Mayor A C Wharton’s agenda for Memphis will make city government efficient, ethical, and accountable, and it will

create a greener
city where Memphians and their families are safer, healthier, and more prosperous and have more opportunities for better jobs in a
growing economy. The following are Mayor Wharton's priorities for creating a 21st century government to respond to the challenges
and opportunities of a 21st century Memphis:
Taking City Hall to the People
Mayor Wharton will take City Hall to the neighborhoods with an innovative blend of technology and cross-departmental teams of city
workers with deep knowledge of specific neighborhoods. These neighborhood City Halls will be located in city community centers
and other public buildings, and every Memphis City Council member will be offered an office in their districts.In addition, following the
example of the neighborhood planners pioneered by Mayor Wharton in the Office of Planning and Development, he will pursue the
co-location of people from various departments so citizens will have easy access to help. Also, Mayor Wharton will use technology to
conduct "virtual town hall meetings" that directly connect the mayor’s office with the Neighborhood City Halls and install kiosks so
people can conduct their business without having to go downtown.
Comprehensive Safe Streets Program
Mayor Wharton - who led development of Operation Safe Community, Memphis' first comprehensive crime-fighting plan - will apply
his deep knowledge of the criminal justice system and crime prevention to develop a comprehensive crime-fighting program that
includes tough sentences for illegal guns, special intervention programs for juvenile offenders, and rehabilitation programs for
ex-prisoners. Mayor Wharton will also develop an auxiliary police chief in each neighborhood who gets special training and acts as
special liaison to Memphis Police Department. Mayor Wharton will also start a Mobile Neighborhood Watch program of postal
workers, MLGW employees, cable television workers, newspaper carriers, and cab drivers who will act as “eyes on the street” and
report any suspicious activities to a special hot line. In addition, he will institute a take-home police car policy to put more cars in our
neighborhoods and increase police presence to deter crime.
Memphis Office of Talent and Human Capital
Successful cities in today’s economy are cities with talented workers – young, college-educated men and women. In other words, to
succeed, Memphis must develop, retain, and attract talent, because today, jobs follow talented workers and not the other way
around. To this end, everything done by City of Memphis must be seen through the lens of human capital development, including
neighborhood development, workforce training, and education. Memphis must build bridges that take city school students to the
graduation lines of our colleges and universities. The Office of Talent and Human Capital will be part of the city mayor’s office
because of the crucial impact of talent on the future of Memphis. In the end, this office will coordinate all programs to increase
college attainment and to keep our kids at home.
City Hall Efficiency Program
Mayor Wharton will create the Memphis Office of Evaluation and Strategy. Armed with the Citistat information and the 3-1-1 data,
this office would be charged with evaluating every city service. Mayor Wharton will institute sunset rules that ensures that no city
department, board, or service goes unevaluated. Every dollar wasted through inefficiency is a dollar that can’t be spent on the needs
of Memphians. As a result, city government has an expenditures problem, and before it can ask for additional resources, it must have
done everything possible to reduce expenses. That’s why Mayor Wharton will create an Efficiency Council – composed of a bi-racial,
nonpartisan committee of public, private, philanthropic, and labor leaders – with special expertise to examine specific county
services. For example, to examine the operations, the policies, and programs of the city engineer’s office, Mayor Wharton would ask
professional experts, citizens, and employees to perform a comprehensive evaluation of transportation policies and plans.Finally,
Mayor Wharton will fully implement the Memphis Efficiency Report to achieve the $24 million in savings outlined in the
recommendations. As county mayor, he commissioned a Shelby County Efficiency Report, which he implemented there.
Unfortunately, the Memphis Efficiency Report was largely ignored. That will change.
Data-driven Management System
The Wharton Administration will create a Citistat program that will gather performance indicators for every city department – from
potholes to parks, from code enforcement to the zoning code, and from sick leave to trash pick-up. This information will be used with
geographic mapping to analyze all city services, to identify trouble spots and to produce dramatic savings. This data will be used to
evaluate every manager and every section of city government, and most of all, it will be used to set budget priorities.
Customer Service Culture in City Government
Mayor Wharton will revamp the Mayor’s Citizens Service Center and integrate a new 3-1-1 phone system into it to give citizens quick,
easy-to-remember access to non-emergency municipal services. City management must be customer-focused and every
measurement of service quality must include feedback from citizens. In other words, all of city government must be focused on one
thing – what citizens need. In this way, the annual Memphis Poll must be more than informational. It must drive priority-setting and
budgeting decisions.
Better Parks and Trails Program
City parks are a crucial part of Memphis neighborhoods, but there is no standard for their activities or equipment. Mayor Wharton will
develop criteria for neighborhood parks and regional parks so every citizen has the right to similar facilities. He also will develop a
comprehensive maintenance program for all parks and programs to give neighborhoods a greater sense of ownership of their parks.
In addition, he will cooperate with Shelby Farms Parks and the trails programs so Memphians have a seamless system of
recreational opportunities, and he will get state and federal funds to expand and maintain parks and trails. Finally, Mayor Wharton
will pursue the Skate Park on Mud Island, and if that location is not feasible, he will pursue an equally prominent location.
Functional Consolidation of City-County Services
There are rich opportunities for consolidation of city and county services, and as county mayor, Mayor Wharton has led the process
to merge engineering and fire services. As city mayor, he will make it happen. In addition, he will explore other areas for
consolidation of operational support departments, such as fleet management and information technology.
Ethical Government
The Wharton Administration will have strict anti-corruption regulations and will require impartial, immediate enforcement of any
breaches of ethics rules. Most of all, he will create a program that is transparent so the public can hold their city employees
accountable.
Digital Government
The Wharton Administration will develop an e-government program aimed at giving the public the option of doing anything online or
at a city kiosk that they can do at a City Hall counter. In addition, Mayor Wharton will assemble a team of creative web designers to
develop a city website for the 21st century. Every government report and policy will be posted online by the Wharton team. Also, he
will transplant his program in county government to notify the public, especially young leaders, about vacancies on public boards and
commissions.

