MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis government is working.
It is not running like a well-oiled machine - in fact some would argue it has never run as a well-oiled machine.
But things have be done - corona or no coronavirus.
“We are still paving roads,” says Mayor Jim Strickland. “We are still working on a budget, right now. I’ve got to give some type of budget to the Memphis City Council in a couple of weeks.”
It’s normal business during what might be the most abnormal times in Memphis history.
Mayor Strickland says his most difficult decision has resulted in thousands of people losing their jobs.
“I knew on the front end,” he said, “... when we closed restaurants or in-house service, we knew people would lose their jobs. Thousands of people have lost their jobs, and hundreds of business owners have either had to close or limit their business.”
It will take time for the city to recover from this, because saying sayonara to corona won’t result in a city immediately back to normal.
“It’s like a faucet,” Mayor Strickland says. “The faucet hasn’t gone off totally. It’s been a slow turn down, and I think to open that faucet will be slow.”