WKNO TRANSCRIPT
CHRISTOPHER BLANK (Host): This week we're talking money: stadium money, water money, misspent money. With us again -- with the receipts-- is political analyst Otis "Big Money" Sanford. Welcome back.
OTIS SANFORD: Thank you, Chris. I don't know how many receipts I have, but I'll do my best.
BLANK: Well, let's start with sports. I know you're a big sports fan.
SANFORD: I am.
BLANK: The Memphis City Council this week approved a $5 million loan for AutoZone Park renovations. That does not seem like much when we're talking about stadiums. But one council member did ruffle some feathers -- redbird feathers-- questioning this spending, or maybe questioning baseball itself? What are local officials saying about AutoZone Park?
SANFORD: Well, first of all, Chris, I don't know how you question baseball. It is as American as apple pie and hot dogs. So, come on, let's get that out of the way first. This is an issue that the city council has gotten right here. The stadium belongs to the City of Memphis. It is a jewel, so to speak, in Downtown Memphis and it needs to be maintained and not fall into disrepair. And I do give the city officials some credit for now, in addition to the $5 million-- which is not a lot of money, as you said--they're also going to look into other uses for the park, which is a good thing. So, I applaud what the city council and the city is doing here with these renovations.
BLANK: The SpaceX data center was in the news again this week. The company now says it will be building a water recycling plant next year. Elon Musk tweeted that construction could maybe even start sooner. But there does seem to be a change in attitude in city leaders. Remember, for a long time it was, "well, it's a private company, so they can do whatever they want." I'm sensing a more proactive tone these days. Why the pivot from "it's just business" to "this is a public matter?"
SANFORD: Because they are getting public pressure. And it's more than just people in Southwest Memphis who started complaining about this at the very beginning and city officials really didn't listen to them. Now we have a lot of other people who are complaining about this. You also have people over in DeSoto County complaining. You have people in Middle Tennessee complaining about the overall issue of these data centers. So, I think there's some political pressure being applied here and that's one of the reasons why city leaders are much more proactive now in making sure that SpaceX, which is formerly xAI, made good on its promise for that wastewater treatment plant.
BLANK: Well, another week and another local official was in the news for inappropriate use of taxpayer money. Incoming county commission Lashanta Rudd was accused of misusing some city grant money given to her nonprofit Serving in Christ Outreach. There are some similarities here to the kind of spending that got Edmund Ford Jr. indicted. Rudd hasn't been charged with anything so far, but a couple of thoughts about this: Do you think there may be some systemic problems with how local government --city and county -- award these grants? Like, maybe there should be some better vetting of some of these nonprofits?
SANFORD: There is no question about this, Chris. This is another black eye to the grant program, both in the city government and county government here. I think the whole thing should be suspended while they come up with workable plans to make sure that these funds are spent the way it is intended to be spent. We should not be using city funding in this grant program to buy cars and oil changes and all of that. That is shameful really. And another problem I have here. This report was created back in January. Nobody brought forth this issue, knowing that Ms. Rudd was a candidate for county office. And so now that she was elected in the primary back in May and has no Republican opposition position in the August election, she has smooth sailing to serve on the county commission. That's a problem for me. And unless she repays the money that she used improperly, I just don't think she's fit to serve on the county commission.
BLANK: We talked last week about Court Clerk Tami Sawyer's recent federal indictment and the general impression this creates about our local government. Do we need to hear from candidates now running for office about this trust issue and what to do about it?
SANFORD: Absolutely we do. Candidates are not vetted the way they used to be vetted back in the day. Maybe I'm blaming the local newspapers for this. But yes, candidates have to address these issues. We have another election coming up in August, Chris, and then we have a general election coming up in November. And it is going to be incumbent upon the media, the public to hold these candidates accountable for their background, their records, and do a much better job of making sure that people are qualified and fit from a trust point of view to holding elected office.
