MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Thursday, members of the community group 'Frayser Exchange Club' touched on timely topics with during their weekly meeting with a special guest: Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.
After many in Frayser suffered through days in the dark following the recent ice storm, the reliability of power and how to improve MLGW long-term remained on the minds of many in the group.
"I know you guys were talking about possibility of selling M and L and G and W. I just want to ask a little more about what the deal is with MLGW and what should we start preparing ourselves for?" a Frayser Exchange member asked the mayor Thursday.
Mayor Strickland said he isn't advocating the sale of MLGW, but floated it as a potential option for generating profits to better modernize the utility's aging infrastructure, cover more tree trimming, and potentially bury more power lines underground.
It comes after this month's widespread MLGW outages and the heavily criticized, lengthy response to restore electricity.
More than half of all MLGW customers lost heat and lights at one point.
"It's a huge problem in scope and it's going to be a really large solution, it's going to cost a lot of money," Mayor Strickland of improving MLGW overall.
Mayor Strickland also outlined how the city is offering signing and relocation bonuses to attract and retain new Memphis Police officers. The force is currently around 2,000 officers, well below the goal of 2,500 set out by Mayor Strickland and others.
Some in Frayser hoped any new officers will be prioritized in neighborhoods, as part of a community policing emphasis.
"We had cops on the ground here. I know they are still out here but they are not embedded in the community, especially communities like Frayser, that they were really working with the kids, working with the youth," Pastor Charlie Caswell added.
Mayor Strickland said Chief CJ Davis - who took over last summer - has made community policing a priority and the mayor is hopeful the presence of new officers in more neighborhoods will be felt in six months.
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