WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): Summer has arrived in Memphis, at least by the public school calendar. It's a good time to catch up on some ongoing political issues across Tennessee. With us again is analyst Otis Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you, Chris. Good to be with you.
BLANK: Well, let's start with something June-related. This weekend kicks off Pride Month in Memphis. There's a big parade on Saturday Downtown. State Republicans this year wanted to make a political point by naming June "Nuclear Family Month" instead. This honors those courageous straight people who do what God wants them to do: make babies. Otis, where do we celebrate? Where's the straight parade?
SANFORD: (Laughs) Well, I don't need to be in a parade with people who look down and demonize other people. Let's just put it that way.
BLANK: As you know, Republican Rep. Andy Ogles, who wants to be one of Memphis's new congressmen, started Nuclear Family Month by tweeting "Homosexuality has no place in America." He's also tweeted in the past that other religions have no place in America. So why was this controversial for him?
SANFORD: It's ignorance, first of all, and it's just part and parcel of this congressman's lack of fitness for elected office. I mean, certainly, I'm part of a what you would call a nuclear family, I guess. But what about those families historically who were families with grandparents in there raising kids or single parent households? What about them? So Ogles is part of this problem here of just demonization of people.
BLANK: He got some pushback, though, from other Republicans. And I wonder: why, given this push for the nuclear family, he isn't being praised for saying this kind of thing?
SANFORD: The fact is, a lot of Republicans have people who are part of the LGBTQ+ community in their families. To demonize them in this kind of vile way was just over the top. I've said before, I think he's the weakest of the incumbents running for Congress this year in Tennessee, and I really hope people take a real close look at this guy, especially the people in Memphis now who are in District 5 ,and determine for themselves what I already know.
BLANK: Well, let's talk for a minute about taxes. In November, we'll vote on an amendment to ban a statewide property tax. As you know, we don't pay state property taxes. So, what's the point of this?
SANFORD: I don't know what the point is other than to make some kind of political statement that you're trying to safeguard the pocketbooks of Tennesseans. Which is already part of the the law: we don't have a state property tax ,as you said. I don't know what the purpose of this is. They could have spent their time doing a lot of other things more productive than trying to put just something else on the ballot in November that we really don't even need, honestly.
BLANK: Well, onto local property taxes. Whenever there's a reappraisal in Shelby County and home values go up, the state comptroller tells county government how much it has to reduce its tax rate so that there's not a huge windfall every time this happens. Well, there was a big rate reduction last year. And this year, the state says, we still need to knock it down by three cents. That would mean if your appraisal is $200,000, you'd have a $60 reduction. County commissioners are now talking about keeping those three cents, which would bring in an extra $10 million countywide this year. Even though it it does seem like small potatoes, why should property owners tune into some of these conversations at the commission over the tax rate?
SANFORD: I think in this case, some people are making the argument that if we keep it the same, that's not going to be any extra money out of your pocket. Plus, there are a lot of projects that have to be funded. I mean, we're talking about schools. We're talking about the jail, for example. I think the county commission is doing the right thing here by just having the debate over it, whether they agree to do this or not. B
LANK: Well, finally, Otis, let's talk about Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
SANFORD: Do we have to?
BLANK: Well, this is for listeners, Otis. We're trying to educate and inform here.
SANFORD: [Laughs.] Okay.
BLANK: She came in a close second in the Democratic primary for Criminal Court Clerk. She's now seeking a recount. Should she get one? Is this a race that needs reviewing?
SANFORD: I'm not sure, Chris. I saw where she says there may be, or there might be, or there could be 1,700 absentee ballots that were uncounted. And you know, she doesn't have any proof of that. And the statement that Linda Phillips, the Election Commission Administrator, put out saying, hey, we counted all the ballots. This is just, to me, a Hail Mary pass here by somebody who just refuses to go away and live her life without being in elected office. I don't think she knows how to not be in elected office, Chris. But for the sake of taxpayers, she need to learn how to go and not be in elected office.
