, on who's appointed to this new oversight group and whether they are willing to work with him and the elected school board. But I do see indications that Superintendent Richmond is trying and is making commitments to work with any and everybody.
BLANK: Well, onto another promise. Data centers: they are turning out to be problematic not just in the Memphis area, but all across the country. They make ravenous use of resources, such as electricity and water. And when xAI decided to build some data centers here in the Memphis area, the company first promised that the use of natural gas turbines would be temporary, then it promised to build a water recycling facility so that it doesn't use billions of gallons of drinking water each year to cool its computers. This week, the company says it has indefinitely paused that project. xAI is a private company, of course, and it never asked for any local incentives. But these promises did deflect pressure from environmental groups in the short term, and it certainly made it easier for Mayor Paul Young to advocate for the data centers as a boon to local tax revenues. What does this mean for the mayor on a political level?
SANFORD: Well, I think if this does not happen, it's going to be really tough politically for Mayor Paul Young. He staked a lot on this, and there have been several mis-messages just over the last last few days about whether this is an indefinite pause in the wastewater plant or whether they are just prioritizing some other things and they are definitely going to get back to it, they're committed to it. The mayor needs to show that he is pushing to make sure that this does happen. Because if it does not happen, politically, it's really bad news for him.
BLANK: Part of this deal involved the city selling some land to xAI for the purpose of building this plant. And the advocacy group Protect Our Aquifer wants the city council now to take a second look at that contract. Elon Musk tweeted that it's going to happen, but he just wants to finish the other data center first. What should local politicians be doing right now, I guess, to ensure that continues to go forward?
SANFORD: They need to exercise some oversight of it, even though it is a private company, and they have not asked for any tax incentives. They are using land that the city sold to them. This whole thing gives the protesters some ammunition to say, "I told you so."
BLANK: And there is growing resentment nationally toward data centers and their issues with pollution. And it kind of touches on a history, I think, of environmental disregard in states where legislatures see certain communities-- which is poor communities--as places where industries have carte blanche to build. What do you think, maybe, is the tipping point where government can expect more accountability from big corporations?
SANFORD: If there is a tipping point, it's going to have to happen at the ballot box, Chris. We have elections coming up. There is no better way to show that you mean business when it comes to politicians and elected leaders hearing your concerns than to show up at the polls and vote out the ones you think are not listening to your concerns. So that's where the tipping point lies. Until then, it's going to be looking at profits and really not a whole lot else.
