AC Worton for Mayor

Taking City Hall to the People

Comprehensive Safe Streets Program

Memphis Office of Talent and Human Capital

City Hall Efficiency Program

Data-driven Management System

Customer Service Culture in City Government

Better Parks and Trails Program

Functional Consolidation of City-County Services

Ethical Government

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.