Coalition for a Better Memphis is on the Right Track

Presently in my view the best agency providing the public with the most, as close as you can get, honest assessment of candidates is the Coalition for a Better Memphis. The reason I pick this group is for three reasons: first, the questionnaire they require each candidate for office to fill out covers a broad spectrum of issues that any candidate worth his/her salt should know. I would like to say that I also thought the Commercial Appeal questionnaire was very well thought out. Second, the panel of fifteen, yes fifteen, who interviewed me seemed to be very knowledgeable. The only other organization that had such a large showing was the Teacher's Credit Union. Third, I favored their ranking system. It seemed fairer than anything else I have seen.

I would strongly recommend you turn to the Coalition for a Better Memphis as a starting point in deciding how to vote. They release their results in the Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Flyer a few days before the election. You can find them on the internet at www.bettermemphis.org.

Did anyone else use the Coalition and what did you think? If you didn’t use the Coalition how did you decide on which candidate to pick?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

If they don't have yard signs how will the people know who is running for office? I just think people don't know who to trust when it comes to who to vote for. Everybody is saying I'm the best candidate and the other guy is the devil. Now I did see the Better Memphis score card but how was I to know that I could trust them. I never heard of them before. Now Mr. Milton is saying that they are someone you can trust. Why did he say this earlier that would have made my job a lot easier. I voted for Ford. I knew it was Ford, Jr. I didn't know anything about Mr. Milton or any of the other candidates. I went with Mr. Ford because I felt he would be connected and be able to get a lot done.

Anonymous said...

But did you see how the people with the highest scores given by the CBM were defeated and the people with the marginal score won. Memphis does not select people because they are intelligent, they select them because they are popular (Fullilove, Flinn, Ford). That's three F's for the City Council. When will Memphians learn.

Anonymous said...

5:06 PM

"How was it fake if the democrates sent it out."

They are fake if they pass themselves off as a organization dedicated to helping Democrats make good choices for office. If the process by which they make their selection is unethical then it is not a ballot it is a lie.

I think the Shelby County Democratic Party should start endorsing the City Council race. They should put together a fair process to identify the BEST candidates and then send out ballots based on who can do the best job for the community. This will end these shady groups that take money for endorsements.. (Yea, we are talking about you Memphis Democratic Club).

Anonymous said...

If Memphis is to move ahead we have to do three things:

1. Support watchdog organizations,
2. Increase voter turnout
3. Insure voters are educated on the issues.

The Coalition, and The Commercial Appeal are doing just that.

Anonymous said...

Do they put a copy of their report in the Tri-State Defender? They need to. I don't think many Black Memphians know about them. They also need to hold some meeting in the mostly Black community and go to some functions where there are a lot of Blacks.

Anonymous said...

Yes, the Coalition does add a copy to the Tri-State Defender.

Anonymous said...

The Shelby County Democratc Party is involved in the election process. The avearge citizen just don't know about it. In the last city council race, the candidates endorsed by New Path tried to get their hands all of the way into deep pockets with the help of the Shelby County Democratic Party. The Shelby County Democratic party throws the rock and then hide their hands. The undercover, unethical processes they use, endorsing candidates proposed by other groups and seeking money from high ranking city gurus, in order to manipulate and control is what they are all about . See, the Shelby County Democratic Party knew that Dr. Herenton would win the election again, so they sought for a group of people they could control by helping them win their city council seat by funneling in lots of money. If somebody helps you corral up to $75,000 in some instances to win an election, you are their slave. I am an insider and I know this to be true. I have the paper work to prove it. The Shelby Deocratic Party didn't let everybody see their e-mails. I saw all of the paper work coming from Carl Schledwitz's office, going to potential doners asking for money and I saw every name on that list. Couriers were scurrying all over this city with big checks. Some of the couriers made known how afraid they were going into poor areas to deliver large checks. The candidates endorsed by the CA, the Coalition for a Better Memphis and New Path were bought out from the start. The average citizen would be shocked to know that such a scheme had been devised. That's why it did not work. But they will never tell you this There was a meeting scheduled early on when this racket got started and one of the main (money people) being asked for funds, called me directly to inquire about a person on the list.

This blog will surely be removed, but for everyone who does get the chance to read it, just know that New Path, The Coalition for a Better Memphis and the CA are all bought out and will always be bought out. I interface with lots of the executives from these groups and I know first hand how they operate. I am around the big money and where the money is, politicians and office seekers stream in and out during election years and when there is no election year.

I am glad that the citizens of Memphis let it be known that they would not be fooled during the last election. Hopefully New Path learned a good lesson. Only one of the people they endorsed finally ended up in the city council office. Carl Schledwitz only has one person he can control. The people of Memphis have more common sense than they are given credit for.

Anonymous said...

