Otis Sanford
Sanford: GOP court clerk candidate faces a challenge, and she can thank her own party
Early voting starts Friday, July 12, at 26 polling sites throughout Shelby County. And the stakes could not be higher for local Republicans.
Otis Sanford
Columnist
Otis Sanford is a political columnist, author and professor emeritus in Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis.
There are 265 articles by Otis Sanford :
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July 2024
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Otis Sanford
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June 2024
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Otis SanfordSanford: GOP effort to oust Mulroy is ‘Taylor-made’ political fight
Everywhere Republican state Sen. Brent Taylor has served — with the possible exception of the Shelby County Election Commission — public disputes and rancor have followed.
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May 2024
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Otis SanfordSanford: Halbert’s noble start in public life is now an exhausting disaster
Whether Wanda Halbert is removed from office or not, this community has grown tired of her. Except for a handful of apologists, everyone is weary of the incompetence, excuses and double talk.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Partisan politics could cost Ritz appeals court seat
Kevin Ritz’s confirmation before the full Senate is far from a slam dunk. His April 17 confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee was, to put it mildly, brutal, and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, a Ritz supporter, said his chances are 50-50.
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April 2024
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Otis SanfordSanford: Orange Mound shooting spree struck a nerve. But we cannot concede defeat.
We’ve had plenty of rallies, vigils and marches. We’ve created one anti-violence group after another. We’ve floated balloons as well as ideas. And still, the deaths keep coming.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Let’s give voters a break and stagger local judicial races
I’m no fan of our legislature. But in the case of former Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Melissa Boyd, lawmakers acted with prudence and in the best interest of all Memphis and Shelby County voters.
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March 2024
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Otis SanfordSanford: Rittenhouse is no hero. But let him speak
Otis Sanford says that Kyle Rittenhouse’s only major accomplishment is that he escaped criminal accountability for taking an unarmed person’s life through needless gun violence after an unnecessary encounter.
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Otis SanfordSanford: In lackluster Super Tuesday, Haley continues to stumble over race
Welcome to arguably the most uninteresting Super Tuesday presidential primary since Tennessee first joined the big day of voting in the late 1980s.
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February 2024
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Otis SanfordSanford: Nearly 60 years after my first DEI discussion, little has changed
Today, the battle is over whether diversity, equity and inclusion should even be mentioned in schools and the workplace. Beyond that, some people locally also want to turn back the clock by suggesting separate judicial systems for Shelby County — the current one for predominantly Black Memphis and a new one for the mostly white suburbs.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Carter’s judicial report should stir us to demand more from our judges
What retired Criminal Court Judge Robert “Bobby” Carter discovered — by observation and through data that he could compile — was an eye opener, particularly regarding the dearth of criminal cases that go to trial.
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January 2024
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Otis SanfordSanford: Punting Davis’ reappointment is a chance to simmer down, work together to fight crime
“I believe being relegated to interim chief undermines her authority inside the police department and raises doubts in the community about her leadership at a time when both are sorely needed to help us fight this city’s rampant crime problem.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: Sanitation workers are pawns in a political tussle – again
A $7 increase for enhanced trash collection stalled in a City Council vote. If the increase isn’t approved, 199 full-time Solid Waste employees will lose their jobs.
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Otis SanfordSanford: ‘We have met the autocrat. And he is the speaker of the TN House’
“We have met the persistent. And they are Tennessee voters.”
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December 2023
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Otis SanfordSanford: Assessing the positives and negatives of Strickland’s eight-year run as mayor
“I’m willing to say that, overall, (Jim Strickland’s) tenure as mayor was good. Not great, but nowhere near a disaster either. He does have some positive things to show. But we cannot just brush aside the negatives.”
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Otis SanfordSanford: Let’s denounce the troubling rise in crime, all of it
“Our society, particularly our political system, has noticeably degenerated to the point where lying, cheating and exploiting others are often excused, if not overlooked and rewarded.”
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November 2023
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Otis SanfordSanford: Killing spree leaves a grief-stricken family and no easy solutions
A city that was already beleaguered by crime is wondering if there is any solution to the violence.
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Otis SanfordSanford: Times have changed. And they demand a return to mayoral runoffs.
In 1991, U.S. District Judge Jerome Turner said runoffs in Memphis elections were designed to keep Black candidates from becoming mayor. And he was correct at the time.
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October 2023
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Otis Sanford Sanford: Talk of rejecting federal education dollars is an exercise in lunacy
“No other state has been successful in turning down federal education money, so Tennessee is plowing new ground with this wrong-headed, purely political sideshow.”
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Otis Sanford Sanford: Young’s mayoral victory signals clear generational change
“There is no indication that younger voters went to the polls in any significant numbers. But many of those who did show up clearly favored Young.”
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September 2023
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Otis Sanford Sanford: It’s crunch time in mayor’s race. But interest is far outpacing turnout.
“This is a crucial election. And it’s important that voters get it right. It’s also important that turnout starts to match the interest. So undecided voters, make up your mind.”
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fifth anniversary
MetroThe Daily Memphian writers share their favorite stories
The Daily Memphian celebrates its fifth anniversary by asking long-term writers to share a few of their favorite stories. Here are those stories and why the authors chose them, in their own words.
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Otis SanfordSanford: It’s up to city voters, including younger ones, to boost election turnout
“Memphis is at a critical juncture. We cannot afford to continue the stagnation. We cannot continue allowing crime, poverty and low educational achievement to define this city.”
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August 2023
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Otis SanfordSanford: As campaign reaches end run, mayoral candidates owe voters answers
Each of the seven serious contenders for Memphis’ next mayor owe voters answers to important, and different, questions about their pasts.
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Otis SanfordSanford: With Herenton on the mayoral ballot, voters must ask, ‘Would we? Should we?’
“I consider the former mayor, who was elected five times, the most pivotal player in this year’s election for a couple of reasons.”
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July 2023
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Otis SanfordSanford: Revising the brutal history of slavery is not a winning campaign message
“Young people must be told the truth about our history — not shielded from it because it makes adults uncomfortable.”
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