Memphis mayor blasts plot to derail re-election

Conspiracy may re-energize base
A recent poll in The Commercial Appeal newspaper found 60 percent of respondents were opposed to re-electing the mayor in October, with his popularity slipping among black as well as white voters.

But if the mayor were seen as a victim of a white conspiracy, his black voting base could be re-energized, Moore said.

"In many ways what the mayor was doing is basically just smart, hardball Memphis politics," Moore said.

Herenton said Smith's claim bolstered his belief that conspirators were plotting to undermine his bid for re-election "by any means necessary."

A special state prosecutor has been appointed to look into Smith's allegations, and the Memphis police are investigating, too.

Herenton also has asked the Justice Department to look into Smith's claim, since she contends an FBI agent may have been in on the plot, an allegation the FBI denied in a statement. Herenton did not say why the FBI would conspire against him.

Critics: Five terms too long
Herenton, who was also the city's first black school superintendent, came to the mayor's office by beating a popular incumbent by just 142 votes in 1991. It was the first mayor's race in which black registered voters outnumbered whites, and it was the closest in the city's history.

Since then, Herenton has overseen a major revitalization of downtown Memphis, helped bring an NBA franchise to town and kept the city on a sound financial footing.

The city of 650,000 is now 60 percent black, and Herenton has had little trouble with re-election, drawing support across racial lines.

But critics argue he has been mayor too long, pointing to his frequent clashes with the City Council, which he describes as incompetent, and his oft-repeated statements that God wants him in the mayor's office.

Herenton, who is divorced, makes no secret about having an active social life and publicly acknowledged two years ago that he had fathered a child with a 31-year-old woman he was dating.

That disclosure and Herenton's quick acceptance of paternity seemed to cause him little trouble politically, said Pohlmann, and he likely would be a hard target to hurt with a sex scandal.

"He's a single guy. He goes out with women. Not much of a story there," Pohlmann said.

‘Pretty bizarre’
Herman Morris, a longtime Memphis lawyer and former president of the city utility, is expected to be one of Herenton's strongest challengers and one of the few serious black opponents the mayor has had since taking office.

John Ryder, a co-manager of Morris' campaign, said many voters will likely ignore Herenton's conspiracy claims.

"The underlying allegations are pretty bizarre," Ryder said. "And his reaction was pretty bizarre."

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