A more progressive group of public officials are making progress on a range of economic development issues but are obstructed by an “elephant in the room” being Memphis Corporate Community Leadership (MCCL). MCCL consists of Memphis Tomorrow, Greater Memphis Chamber and EDGE.

Local activist movements in Memphis Raise Your Expectations (MRYE) and this blog MCCL Measured have, through measurement, successfully and overtly confronted MCCL while more subtle but vital activist organizations in Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope (MICAH) are adding critical mass to the transformational movement. The transformational movement confronts Memphis inequality for the benefit of all.

Commissioners  Willie Brooks, Reginald Milton, Edmund Ford, Tami Sawyer, Brandon Morrison and Michael Whaley are all engaged in one or more of the following economic development reform issues of Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE), workforce and/or public transit reform. Recognized by Commissioner Milton, a curious Boss Crump represented the intransient MCCL at the County EDGE Ad Hoc Committee on Wednesday.

County EDGE Ad Hoc

On Wednesday, with a concerned Boss Crump watching, Mayor Jim Strickland offered refreshing testimony on a framework for economic development in the County EDGE Ad Hoc committee that consisted of the following four points: 1) its not all about tax incentives 2) workforce development is the top priority 3) support for local business including small business which is responsible for 70% of local economic growth and 4) research based target sector corporate recruiting strategy to guide responsible incentive development. Boss Crump departed the meeting without comment.

Ron Belz shared concerns for road improvements in Southeast Memphis to support site availability and Mayor Strickland stated that work is proceeding to improve roads in the Southeast. Carolyn Hardy championed local business investment by the local business community and asked the Mayor for the “Gold Standard” for economic development. Immersed in offline negotiations, The Mayor was not yet prepared to unveil a “Gold Standard”. But given the priority of local workforce and contingent on a yet to be revealed definition for local economic development, a “Gold Standard” might be the following:

Memphis will lead the nation in career ready workforce development while achieving above peer percentage average total wage growth.

Eric Roberston of Community Lift raised questions regarding the effective evaluation of the 9 other organizations besides EDGE that have tax abating authority. An article was recently published by Smart City Memphis on this topic. This committee only deals with EDGE but Robertson’s concerns are on target while in pursuit  of taxpayer justice.

The MCCL elephant in the room, has challenged local economic development work with a hyper-focus on tax incentives for existing businesses that without question have restrained road improvements, site availability and small business growth. For example, it was implied in the City EDGE committee that local real estate developers have obstructed needed site development work. This thought process is concerning given a current shortage of ready to go sites to support economic development efforts.

County Ad Hoc Public Transit

Ford and Sawyer have successfully assembled a diverse and invested public transit ad hoc committee consisting of themselves, subject matter experts from Memphis Area Transit Authority, researchers from Innovate Memphis and public transit users in the Bus Riders Union.

Funding has been the central issue for adequate public transit for almost 2 years following the release of Transit Funding study. Given the overt confrontation of the activist community, local leaders seem more comfortable confronting, on the record,  the MCCL elephant in the room as an obstacle to addressing transit funding.

Ford said “that we as a community must sell a funding solution for transit”. Following the meeting, the activist group MICAH, could be seen scurrying the room asking for a list of groups concerned with public transit to begin the grassroots campaign in support of public transit funding. Ford has also remarked that workforce challenges revolve around public transit availability, worker public record and skill development.

County Ad Hoc Workforce

Ford, Sawyer, Morrison and Whaley while being challenged with attendance at meetings from workforce development parties, have assembled a diverse group to support local reform efforts. This work, while desperately needed,  seems to be a rerun of past City Council committee work that somehow ended without material results more than a year ago. The same unresolved issues are sure to surface in the County Workforce Ad Hoc around the need for a cohesive connected marketing plan to support workforce readiness and development supported by a user friendly and reputable centralized job board.

The need for soft skill development was discussed in the meeting but there is no authoritative and quantifiable data to define what is meant by soft skills. The Greater Memphis Chamber clamors for “alignment, alignment, alignment”. Alignment to what ? The Chamber has yet to articulate an alignment protocol.