Children’s Impact Program

Mayor Wharton believes that we often confuse schooling with education when it in truth, education extends to every neighborhood
and into the home of every student. He will insist that all city programs support neighborhoods and families so that they give young
people options for the future. In addition, he will work with Shelby County Office of Early Childhood and Youth to create a joint
city-county office that coordinates services for children and evaluates every policy or program for its impact on children. He will also
directly engage city facilities and programs in after-school and weekend strategies for students. Finally, Mayor Wharton will expand
his programs on infant mortality, childhood obesity, and public health to integrate and align all city services to advance that agenda.

Targeted Tax Incentives

Tax freezes given by city government should be targeted at creating new jobs that pay a living wage or give incentives for companies
that hire the underemployed, the hard-to-employ, and former prisoners. To complement these targeted tax incentives, Mayor Wharton
will insist that Memphis workers are trained for available jobs but also for the jobs of the future so that 35 percent of our population
that is out of the labor force back are giving opportunities back into the mainstream.
Memphis First Transportation and Connectivity Planning
The Wharton Administration will adopt a “complete streets” philosophy for all transportation plans and neighborhood redevelopment
programs policy so every street plan has to include alternative transportation options for safe, attractive, and comfortable access for
pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and public transit. It emphasizes bike lanes, wide shoulders, crosswalks, and street plantings. In
addition, transportation decisions for the Wharton Administration will not be focused on cars but on healthy urban neighborhoods. To
complement this approach, Mayor Wharton will urge the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to move from acting as a
planning organization to become a more visionary agency acting on the shared values of the community and what we want Memphis
to be and asking the tough questions about sprawl. Also, the Wharton Administration will strongly support the Aerotropolis plan to
strengthen our logistics infrastructure and to keep and create jobs inside Memphis adjacent to Memphis International Airport.

