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| Statement from Jerry Lawler |
| my mayor can piledrive yours |
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| Today, July 14, 1999, I filed my petition to run for Mayor of my hometown, the city I love Memphis, Tennessee! I'm entering this race for Mayor to give the voters of Memphis a real choice and a new direction. For the next two and a half months, I intend to do everything in my power to convince the average voter that their voice and vote still matters. Up till now, they have been turned off by the extreme partisanship and mudslinging that seems to typify campaigns for public office. Under the past administrations in Memphis, the average working family hasn't seen real improvement in their quality of life. My message is simple. If we keep on voting for cookie-cutter politicians that all act the same and talk the same, we'll just get more of the same. We are losing the City we love, inch by inch. Losing out on jobs, on roads, on housing, and in some areas Memphis is losing an entire generation of young people to drugs, crime and hopelessness. The professional politicians are offering the same old solutions. But the real problem is not in developing new ideas or innovative solutions. There are plenty of people willing to share good ideas for our community, if only someone would listen. No, the real problem is finding a person who can bring this city together. The problem is in finding someone with the character and compassion to stand up to the special interest, and the lobbyists, and the hanger-ons at City Hall and Just Say No! I feel I am that person. The entrenched professional politicians will say, "How dare someone run for office who doesn't seek political endorsements. How dare someone run for office who isn't a career politician. How dare someone run for office who doesn't owe the special interest any favors. How dare someone run for office and appeal to all voters and not add to the racial polarization. Well I dare! And I don't care what the professional politicians or their cronies have to say. I will be taking my message straight to the voters. Unfiltered and unpolished as that message may be, it has resonated in other parts of this country. There will also be those detrators who say, "How can we elect someone from the entertainment industry...who puts on a colorful costume." Well I seem to recall it was a group of average-working people who put on costumes and dressed like native Americans to throw tea in Boston Harbor. Today I say we're ready to throw this administration out of office and not repeat the mistake of electing another professional politician. I believe Memphis is ready to elect a Mayor for all the people! So how do we build a great city? Besides offering new leadership for the city, there are seven areas of change I call my Positive Plan of Action: 1. Safer Streets. Crime does not discriminate. Fighting crime should be the common goal of every law-abiding citizen. Every morning when we pick up the paper or turn on the news and see that another Memphian has been senselessly murdered, we lose two things: a precious life, and our peace of mind It's time to take back the streets! If the mayor of New York can dramatically reduce crime in his city, we can do the same in Memphis. What it's going to take is a well-paid police force with high morals and high morale and a mayor equal to the task! 2. Educational Excellence. The promise of all tomorrows is in the hearts and hands of today's children. We must insure a safe learning environment where real education can take place. As mayor, I would coordinate programs between our schools and police to identify potentially violent students and provide a police presence in every school! I would also sponsor a corporate mentoring program to match business leaders with schools and classrooms. If Auto Zone can help Memphis build a ball park, other corporations can help Memphis maintain educational excellence, and we will see city schools air-conditioned if it means taking the air conditioning out of City Hall! 3. A Cleaner Community. Residents miss a second residential garbage pick-up, especially in these hot days of summer, when the trash ripens. I'll work to restore a higher level of trash service, see that our streets are kept clean and initiate a volunteer-based citywide beautification program. We get only one chance to make a first impression as a community. 4. Attracting New Business. New firms are coming to our area. The problem is they are choosing to locate at ever greater distances from the City of Memphis. We need to reverse this trend which is pushing urban sprawl. The economic vitality of our community, jobs for our citizens and our tax base depends on attracting new business. We need to bring companies to Memphis that are high tech and pay a livable wage with benefits. With my national reputation, I believe I can open new doors for Memphis and be our number one economic growth ambassador. 5. Get Traffic Moving. The old joke that you can't get there from here is no joke to the commuters of Memphis. As mayor, I would work with State and Federal authorities to implement major road and highway projects that get traffic moving! 6. Lessen The Property Tax Burden. Escalating property tax bills are a serious concern for many, especially those on fixed retirement incomes. I believe there is money to be saved with a mayor who knows how to use a pencil sharpener! I’ll look for waste in every corner of city operations and then look for ways to pass some of the savings on to those who pay the bills: the taxpayers of Memphis. 7. More Parks For Families Greenspace and recreational opportunities for families can enhance the livability of our city. Having a ballfield to play on or a place to fly a kite are all part of the job of growing up. We need to develop more parks and upgrade those we have. I don't have all the answers. I have shared with you my Positive Plan of Action so you will know what's important to me; what my values are. To those already mentioned, I want to add a personal note. I hope my candidacy will inspire people to register and vote, especially our young people. The burden of building a great city is too great to shoulder it alone. It will take rich and poor, old and young, every ethnic group, men and women; it takes everyone, even a professional wrestler named Jerry Lawler. To my neighbors and friends I say "listen to your hearts", not the professional politicians. The hidden strength of my candidacy is in your hands and the simplicity of our message. I say it is time to run Memphis like a business where the taxpayers are the customers and the customers are always right. |
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