In committee Mr. Mike Lewis, County Human Resource Administrator, smartly stated that “there is a lack of connectivity between a local workforce readiness programs.” The similar was stated by Roland Raynor of Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) more than a year ago in City Council Committee.

Connectivity is not going to happen until there is data that defines in-demand skills (soft skills), a centralized and reputable job board is established and the Chamber articulates a generalized alignment protocol. Once the former is accomplished a cohesive marketing plan to define and support workforce development efforts can be assembled. A plan will be published through blog Monday, November 5, 2018.

As far as the elephant in the room, again it’s the MCCL in the Chamber and EDGE run Greater Memphis Alignment for a Competitive Workforce (GMACW). Both have ignored and stifled locally offered connected workforce development solutions while under-serving 60,000 students and a community in need. The costs to taxpayers and a community in need are huge.

Ford starts all of his meetings with this CA article. The article involves a  millennial and part of the more mobile population that has left the city and not because they wanted to but because they felt they had no choice. Most that leave the city are invisible to leaders and don’t get picked up by the CA but instead, off the radar, leave after trying to navigate a seemingly closed system. People, their ideas, energy and creativity and just arrogantly dismissed and they go elsewhere.

Conclusion    

The MCCL elephant in the room has won thus far while enjoying excessive tax incentives and arrogantly disregarding the taxpayer at the Board level through a lack of effective workforce development, declining small business vitality, challenged public transit and a lack of site availability.

Here is the problem, as stated by Paul Volker, former Federal Reserve Chairman for conservative Ronald Reagan, “We’ve got an enormous number of enormously rich people that have convinced themselves that they’re rich because they’re smart and constructive. And they don’t like government, and they don’t like to pay taxes.” And in Memphis, those same people for one reason or another don’t want to effectively deliver taxpayer funded services either. In Memphis, social justice starts with taxpayer justice.

But the good news is that, things are changing. A more active and confrontational activist community is overtly challenging the MCCL along with public leaders on the record. Memphis transformation will require participation from the taxpayer with significant philanthropic participation by Memphis Corporate Community Leadership coupled with informed legislative oversight and external measurement for the benefit of all.

About Memphis Corporate Community Leadership (MCCL) Measured

With a special focus on Memphis Tomorrow, MCCL Measured is the first ever and exclusive tool to attempt to measure the effectiveness of Memphis Corporate Community Leadership efforts that use taxpayer money. Additional videos and resources can be found by browsing the entire site or at http://mcclmeasured.net/resources .

The Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) has just been nationally recognized by the Council of Development Financial Agencies (CFDA)  for financial engineering in innovative tool development but not economic development. One of EDGE’s innovative tools includes the infamous EDGE Scorecard that claims a 150% taxpayer return on investment (ROI) generated from abating taxes. These tools are both innovative and bold to say the least.

It’s a deserved recognition from a peer like CFDA organization that mirrors, in many ways, EDGE, consisting of bankers, attorneys and financial engineers. After all, EDGE has a plethora of financial tools and programs, that for the most part, rig the system for the few in corporate/real estate interests. This is not to say that all EDGE programs are for the primary benefit of corporate / real estate interests. Examples include the Community Builder PILOT and the Inner City Economic Development Loan program. But relatively speaking, these financial tools serve small programs.

But financial tool development does not always result in the public benefit or economic development. Some will remember the financial tools that helped precipitate the Great Recession in collateralized debt obligations, credit default swaps and compromised ratings standards . Such tools are highly complex while often lacking credibility after thorough investigation and/or effectiveness in serving the public good. This was the case with the above-mentioned financial tools in the Great Recession and the same can be said for many of the current day EDGE financial tools.

In commenting on the award, EDGE Board Member, Jackson W. Moore said, “This award reflects the foresight of our community’s governing bodies in creating EDGE and letting EDGE do what it does so well – providing opportunities for all people in Memphis and Shelby County to access economic prosperity.”