Model Public Realm Program

The Wharton Administration will launch an ambitious plan to create more attractive and active public realm, starting with city streets,
where it will set the goal of creating 500 miles of bike lanes and the planting of 20,000 street trees. The top priority of Mayor
Wharton’s Sustainable Shelby program was to create a model public realm plan that can provide common ground for building a
strong sense of community. Memphis is now lacking in quality public realm, which can be a basic building block for healthy
neighborhoods.

Memphis Office of Innovation

Mayor Wharton will develop an Office of Innovation that will instill programs and practices to inspire innovations in city government. It
will reward agents of change within city government and encourage public employees to look at new ways to deliver public services.
For example, the evaluations of employees are based more on obeying policies without questioning than considering that they may
need reform, so employee have no incentive to innovate. City government needs a way for employees to suggest the changes that
could save taxpayers money and make city government more efficient.

21st Century Public Transit

Public transit is for everybody. A modern, high-performing bus system is crucial to the success of our city, connecting urban residents
with job centers and acting as an essential service to attract talented workers. Mayor Wharton will work to develop a plan to
transform Memphis Area Transit Authority into one of the nation’s best public transit systems.

Sustainable Shelby Implementation Plan

Mayor Wharton led the development of the region’s first sustainability plan, and Sustainable Shelby has comprehensive strategies for
better neighborhoods, less commuting, green jobs, better transportation, more parks and greenways, and more. He will also create
the Office of Sustainability to implement the plan and build The Green Center as a hub of green technology, job training, an
incubator, and space for affiliated groups.

Memphis and Shelby County Comprehensive Plan

Memphis has not had a Comprehensive Plan for decades, which means that land use decisions and city policies lack a framework or
a vision of the kind of city we’re trying to create. Mayor Wharton will lead development of the Comprehensive Plan, an official
government document that sets the goals, objectives, and operating policies for land use, development, and reinvestment within a
community. The Plan is created with the help of professional city planners through a public participation process that allows every
member of the community the chance to contribute their ideas and have a voice in the process. The Comprehensive Plan – which
typically covers 20 years - is an important tool for local governments because it establishes a vision of the kind of place our
community wants to be in the future, and provides a clear course of action to guide us towards that shared vision.

Memphis Public Building Authority

Mayor Wharton will act to create a Public Building Authority to handle all construction projects of the City of Memphis to save money,
to ensure consistency, to make sure all projects are sustainable, to ensure that city values are applied, such as leveraged private
investments, alternative future uses, and co-location of city services. The PBA would implement the Wharton Administration policy
requiring all new public buildings to be LEED-certified. To lead the work of the Public Building Authority, Mayor Wharton will appoint
a City Architect to guide the urban design of Memphis.

Neighborhood Planners
The Division of Planning and Development will be reorganized to create neighborhood planners who are specialists in specific
neighborhoods and who will act as advocates for their residents. This means that neighborhoods will have informed liaisons when
there are questions about zoning and when someone is needed to help with problems. As part of this approach, the Wharton
Administration will coordinate the work of code enforcement officials in two different agencies and step up enforcement of the
conditions which deteriorate the quality of neighborhoods.

