Columnist
Otis Sanford is professor emeritus of Journalism and Strategic Media at the University of Memphis and political commentator for WATN-TV ABC24 News. Contact him at o.sanford@memphis.edu.
There are 248 articles by Otis Sanford :
“I’ve always been told that if something isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Tennessee’s standards for teaching social studies are not broken. Far from it. They offer students a comprehensive and accurate view of our world, past and present, warts and all.”
Republican incumbent Amy Weirich is in a fierce battle with Democratic challenger Steve Mulroy as she seeks to hang on to the job of Shelby County’s top prosecutor for another eight years.
“Why would he just sit idly by and allow an outsider to trash Tennessee teachers and Tennessee colleges?”
The referendum extending the number of consecutive four-year terms from two to three will appear on the Aug. 4 ballot. Early voting begins Friday, July 15. Memphis mayor potentials recalculate after Strickland announces possible third termRelated story:
Memphis voters have tended to favor incumbents. Since the mid-1960s, only three sitting mayors have been denied reelection.
“Police alone also can’t stop the violence. It will require a community-wide effort. And that includes the faith community.”
“A lot is at stake up and down the ballot. And it’s important that all eligible voters voice their choice.”
“An overwhelming majority of local voters believe Republicans have allowed the inmates to run the asylum. And the local party is paying the price.”
“Many rural Tennesseans will no doubt argue, as Ronald Reagan did in 1962, that they did not leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left them. I respectfully disagree.”
“But at some point, every adult needs something from the county clerk. And what we need most now is efficiency — something Halbert promised when she ran for mayor in 2009 but is clearly incapable of delivering.”
Tarik Sugarmon ushers in a new era for Juvenile Court in Memphis and Shelby County.
One was an attorney who used the law to make a positive difference in society. The other was a gun-wielding juvenile delinquent. Their paths crossed on the evening of May 25, 2000, and now, 22 years later, it serves as an eerie backstory to the tragic kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher.
Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, MPD and the TBI all share the responsibility for our failure to reduce local crime. But their responses in the aftermath of an incredibly tragic week are not good enough.
While the November midterm election is shaping up to be a real snoozer locally, the Memphis mayoral election on Oct. 5, 2023, is fast becoming the most consequential mayoral race in more than 30 years.
At a time when politicians are doing their darnedest to run away from our racial history by censoring it in schools, Ole Miss deserves accolades for treating the 60th anniversary of James Meredith’s enrollment with the pomp and circumstance that it deserves.
“At least Sandlin and others who stormed the Capitol are now admitting their wrongs and are facing the consequences. I’m still waiting for the deniers holding elected office to come to their senses.”
“I’ve witnessed shameless corporate greed and blatant union nepotism. And on balance, I believe the positives of organized labor outweigh the negatives.”
Recent speculation has focused on Gov. Bill Lee being a possible national candidate for elected office in the future — if not in 2024, then in 2028.
“With all that cash and goodwill going for him, Taylor could easily take the high road, the 100% positive road, to a smooth Election Day victory.”
Diversity in many forms should be a compelling societal interest. And race should be one of several factors used in making hiring decisions.
In Tennessee, it was GOP business as usual following Tuesday’s midterm election. The legislature remains under total control by Republicans and Gov. Bill Lee cruised to reelection without breaking a sweat.
“And there is no Memphian, past or present, more deserving of the recognition. Weathers’ story is one of resilience, courage, perseverance and heroism.”
“Louis had such a dominant influence on my life – perhaps even more than my parents. And I always wanted to be just like him.”
“Far too many college students — and older adults, for that matter — know little, if anything, about the Court, its history, its unfettered power, who’s on it and how they got there.”
Barring some technicality in the law, there is nothing complicated about whether there is a link between Alicia Franklin’s rape and Eliza Fletcher’s murder.