Moore’s assessment is disconnected from reality based on local EDGE legislative oversight testimony, external data and press reports. Under EDGE, Memphis/Shelby County has experienced below peer average total wage growth, plummeting small business vitality, neglected workforce development efforts and site availability challenges while subjecting prospective client employers to an expensive and complex application process. External corporations have even found it challenging to navigate the EDGE process and access prosperity in Shelby County. While benefiting the entitled few, it appears the focus on financial engineering has distracted from the work of economic development which should be about improving the social well-being of people. See video.

Arrogance

Rooted in the arrogance of its unaccountable birthing Memphis Tomorrow CEO organization, like them, EDGE has engaged in programming that benefits largely the entitled few in corporate / real estate interests at the expense of taxpayers. One of the innovative EDGE tools used to do this includes their retention payment-in-lieu of taxes (PILOT) program. In a stunning act of financial recklessness, the program abates existing taxes and then recognizes existing tax revenue as new tax revenue on the EDGE Scorecard. See video.

Another financial innovation is the residential PILOT program which required state legislative approval for implementation with Shelby County as the ONLY county in the State of Tennessee offering residential PILOTs. But even if one believes there is a special need for residential PILOTs in Shelby County, the entitled excess in the local EDGE implementation should leave any taxpayer aghast.

At the June 20^th EDGE meeting, two developers walked away with approximately twice as much as the taxpayer benefit with abatements totaling $19M in Memphis/Shelby County taxes. Shocking, this is $19M more than the developers would have received in any other county in the State and $9M more than the local taxpayer benefit. This occurs as even some residential developers have raised concerns as to why residential PILOTs are taking place in the midst of a robust market and housing shortage.

As for Jackson Moore and the EDGE Board, all were for the above residential PILOTs while not considering more restraint and compromises offered by taxpayers in public comment. And regarding public comment, if the EDGE Board does not like what one says, they just arrogantly gut the public record.

The former was done as Moore consistently met monthly with his EDGE Board to administer corporate / real estate tax abatements while refusing to hold and chair regular public Greater Memphis Alliance for Competitive Workforce Board meetings thereby obstructing access to prosperity through workforce development. This astounding arrogant disregard for the taxpayer occurs as workforce is the #1 economic development need throughout the country.

As discussed in recent legislative testimony, current economic development work has proceeded for some time without a plan, informed measurement or even an economic development definition to guide local work. This contributes to a lack of course correction resulting in a rigged condition while needed work is neglected. Something must change to reverse the rigged condition, trajectory and the arrogant disregard for taxpayers by Memphis corporate community leadership.

Legislative Oversight

While legislative oversight has resulted in identifying problems with the local economic development ecosystem, legislators have yet to question the EDGE Scorecard or propose a specific measurable definition for economic development.

In testimony before the County Economic Development Committee on 10/24/18, Reid Dulberger, EDGE CEO, testified that for every dollar of abated taxes invested, approximately $2.50 is generated for taxpayers. That is a 150% ROI. Do any Commissioners think that a 150% ROI from abating taxes sounds too good to be true ? Anyone ??

In fact, based on data from EDGE, that $2.50 generated and 150% ROI is bolstered by claims that as of 12/31/17 – retention PILOTs used to retain existing company operations – which includes largely the abatement of existing taxes for 19 different companies – generates $3.80 for every dollar invested or a 280% ROI.

Again, through the practice of abating largely existing taxes, a 280% return for taxpayers is generated. Sound too good to be true ? IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ! This reporting practice is nothing more than an exercise of the EDGE Board in “smoking their own dope” using their very own innovative financial tools.

And as far as a definition for economic development, one has yet to be established. It appears, based on press reports, that local economic developers would assert a “measure of the amount of capital investment” as an economic definition given the common mention of $15M in local capital investment. But the capital investment definition does not align to recent legislative testimony which has asserted a focus on improving the social well being of people as a definition for economic development.

