Opinion: Is Mayor Young the right mayor at the wrong time?
Memphis Mayor Paul Young speaks to the media after giving his “State of the City” address at First Baptist Church Broad Feb. 10, 2026. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Rev. Tony Coleman
Rev. Tony Coleman is a pastor at the First Congregational Church of Memphis (First Congo).
“When a mayor uses gratitude to drown out discontent, applause feels less like celebrating progress and begins to feel much more like a way to silence criticism.”
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Mayor’s ‘State of the City’ speech met with hecklers
Memphis Mayor Paul Young gave a speech crammed with goals and initiatives he says are the follow-through on the city’s two-year drop in crime.
Calkins: Mayor Young talked about crime, immigration and the future of the city. Of course it got loud.
Mayor Paul Young was heckled during his State of the City address. But here’s the thing about Young and those hecklers: They want the same thing.
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