Great Neighborhoods Initiative

The Wharton Administration will institute a “Great Neighborhood Score” so every action, zoning, and public investment in
neighborhoods will be graded for its impact in creating the neighborhoods of choice that are needed for our people. In addition,
Mayor Wharton will improve code enforcement in Memphis neighborhoods, and transform it from a reactive system to one that is
assertive and encourages reports of problem areas. He will also set up effective interagency communication that is missing now, and
he will use the report by The Center for Community Building and Neighborhood Action to improve code enforcement, and he will
make the website more user-friendly and easy for citizens to use and report violations. Finally, his administration will recommend
more teeth in the penalties for code violations. Neighborhood-based economic development is instrumental to healthy
neighborhoods. Small businesses in our neighborhoods deserve as much attention as major companies being recruited to Memphis,
and the Wharton Administration will determine the best toolkit, including incentives, to spur business development and
entrepreneurship. This plan of action will include workshops for individuals, Community Development Corporations, and community
groups interested in improving the health and well-being of commercial district revitalization. Lack of retail opportunities and
boarded-up retail are a drag on many Memphis neighborhoods and healthy neighborhoods have healthy retail.As part of this Great
Neighborhoods Initiative, Mayor Wharton will meet with the Main Streets program to develop a program of neighborhood commercial
revitalization, and work with the Urban Institute on ways that culture-led development can be a force in revitalizing Memphis
neighborhoods.

Stepped-up Memphis Minority Business Development

If Memphis is serious about economic development, it has to be serious about minority business development. It is an unrivaled
opportunity for our city. Sixty-two percent of Memphians are African-Americans and only one percent of Memphis business revenues
is with minority-owned businesses. That has to change. The creation of more minority businesses is at the top of Mayor Wharton's
agenda, because more minority businesses will expand our economy, put more money in our cash registers, and create new jobs. If
Memphis can increase its minority business revenues to 10 percent, its economic impact would be the equivalent of another FedEx.
Mayor Wharton will develop an action-oriented, data-driven minority business plan and concentrate all of city government's resources
to create more entrepreneurs and more wealth in our city. To get it done, he will create the Office of Minority Business Assistance
whose goals and action plan will be developed by a special task force of experts, minority business owners, and policy makers. The
Office of Minority Business Assistance will make sure that every one in city government understands our commitment to helping
existing small and minority businesses, to creating new businesses, and to growing our economy. Mayor Wharton will also work
aggressively with existing business organizations to develop new strategies that will create new business opportunities. In addition,
Mayor Wharton will call for a citywide commitment to minority business that gives every one the opportunity to fulfill the dream of
entrepreneurship that is a Memphis tradition.

Continue The Momentum of the UDC

The new Unified Development Code (UDC) undertaken at the direction of Mayor Wharton embraces for the first time the principles of
smart growth and livable places into public codes. However, the UDC is the beginning, not the end, in creating the kind of city and
neighborhoods we want, and Mayor Wharton will continue to reform our code to protect our neighborhoods from intrusive
developments.

Libraries as Building Blocks of Community

The Memphis library system is more than a place for books. Rather, our libraries are anchor institutions that contribute to our city
identity, to neighborhood stability, to the education of our children, to lifelong learning for all of us, to bridging the information divide,
and development of productive workforce. That is why libraries will be integrated by Mayor Wharton into all city outreach programs.
They will be a hub for the strategies of this platform, including "virtual town hall meetings," neighborhood City Halls, mentoring
centers, lifelong learning strategiies, Books from Birth, and so much more. In addition, Mayor Wharton will establish a Literacy
Coalition that includes the library system, Memphis City Schools, Books from Birth, Mid-South Reads, and colleges and universities,
and this coalition will develop plans to reach every citizen with information that improves their ability to read and to pursue
opportunities for better lives. Mayor Wharton will lead the development of a strategic plan to return our library system back into the
top tier of city systems and to mobilize its programs to take services and information to the people who need them the most -- the
underserved, multicultural communities, childhood providers, and seniors. To this end, Mayor Wharton will evaluate the potential of
putting libraries and museums into the same city division so their programs and plans can be complementary, interconnected, and
stronger.

New 9-1-1 center

Mayor Wharton will develop plans to build a new, safe 9-1-1 center that is badly needed and guarantees efficient, seamless
responses to emergencies by our citizens.