In short, real estate development is not economic development nor is financial tool development.

Conclusion

While celebrated by financial wonks, financial engineering is not economic development. The good news is that legislative oversight and new thinking at the Greater Memphis Chamber may better direct the work of economic development. Unless the former happens, taxpayers should expect more of the same.

With the former in mind, legislative bodies should in no way delegate defining and measuring economic development to the EDGE Board. Legislators should represent the people while calling for a new EDGE Board and telling the new EDGE Board how legislative bodies will define and externally measure economic development progress. Taxpayer funded economic development efforts should be externally measured by legislative bodies and in alignment with improving the quality of life of its resident taxpayers.

In this way, effective oversight can occur. Without it, effective legislative oversight will not occur while being reduced to a polite and propagandized quarterly reporting exercise that fails to serve the taxpayer and a community in need.

About Memphis Corporate Community Leadership (MCCL) Measured

With a special focus on Memphis Tomorrow, MCCL Measured is the first ever and exclusive tool to attempt to measure the effectiveness of Memphis Corporate Community Leadership efforts that use taxpayer money. Additional videos and resources can be found by browsing the entire site or at http://mcclmeasured.net/resources .

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joe B. Kent, Memphis Raise Your Expectations

Phone: 901-574-4753

Email: jkent@pathtrek.net

MRYE Meets with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris

Progress on Economic Development Policy

Memphis, Tennessee, October 23, 2018 – MRYE met today with Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris and presented him with this letter which contains MRYE’s balanced economic development policy recommendations.

We, at MRYE,  believe substantive progress was made with the Mayor on 1) ending the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) retention payment-in-lieu of payment (PILOT) program, 2) some change in Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) board membership in the immediate near term and 3) more connected public accountability for the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce.

MRYE and Mayor Harris also productively discussed the need to raise expectations and thinking bigger in areas regarding career ready education, public transit and small business development. As an example, MRYE conceptually proposed a Nation leading career education initiative that would clearly and publicly define workforce development organizational areas of focus for 1) in-school audiences and 2) out of school audiences with the support of a research based plan, data, measurement and career pathways curriculum. Properly implemented, the plan stands to retain/develop talent, decrease the career counselor caseload and potentially save money while increasing career ready post-secondary completion rates.

MRYE further discussed that public awareness training needs to take place related to tax rates and tax burden. Such awareness training helps provide the foundation for providing a dedicated public transit funding source. For example, in the meeting, it was discussed that the combined Memphis/Shelby property tax rate is higher than Nashville/Davidson but the Memphis/Shelby property tax burden is lower than Nashville/Davidson.

MRYE also demonstrated and shared concerns regarding EDGE incomplete retention PILOT accounting methodologies and measurement that have gone to justify excessive retention PILOTs and undermine the tax base costing Memphis/Shelby taxpayers and a community in need millions. Concerns over excessive EDGE residential PILOTS were additionally communicated to the Mayor.

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About Memphis Raise Your Expectations (MRYE)

MRYE is the local grassroots economic development thought leader. MRYE was the first to conduct a public survey on economic development while leveraging the Amazon Road Map criteria and  publicly proposing on the record the prioritized adoption of the Amazon Road Map and a definition for economic development based on improving the social well-being of people.

With a majority black population, social justice in Memphis starts with taxpayer justice. But taxpayer justice is not the norm with a Memphis Tomorrow CEO corporate community leadership complex that leverages federal, state and local taxpayer money while their initiatives deliver declining results for the taxpaying community. It was recently said in the Memphis Business Journal:

 “We’ve got an enormous number of enormously rich people that have convinced themselves that they’re rich because they’re smart and constructive. And they don’t like government, and they don’t like to pay taxes.” And then said, “Everybody talks about monetary policy but the lesson of all this is we need better, stronger supervisory powers.”

