Memphis politicians are in the baby making business

Well, if you have not heard the stories that happened last two weeks in Memphis, you missed out on some good stuff.

Our mayor called a press conference and informed the public that he was the father of a child that was three to four months old. Form what i could gather the woman was a white Yankee and around 40 years old. I am not sure about her age, as that seems a little old, but whatever. The mayor was single, so it is not to huge of a scandal. The woman was pissed enough to go and interview with a local station this week. The mayor has gotten a lot of criticism from the conservative media, who think that he has been a poor role model for the black community. While this story was juicy, it probably will not cause the mayor to lose his job in the short term. Though i can see he not getting re elected, not because he had a kid, but because he had a kid with a white woman.

The bigger story of the week was summed up in an personal email from a guy i know in the TN government.

"SENATOR JOHN FORD
The cloud over the legislature this week has been the long shadow of John Ford. His actions have created a whirlwind of controversy. Here are some of the allegations that have been recently uncovered.

Senator Ford lives outside his district. He claims his legal residence is in a funeral home in his district. He actually sleeps at homes he owns with his ex-wife and his girlfriend. Amazingly, there is no law stating that a [state] Senator must live in the district. We will attempt to change that this year.

Senator Ford passed a law that from which he would benefit without disclosing his personal gain from the Bill's passage. By rule, legislators are required to state their conflict of interest when they consider a bill in which they are likely to personally gain.

Senator Ford paid for his daughter's wedding from his campaign account.

Senator Ford failed to disclose his compensation from a partnership doing business with the state. The allegation that he failed to disclose income from a company doing business with the State of Tennessee will be the one most likely to bring him censure from the Senate.

Ethics complaints have been filed by citizens and the Senate Ethics committee is looking into the complaints and the charges. I am hesitant to say much because of the nature of an ethics charge. I want to encourage you to be patient. This process will not happen as fast as we might like, but it will happen. The charges will not simply fade away. After sweeps week is over and the television cameras have gone home, the Ethics Committee will continue to work. They will thoroughly investigate the charges and bring a recommendation to the Senate.

It is important to remember that any investigation into a Senator's ethical behavior is not a partisan issue, nor should it be staged for the media. The investigation must be, and it will be, conducted with fairness, diligence and with a passion for the truth. It will not be fast, but it will be sure

Jim Bryson
State Senator
Davidson and Williamson Counties"

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