MEMPHIS, Tenn. — If you don't follow Tom Jones' Smart City Memphis blog, you should because it's always exposing what can make our city better and what's holding it back.
And our city's penchant for political operatives wearing a badge of legal authority is something that holds us back.
In the latest post, Jones points out that while Memphis City Council members are limited to eight years, the council's attorney, Allan Wade, is now in his 30th.
In fact, he's often called the 14th city council member, whose influence only grows, despite frequent concerns about his conflict of interest.
Aside from his lucrative private practice, taxpayers pay Wade $105,621 a year plus full health and retirement benefits.
Yet, mysteriously, the council has never had anyone else have a chance at the job.
Now, we learn he's being asked to choose an energy consultant to advise the council on this mess over whether MLGW should leave the TVA, even though over the years, he's also been counsel for more than $2 billion worth of bond issues involving MLGW and TVA — a clear conflict.
Wade is even refusing to tell the very council that pays him the names of the energy consultants he's considering. Yet, no one on the council seems to mind, or if they do, they're not saying.
Too often in this town, the excuse is, "Well, that's just the way it's always been." That attitude is holding us back.