This is not some activist from Memphis Raise Your Expectations (MRYE) talking or some “liberal”. It’s 91 year-old Paul Volcker. Paul Volcker was conservative Republican Ronald Reagan’s Federal Reserve Chairman. And he is saying the same thing that MRYE is saying in calling for more legislative oversight and balanced economic development policy while indirectly talking about the likes of Memphis Tomorrow.

Volcker’s remarks regarding supervisory powers goes to fundamental checks and balances of the type that Memphis lacks. In a stunning move, after the Memphis City Council sought to reverse the will of the people through referenda for instant run-off voting (IRV) and term limits, it voted to fund a public education campaign on the referenda. Couple the former, with the historical lack of oversight of Memphis Tomorrow taxpayer funded initiatives, to the tune of a $124M recurring Memphis/Shelby taxpayer loss and systemic taxpayer injustice occurs for a community in need.

The Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce often connected with Memphis Tomorrow taxpayer funded initiatives seems to be leaning toward a more taxpayer accountable model in current proposed economic development reform efforts but only time will tell. The Chamber just named Beverly Robertson, formerly of the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM), as its interim CEO.

Transformational or Symbolic

The Beverly Robertson Chamber CEO announcement, promoted as transformational and symbolic, is sure to put the local Memphis establishment at ease. Robertson was selected based on her deep connections to the community and corporate, non-profit and small business experience. But will the selection be merely symbolic or transformational while contributing to taxpayer justice?

It must be stated, that the NCRM from which Robertson came, has not been locally publicly active in such critical taxpayer justice matters as public transit or reversing excessive EDGE corporate/real estate incentives that undermine public service funding for taxpayers, small business and a community in need. The type of corporate incentives that undermine the tax base and result in taxpayer injustice are the type that Robertson’s advocate in Willie Gregory and his own Nike enjoy.

Nike, currently running a social justice campaign, is the beneficiary of a $50M Memphis/Shelby County tax abatement. The tax abatement transfers taxpayer wealth from one of the most impoverished areas in the country in Memphis (27%) to one of the least impoverished areas in Beaverton/Portland, Oregon (13%) where Nike headquarters is located

For what it’s worth, the former is not social or taxpayer justice. And Nike is only one of several beneficiaries of retention PILOTs that come at an estimated Memphis / Shelby County taxpayer loss of $250M while being reported as a $600M gain by the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Board . The former $850M discrepancy and taxpayer injustice results from the EDGE Board’s use of  incomplete accounting over a 7 year period that treats existing tax revenue as new revenue. This practice illustrates Volcker’s concerns.

Strangely and given the results, MRYE and MCCL Measured are the only groups in Memphis calling for a new EDGE Board. The editorial and social justice paralysis on this issue is startling and an indication of a rigged Memphis system that taps down expected thoughtful dissent at the expense of the community good. Transformational change in favor of taxpayer justice is in order…..

Conclusion and Good News

In a City known for its symbolic overtures, here is the good news. While representing the local business community, Robertson clearly has the breadth of experience to connect and lead transformational efforts. To do this, Robertson will be required to reject the arrogance of the rich “smart and constructive” to which Volcker refers. In Memphis, Volcker would be referring to Memphis Tomorrow.

Such rejection will likely result in Robertson eliminating silos while leveraging her vast experience to connect community and recruiting initiatives for the benefit of local business and the taxpayer. In this way, when taxpayer funds are involved, Robertson would know that the taxpayer is the customer; something Memphis Tomorrow has never known. And Robertson, will hopefully welcome needed oversight, which Volcker referenced as a need, to drive balanced economic development efforts .

Memphis Tomorrow can best help the City by returning $1.5 billion back to the taxpayer in a lump sum by the end of 2018 and shutting their doors.

Change is in order and Beverly Robertson has the experience, connections and team in place to blaze the transformational  trail. A trail that hopefully leads to social and taxpayer justice through balanced economic development efforts that improve the social well being of the Memphis people.

