Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian | Mick Wright

Opinion: The virus is not political, but our policy choices are

mick.wright@shelbycountytn.gov (Mick Wright) — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 04:00:03 -0500

We’ve all seemingly decided that virtual instruction is a sub-optimal policy choice, and that classroom instruction is worth the additional risk.

Opinion: Conservative commissioner says we can 'Live divided, together'

mick.wright@shelbycountytn.gov (Mick Wright) — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 04:00:05 -0600

I’m a Republican serving with a Democratic majority, in a blue county of a red state. Shelby County government may not be the perfect model of comity, but the nation could take courage from how well we get along.

County mayor wisely paused plans to build a new juvenile center

mick.wright@shelbycountytn.gov (Mick Wright) — Fri, 21 Feb 2020 04:00:01 -0600

The impatience to build a new facility from scratch caught the attention of the company holding title to an existing, unoccupied facility. Now instead of an $11 million annual lease agreement, the county could acquire the building and property for just a fraction of the original expense – $3.4 million.

Shelby County does not need a transit fee

mick.wright@shelbycountytn.gov (Mick Wright) — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 04:05:01 -0500

Implicit in Mayor Lee Harris' $145 transit fee proposal is the notion that the county’s revenue is fully optimized, and that additional collections would be best directed toward bus subsidies, ahead of all other investments. I don’t agree with either of these assumptions.