Chairman Conrad's Recap for August 9th

Good morning,

We had a productive day yesterday at City Council (as always, the full picture is here), and this morning I want to focus on some exciting presentations and some wonderful people. After all, a city’s lifeblood is her people, and we are blessed to serve the incredible people in this town.

A New Future for the Mid-South Coliseum: The Council heard from Frank Smith of Wiseacre Brewing about the thrilling possibility of Wiseacre expanding its brewing operations into a revamped Coliseum, paired with a wealth of amenities from restaurants to a wrestling rasslin’ hall of fame. This is still at this point an exploration and a vision, but the Council stands squarely behind this idea if it proves feasible. Are you ready to take your strap off and bend an elbow, Jerry Lawler-style?

Memphis Works: The Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce came before the City Council to present one of the most exciting economic and human development opportunities Memphis, and indeed the entire country, has yet seen. Memphis Works will allow all Memphians to discover careers, find jobs, and educate themselves all with the ease of any smart phone app. Check it out, and share the good news.

Memphis’ Incredible Youth: We celebrated both a departure and a beginning. Leaving us yesterday were our five City Council Summer Interns: Malik Luckett, Pierre Merritt, Colin Threlkeld, Jessica Mason, and Jamie Neville. These outstanding young people contributed to work on education, gun violence, police accountability, false alarms, and much more. Thank you to them. On the other side, we welcomed the Inaugural Memphis Youth City Council, 13 high school students representing every City Council district: we look forward to the impact they will have on youth and other issues in advising us on the Adult City Council.

 The Council’s Summer Interns with Chairman Conrad, Vice Chairman Ford, and Councilman Jones

 

 The Memphis Youth City Council, pictured with their counterparts on the Council

 

Retirement of Cedric Young from the Tennessee Air National Guard: Last, but most importantly, Chief Master Sergeant Cedric J. Young, Command Chief of the 164^th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard—known affectionately to this Council as Officer Young, our Sergeant-at-Arms—was celebrated on the occasion of his retirement from the Guard. Chief Master Sergeant Young has served our country honorably for more than 34 years, in addition to his 20 years with the Memphis Police Department. At his retirement, he was responsible for more than 900 members of the enlisted force. He is thoroughly decorated, from the Air Force Commendation Medal to the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and many more. His retirement was attended by four generals, a testament to his work and the respect he garnered from his peers.

The totality of his accomplishments are too many to name, and I beseech you to read the whole resolution here. I will say this: we are truly blessed to have this leader humbly protecting our office and this city every day. Thank you for all your service, Officer Young, and enjoy a little reprieve.

Chief Master Sergeant Young (third from left) with Councilman Joe Brown, Council staffer Rebecca Garcia, Myrna Ford, Edmund Ford, Sr., Deputy Council Administrator Sophia Wordlaw, Chairman Kemp Conrad, and Council Administrator Juaness Keplinger

 

Finally, I’m proud to announce that the Council and our staff raised over 50,000 points in food and money donations for the Mid-South Food Bank’s Operation Feed this year. Thanks to Councilman Worth Morgan and Council Administrator Juaness Keplinger for their leadership, and a big tip of the hat to Councilman Philip Spinosa for the last minute donation that saw the Councilmembers barely eke out a victory in the competition between us and the staff!

Have a great week and thanks for calling Memphis home. Sincerely,