In a nightmare scenario for any city, Memphis problems and standards for performance start at the top with Memphis Tomorrow. Memphis Tomorrow is a local CEO organization, founded by Joseph Reeves “Pitt” Hyde III, that cloaks itself as a community / economic development organization. But the organization is way down in its categories of public safety, workforce and economic development while their non-profit initiatives feast upon a cauldron stew using your tax dollars from federal, state and local sources.

All the while, caped under the label of “economic development”, excessive locally targeted corporate / real estate tax abatements under the Memphis Tomorrow EDGE initiative flourish for the benefit of the few at the top as local small business vitality declines, Shelby County growth lags its peers and income inequality explodes.

Based on what has been researched, this dreadful Memphis Tomorrow Fast Forward initiative performance can be shown to cost Memphis/Shelby taxpayers $124M per year. Frightening is the lack of alarm by local community leaders and rigorous oversight of Memphis Tomorrow initiatives. This appears to be because decline and poor performance have been going on for so long that it has been culturally normed. Leaders that only know Memphis, mistake the social hierarchy of Memphis Tomorrow for community and economic development proficiency.

Memphis Tomorrow can best serve Memphis by providing a $1.5 billion immediate contribution in full up front to the City, stop rigging up the community for decline and shutting down. This will fulfill Memphis Tomorrow promises by providing funds that will help bring the local ecosystem up to average.

DISCONNECTED

Spooky, this normalcy of decline, fueled by low expectations, was evident in a recent Commercial Appeal story. Duncan Williams, a local community leader, said that commenting on the future plight of Memphis Tomorrow is “above my pay grade”. Apparently disconnected from reality, Williams is clearly enchanted by, and yielding to,  the local social hierarchical construct while not fighting for the taxpayer for an end to Memphis Tomorrow.

Further, also mentioned in the CA article was Spence Wilson Jr. of the Greater Memphis Chamber Chairman’s Circle and Kemmons Wilson Companies. With trend data in hand, regarding local taxpayer funded initiatives under corporate community leadership, I requested a meeting with Wilson about a 1.5 years ago while questioning leadership effectiveness. Wilson, apparently disconnected from reality as well, like so many in the community leadership complex, declined to meet with me. Instead, Wilson wrote in part through email the following:

“I disagree with your overall assessment of where we are as well as the validity/effectiveness of some of the groups you mention. And, given what little I’ve experienced but more of what others have shared regarding their dealings with you, I doubt your ability to be a uniter. Uniting together as a community has been the key ingredient with humility, trust and mutual respect being some of the key values. Above all, each participant has had to EARN the respect of others every step of the way.”

Wilson’s observations are understandable. Needed confrontation to bust up what is working for a small few and Not for the overall good, is rarely, if ever viewed as uniting or humble by establishment figures such as Wilson. On the other hand, his arrogance towards the taxpaying public is evident in implying that a taxpayer must “EARN” (in all caps) their right to question the performance of taxpayer funded initiatives. With that, the question now, for Wilson 1.5 years later, with the same Memphis Tomorrow community / economic development complex in place, “Where are we now?”. Wilson also serves on the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) with Pitt Hyde. The NCRM will be discussed later.

It should also be stated that Jack Moore, a former banker and Wilson’s in-law, serves on the EDGE Board. The diverse EDGE Board has systematically awarded locally targeted corporate / real estate PILOTs using bogus, incomplete accounting that overstate tax revenue generated by an estimated $850M at an estimated loss to taxpayers of $250M+ while claiming an estimated gain of $600M. EDGE uses an accounting methodology that eerily recognizes existing tax revenue as new revenue in many cases.

In a shocking performance, Moore took over the Greater Memphis Alliance for Competitive Workforce (GMACW) initiative as its new Board Chairman under EDGE. Moore managed to only have 1 GMACW meeting in the past year while he met every month with the EDGE Board to administer corporate / real estate tax abatements. So much for education and workforce development for a community in need, under Moore, who is part of the Wilson clan.

