Conaway: This ballot ‘triggers’ memories but also possibilities
Dan Conaway
Dan Conaway is a lifelong Memphian, fascinated and frustrated with his city, but still in love. A columnist since 2010, his distinguished advertising career has branded ribs in the Rendezvous and ducks in The Peabody, pandas in the zoo and Grizzlies in the NBA. Stories in Memphis tend to write themselves. He’s helped a few along. Two book collections of his columns have been published.
The Daily Memphian welcomes a diverse range of views from guest columnists on topics of local interest and impact. Columns are subject to editorial review and editing for length and clarity. If you’re interested in having a guest column considered by The Daily Memphian, email Eric Barnes.
There’s enough hypocrisy to pave I-40 from here to Nashville and back again.
The quote below is from a column I wrote for The Daily News in 2013. I wrote it as the state was hammering us yet again, and only us. That time it was Civil War monuments, but it was far more than that.
David Pickler was then chair of the Shelby County School Board and led the successful move to allow new, separate school districts, cleverly structured to apply only in Shelby County.
He was aided in that fight — in fact, enabled in that fight — by then Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, a Memphian, and now a federal judge on the bench right here. Former Collierville Representative Curry Todd carried Norris’ water in the state house.
I’m sure all of the clever came from Norris. Many things can be said about Todd but, in my opinion, none of them are clever.
Topics
Dan Conaway Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
Your subscription gives you unlimited access to all of The Daily Memphian’s news, written by nearly 40 local journalists and more than 20 regular freelancers. We work around the clock to cover the issues that impact your life and our community.
You can help us reach more Memphians.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we provide free news access at K-12 schools, public libraries and many community organizations. We also reach tens of thousands of people through our podcasts, and through our radio and television partnerships – all completely free to everyone who cares about Memphis.
When you subscribe, you get full access to our news. But when you donate, you help us reach all Memphians.
Pay it forward. Make a fully tax-deductible donation to The Daily Memphian today.
Thank you for reading the local news. Thank you for investing in our community.
Dan Conaway on demand
Never miss an article. Sign up to receive Dan Conaway's stories as they’re published.
Enter your e-mail address
Related stories
Point of Impact: With switches proliferating, officers are outgunned
Patrol officers usually carry semi-automatic handguns, which fire once for each pull of a trigger. But those weapons make them ill-equipped to encounter a person with a converted pistol.
How have Memphis’ elected officials voted on state gun laws?
The Daily Memphian has compiled a review of the major pieces of gun-related legislation passed through the Tennessee Legislature since 2013.
Conaway: We haven’t done anything about guns, and the Legislature is scared we might
“Can a city stand against laws that disproportionately and negatively affect their entire population, daily threatening their safety, their livelihoods and their very lives?”
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.