Micheal Whaley waits to speak at the commissioner's meeting
Commissioner’s Michael Whaley’s “More For Memphis” Ordinance Sparks Outcry as “Poverty Profiteering MORE FOR THEM Scheme, Critics Say
By: Public Policy Staff, November 12, 2024
Memphis, TN – “The smooth-talking con man who bilked Memphis taxpayers out of tens of millions of dollars by hyping up the construction of the Pyramid Arena, Sidney Slinker, was from Texas; so is Michael Whaley,” chimed one source within Shelby County Government. A new ordinance, sponsored by Commissioner Michael Whaley seeking approval from Shelby County Commissioners and Memphis City Council officials, is drawing fierce backlash from community leaders, activists, and local organizations. Community activist Joe Kent’s blog – “WHALEY BOTCH: More (Taxes) For Memphis”, was the first to bring attention to the alleged More For Memphis Scheme. Even sources within Shelby County Government, who requested anonymity, argue that the measure transfers authority and millions in public funds to an external fiscal agent, lining the pockets of “suburban carpetbaggers” under the guise of poverty alleviation.
Touted by Whaley as a transformative step toward reducing poverty in Memphis and Shelby County —areas with poverty rates, among the highest in the country—the ordinance instead empowers a privately managed fiscal agent to oversee city and county resources. This agent, government sources claim, will be more accountable to Whaley’s business associates than to the Memphis communities these funds are meant to serve.
“This ordinance is a Trojan Horse,” says one city of Memphis official who requested, “promoted as a poverty solution but designed to profit off poverty.”
“Whaley has handed over the keys to our city’s future to the highest bidder,” the city official added. “Instead of empowering local leaders, this ordinance delivers our tax dollars to suburbanites who don’t live in the inner city, who aren’t from here, and who don’t truly care about the people here. They are regaining their forefather’s plantation.”
Diverting Tax Dollars, Diluting Local Impact
At its core, the ordinance’s approach funnels taxpayer funds into an unelected bureaucracy with minimal accountability. Local residents see fewer resources directly benefiting their neighborhoods as their tax dollars flow into a More For Memphis administrative setup designed to profit from managing Memphis’s poverty crisis rather than solving it.
Memphis and Shelby County voters expected their elected officials to drive real, transparent change. Instead, this ordinance directs money away from city and county agencies, community-based organizations, and trusted Black-led nonprofits. Funds intended to reduce poverty are redirected to More For Memphis’ administrative costs, high-paid consultants, and external entities with no roots in the inner city.
“This is classic poverty profiteering,” said community activist Xaxier Wade. “They’re capitalizing on our poverty rather than fixing it. This is a betrayal of Memphis voters who elected officials to manage these resources directly. Instead, our city and county officials seek to hand the reins over to their friend’s private, profit-driven body, completely bypassing the community’s voice.”
A Legacy of Carpetbagging in Modern Disguise
Memphis has a long, painful history of economic exploitation at the hands of its politicians and their friends, often taking advantage of racial and economic disparities. The ordinance revives this legacy in a modern guise, critics say, as it channels millions in public funds to entities controlled by their friends and associates with little accountability or transparency.
To Kesha Jones, a community activist from South Memphis and other community leaders, Whaley and his associates embody a new wave of carpetbaggers—politicians and businesspeople who profit from Memphis’s struggles while leaving its citizens in poverty. “They look at the inner city with big promises, but they take and go 40 east,” Jones said. “This is the latest chapter in a long story of people from outside the inner city profiting from Memphis’s pain.”
Losing Local Control, Gaining Corporate Profit
The ordinance also risks weakening the democratic representation Memphis residents rely on. With decision-making power shifted to an external fiscal agent, community members lose the ability to influence how resources are distributed. Local government agencies and programs, which could directly and transparently tackle issues like food deserts, housing shortages, and lack of healthcare access, are sidelined.
“By distancing anti-poverty efforts from local inner city organizations who serve there every day, Whaley is giving his friends and associates the power to make decisions that impact Memphis families, with no accountability to the community,” said Jones. “This is not just bad policy; it’s a clear insult to Memphis voters and the needs of this city.”
As community leaders continue to speak out, questions linger about how much of this ordinance was ever truly designed to help Memphis residents. For critics, this is not just a misguided policy—it’s a deliberate move to profit off poverty, lining the pockets of politically connected business people while Memphis’s most vulnerable citizens continue to struggle.
“This scam isn’t what Memphis wants or needs,” said Jones. “We need genuine, community-led solutions—not a billionaire’s business plan. The time for carpetbaggers in Memphis needs to end, and it needs to end now. This isn’t MORE FOR MEMPHIS, this is MORE FOR THEM.
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