Suburbs

Some quick hits regarding suburban coverage this week:

Election focus

The time is winding down to the Nov. 3 Election Day, and absentee voting is underway in DeSoto County. As the final days of campaigning approach, we are providing comparisons of the candidates in various suburban races.

North Mississippi reporter Aarron Fleming highlighted the primarily judicial races earlier this week. Lots of legal folks trying to get a spot on the bench.

Abigail Warren has written stories about the various races in Germantown and Collierville for weeks, including the recent breakdown of the Liz Deely -Missy Marshall contest for Alderman Position 4 in Collierville. Another comparison is expected this weekend.

Michael Waddell provided a look at the Lakeland mayor’s race when incumbent Josh Roman and Connie McCarter, a city commissioner, filed their qualifying papers in the summer. He will start looking at the competitive races in Bartlett in the coming weeks.

Finally, later this month, we will have our Voters Guide with information about all of the races across Shelby County, including the suburban elections and the various contests — such as legislative seats — with some City of Memphis charter amendments.

Bodine Reconsideration

A couple whose property is adjacent to The Bodine School on Yester Oaks Drive in Germantown has appealed the Planning Commission’s recommendation to allow Bodine’s expansion.

Leslie and Rand Bouldin will present their points of opposition at Monday’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting. The Bouldins disagreed with the Planning Commission’s Sept. 1 decision to grant Bodine an expansion. They contend that the commission didn’t weigh all the necessary factors in blessing the change.

The school, which focuses on students with dyslexia, has sat tucked away in the Dogwood Creek North neighborhood since the 1970s. Most schools in Germantown, especially those in the suburb’s municipal school district, sit on major roads or collector streets.

And Bodine was going to fit that criteria until Yester Oaks wasn’t cut through to Poplar as originally intended, blocked when Windy Oaks Drive swung to the east in the way of Yester Oaks’ path to Poplar.

The Bouldins moved to the neighborhood some 30 years ago, maybe a good 20 or so after Bodine was established on the property. That usually would give the edge to the school in such discussions as being there first. But challenging an expansion from when the couple bought their home swings the pendulum back.

It will make for an interesting discussion when the appeal is heard by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Monday.

Closing thoughts

I try not to use this space to defend our coverage of stories. I have said before that my approach is we write the story, and people can comment on it.

Occasionally, I feel the urge to at least point out why we have covered the story the way we did.

Such is the case in Collierville with the Molly Mehner- John Selberg situation, as reported by Abigail Warren.

We have provided coverage of this situation for about six weeks, because the news dictated that pursuit of the details. From whether Mehner could force Selberg’s resignation without following the proper procedures to claims of what led to Mehner wanting to seek the fire chief’s dismissal, including Selberg reportedly saying he didn’t work for Mehner, complete with an expletive included. To Selberg denying he uttered such words.

We reported from details gleaned from public records requests. We interviewed the people involved (or tried to), while presenting a depth of coverage readers weren’t going to find elsewhere.

Warren spent hours sitting outside of closed meetings to try and figure out what was discussed, talking to sources about what was going on and when, pouring through emails and documents. This week’s story was how the aldermen would have voted if the proper procedure was followed by Mehner and brought to the board for consideration as planned before the meeting was canceled in mid-August.

A viable story since some interpret the charter as saying the board should make such decisions, not the town administrator.

Warren hasn’t just landed on this beat. She’s not some newbie that doesn’t understand Collierville. She’s been around long enough that she covered the arrival of Mehner.

And Selberg.

And the aldermen when they were elected or appointed to the board.

And the ascension of former alderwoman Maureen Fraser to mayor.

Warren will continue to report the good and controversial out of the town. Just as we do for all of our areas.

As for the claim that her coverage in this situation was biased, well, that just means that she didn’t slant the story to reflect your bias. - Suburbs editor Clay Bailey

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