I believe that Mr. Edmund Ford, Jr. is going to do a good job on the city council. After seeing all of the corruption that has lingered for years, the new generation want to make a big difference. The citizens of District 6 have said we believe in Edmund Ford, Jr. and we trust you. A vote for one candidate over another is a matter of saying who you trust. Mr. Ford will work hard to show that the talents and gifts given to his family will surely be put to good use for the benefit of the citizens of his district. The students at Central gave wonderful reviews of Mr. Ford. He is a model citizen. This goes to show that the citizens of Memphis have high respects for a legacy of serving. Too bad some of the elder Ford's got off track. The money got to twinkling in their eyes.

Anonymous said...

The citizens of Memphis, especially in District 6, knew that the stuff put out by the CBM was as a result of an opportunity for the candidates to think about what perception they wanted the community to have of them and then gracefully put it on paper. If a voter really wants to know who to vote for, a simple personal poll will do the trick. Of my own initiative, I visited several neighbors in my community and threw out the names of the dozen office seekers for District 6. Of the various neighbors I spoke with, most of them recognized the Ford Jr., some had heard of Milton, and many knew Catchings because of his educational connections in the community. They did not know much about the others except for ones who had been on a ballot before. A sensible voter will not go by what a candidate has to say about themselves, they will go by what they know about them. Without personal knowledge, one is just guessing.

I am taking time to read through the questionaires that were presented to the CBM, and my God what angels and horn tooters these are. Where are these brilliant people now that they have lost and what are they doing for the community. They are in disquise as before the election and now back in disquise after losing.

Reginald Milton said...

To 2:38 PM

You said, "I am an insider and I know this to be true. I have the paper work to prove it."

You have my P.O. Box. Please send me a copy of this inside information. If it is true I will post it.

I have been involved with New Path and CBM and I have not seen any of this corruption that you speak of. Nearly every candidate sought the endorsement of these groups, but the moment they did not receive that endorsement these groups some how became corrupt.

I normally would delete such a post since it makes direct attacks without providing any proof. I will keep your post up until the end of November. That gives you time to mail me the "inside information you have." Now you made the statement you knew I would delete your comment, well I now challenge you. I know you will not send me this inside information. Mainly because I don't think it is real.

I think that's fair.

Reginald Milton said...

To 3:18 P.M.

I wish Councilman Elect Edmund Ford, Jr. my very best. You are correct the voters have spoken.

Reginald Milton said...

To 2:23 P.M.

You said:
"I am taking time to read through the questionnaires that were presented to the CBM, and my God what angels and horn tooters these are. Where are these brilliant people now that they have lost and what are they doing for the community."

In all fairness these candidates are required to toot their own horns. The questions presented to them ask them to share what they have been doing. If in anyway you are referring to what I am doing, then I can say I am back working among the residents in District 6 as a community organizer.

You seem somewhat bitter in your comment, is there anything specific that you would like to ask me?

Anonymous said...

2:38

Please spare me. You don't think people are always trying to control what's going on! You make it sound like that's something new. Like Mayor Herenton and his team don't try to control what is going on. Or Senators, or Presidents. Politicians and rich people have always tried to support what they think is best for them and they would be fools not to. All this is is one machine fighting another machine. One powerful group trying to stop another powerful group. There is nothing illegal about that. But to sit here and say you know all these candidates were being controlled is a joke. You think Mayor Herenton is being controlled? What they do is support a candidate with the hopes of having their ear on issues that are important to them. So please don't take us for fools when you say all these candidates were slaves. If they wanted to give me $70,000 to run my campaign fine!!! How would that make me their slave. I don't have to give the money back if I don't agree with them. ALL and I mean ALL candidates take donations.

Anonymous said...

Those that attack the SCDP are mostly want-a-bes. They want power, but they know they are not qualified so they rant and rave hoping to be thrown a bone to shut up. Well it never will happen.

This is a good site but be ready for these trouble makers.

Anonymous said...

"ALL and I mean ALL candidates take donations."

Amen, this whole thing about people being bought off and powerful white people trying to take over the City Council was crap from the very beginning. Somebody needs to take over City Council!

Reginald Milton said...

To: 2:38 PM

Well I gave you the chance to send me this proof you spoke of. I checked my mailbox every day in anticipation of this "evidence" that would once and for all shine a light on these corrupt people trying to take over our government. Funny, it never arrived.

You challenged me to keep your comment up and I did. I challenged you to present these facts and you didn't. You didn't because they never were real.

To my viewers. There was a conspiracy. It was a conspiracy to confuse and frighten the Black community into not listening to other voices, but to continue dancing to the broken record of empty promises that they have been hearing these many years.

To you 2:38 PM go try and sell your lies some place else. There is a new day dawning and that light will shine on you.