Engage In National Discussion Affecting Cities

Mayor Wharton is involved with the Brookings Institution, CEOs for Cities, National Association of Counties, and the Mayors Against
Illegal Guns Coalition, and because of it, Shelby County has been recognized for its innovative programs and he has led important
discussions affecting cities. These affiliations are important in order to bring more resources – both funds and expertise – to
Memphis. As city mayor, he will stake out an active role for the Memphis mayor in U.S. Conference of Mayors for the first time in 25
years.

Memphis City Council Liaison

Mayor Wharton will appoint a liaison in the city mayor’s office to improve Council-Mayor relations and eliminate the conflict and
controversy that concerns the public and complicates decision-making. He will also develop a mechanism for Council members to
have a specific amount of funding that can be used for community-determined priorities. In addition, honorary assistants to the mayor
will be created in each neighborhood to act as liaison with the Wharton Administration.

Memphis Arts and Culture Plan

No city in America has a richer culture than Memphis, and city government should help lead the development of a plan to leverage
our arts and culture into a competitive advantage, including establishing new relationships with national arts funding organizations
like National Endowment for the Arts. Most of all, the Wharton Administration will develop the connectivity that is now missing and
results in lost potential from unconnected amenities and attractions. Some of the elements of this plan should include Memphis Art
Park, expansion of the National Civil Rights Museum, the South Forum development plan, and Triangle Noir. All of these have
exciting potential to bring more vibrancy to downtown and the riverfront, and the Wharton Administration will be exploring ways to
make them realities.

Memphis Economic Development Advisory Committee

A number of city departments and boards are involved in the economic development of Memphis, but they never meet to coordinate
and collaborate on plans of action and priorities. Mayor Wharton will create and lead the advisory committee to develop shared
values for Memphis’ economic development plans and to act as the umbrella group for communications.

Memphis Redevelopment Authority

City of Memphis is instrumental to development of new commercial opportunities and area redevelopments such as the Fairgrounds,
Bass Pro Shop, Graceland improvements, Aerotropolis, and more. There is no single office with full responsibility to manage and
direct these projects, and Mayor Wharton will evaluate the structure and composition of this office so decisions on major
development opportunities can be made quickly and so opportunities can be fully realized. To create more economic activity in
Memphis, to create more jobs, and to bring people back into Memphis, the Wharton Administration is committed to building new
economic anchors, notably the emerging biotech industry, Aerotropolis, development of the Fairgrounds, St. Jude Research
Hospital’s commercialization program, and a green jobs plan.

Office of Strategic Technology

City of Memphis needs to take a more strategic approach to emerging technology and applied technology. For example, video and
digital technology could be used to allow citizens to dispose of city court citations without going to the crowded Justice Center.
These virtual hearings could save money and increase productivity. There are so many similar opportunities to improve city services
through the use of better technology, and the Office of Strategic Technology would make sure that Memphis keeps up with new
developments.

Memphis Year Up Program

Mayor Wharton will pursue a Memphis location for the Year Up program, a one-year, intensive program that provides young adults
18-34 years old with a combination of technical and professional skills, college credits, an educational stipend, and corporation
apprenticeship. The program has 100% placement of students into apprenticeship and 87% of graduates are placed in positions
within four months of graduation.

Memphis City Year Program

City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the
world. As tutors, mentors and role models, these diverse young leaders make a difference in the lives of children, and transform
schools and neighborhoods in 19 U.S. locations and one in Johannesburg, South Africa. Just as important, during their year of
service corps members develop civic leadership skills they can use throughout a lifetime of community service.

Cabinet Appointments
Memphis needs the most qualified leaders and professionals that can be found to fill its cabinet posts. With the help of special
committees and in conjunction with City Council, Mayor Wharton will establish specific guidelines and qualifications for all city posts,
and he will find the most highly-qualified person for the job, even if it requires a national search. In particular, the Chief Administrative
Officer, the operational head of city government, will be someone steeped in management efficiency, innovation, and sound business
practices.

Last Updated ( Friday, 23 April 2010 16:04 )