As far as the benefits of diversity on the EDGE Board, the benefits of diversity are overrated in this case. To correct this, I would prefer a new diverse or non-diverse and professionally balanced EDGE Board that would implement balanced economic development policy. A professionally balanced non diverse board would consist of all black females or males or all white females or males. Or, a new professionally balanced diverse board would work as well, as long as it replaces the EDGE Board in place now.

THE HORROR SHOW FILTERS DOWN

There is no sense of urgency in Memphis – NONE. Horrifying, deficient community leadership proliferates throughout the system starting at the top, with Memphis Tomorrow. As an example, almost 2 years ago, Transit Funding – Memphis Deserves Great Transit was published. The study confirms inadequate funding challenges local transit.

Adequate transit supports poverty reduction, workforce reliability, community competitiveness and sustainability. But the “visionaries” of Memphis Tomorrow have yet to publish a funding policy position for adequate public transit. At the same time, the NCRM where Hyde and Wilson are both board members, have yet to publish a position either. NCRM states on their website that they, “examine today’s global and civil rights issues, provoke thoughtful debate and serve as a catalyst for positive change”. Go figure….

Further, a new EDGE Board is needed as a fundamental system check for a tax abating board. Memphis Tomorrow advocated for the creation of an EDGE Board that did not protect the public interest in board member term limits or legislative approval for economic modeling used to justify excessive corporate/real estate tax abatements. Excessive tax abatements have gone to undermine the tax base of a community in need, as income inequality explodes and small business vitality declines.

While there are several examples of excessive abatements, one example involves Nike, currently running a social justice ad campaign. Currently,  through an EDGE retention PILOT tax abatement, $50M in wealth is being transferred from one of the most impoverished communities in Memphis (27%), to one of the least impoverished in Portland/Beaverton Oregon, (13%) where the Nike headquarters is located.

Frightening, while it seems everyone was for the social justice found in statue removal (symbols over substance), a number of local advocacy organizations lack public policy positions on substantive issues that can help reverse poverty, small business vitality and slow economic growth trends in, for example, a new EDGE Board or public transit funding. Those organizations that lack public positions include: Memphis Tomorrow, Greater Memphis Chamber, Shelby County Chamber Alliance, EDGE, NCRM, Black Business Association, NAACP and MLK50 to name just a few.

Ghastly is when advocacy organizations don’t advocate on substantive issues for a community in need while yielding to the status quo at the top and seemingly in this case to Memphis Tomorrow. In a way it seems the Memphis Tomorrow complex demands allegiance to a social hierarchy of nonperformance that has mastered the mechanics of control while failing miserably in the art of evolving the community ecosystem.

At any rate, in this analysis, social justice organizations are overrated. By the way, can we get some transit in here if we move the Crump statue? Don’t bother, it won’t work.

THE PRESS

Terrified, the Memphis press won’t write about the paralyzing outcomes of Memphis Tomorrow or even call for a new EDGE Board.  It must be stated that the Memphis decline has systematically occurred without an external event while spanning elected official’s terms over the past 15 years.

This points to a deficient corporate community leadership culture as Memphis leads the country in both nonprofits per 10,000 population and poverty. That should raise a huge, blood red flag , but it really doesn’t. It’s a system that is designed from the top to decline. Lacking press and rigorous legislative oversight results in a rigged system that lacks needed vitality to support economic growth.

CONCLUSION – GOOD NEWS !

There is good news and it’s not coming from the highly deficient Memphis Tomorrow corporate community leadership complex. Its coming from the people in groups like Memphis Raise Your Expectations (MRYE). MRYE is leading voter discussions while laying out economic development positions that question real power when no one else will. MRYE is leadership while the likes of Hyde, Williams, Wilson and Moore seem to mistake leadership for a lack of advocacy and  bureaucratic conformity to a rigged, Crump like social hierarchical system that is not working.

See my videos and blogs at – http://mcclmeasured.net/resources/

ABOUT MCCL MEASURED

Memphis Corporate Community Leadership (MCCL) Measured is the first ever, and currently exclusive tool for measuring the effectiveness of the Memphis Corporate Community Leadership complex.