Memphis v. Tennessee: A Republican majority meets a Democratic one
Memphis City Council Chairman JB Smiley Jr. speaks at an Aug. 30 press conference at Memphis City Hall discussing the lawsuit the council is bringing against the Shelby County Election Commission. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
As five of the 13 Memphis City Council member gathered within City Hall Friday, Aug. 30, to announce their lawsuit against the Shelby County Election Commission, there was a party going on outside.
It featured live music and lots of Memphis-centric slogans on T-shirts and other souvenirs.
The early Downtown office worker observance of 901 Day was planned long before the legal dustup. And most of those going to and from the gathering were unaware of the critical stage the conflict between the council and the State of Tennessee had reached.
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
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