The only apprehension Oct. 9 may bring for many University ofMemphis students will be how they will get to their fall breakdestinations. But for one graduate student, W.B. Bates, theapprehension on that date will run much deeper.
That is the day Bates, who is pursuing a Master of Arts inLiberal Studies, will learn whether he will unseat E.C. Jones asthe City Council representative for District 1.
"I'm confident," Bates said about his election chances, "butyou're never sure."
Each Memphis City Council member represents one of sevendistinct districts within the greater Memphis area. Each districtreceives further representation from one of two Super Districtsthat roughly divide the city's population in half and consist of athree-person committee to represent the interests of the wholeSuper District area.
Bates' district, District 1, consists of part of Cordova as wellas the towns of Raleigh and Frayser and is included in SuperDistrict 9.
Bates, a native of California, has lived in Raleigh for the past10 years. He is not a politician by trade and has a bachelor'sdegree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from The U of M.
Bates immediately put that degree to use when he opened a lossprevention and interrogation business after college in the '90s.The business trains retail employees in what Bates calls "the prosand cons of loss prevention." This training is geared towardhelping businesses keep theft and other merchandise losses to aminimum.
"We train people to catch shoplifters," Bates said.
His bachelor's degree and subsequent business experience helpedshape much of his political platform -- to transform the District 1communities beginning with crime.
"I want to reduce neighborhood crime and rebuild the community,"he said. "I believe the constituents are ready for a change."
If elected, Bates says his education from The University ofMemphis will assist him in any city council decisions he mightmake.
"If I get elected, some of the social theories (fromCriminology) would certainly apply," he said.
The city council position would allow him to apply thetheoretical framework he learned in criminology classes, and hisunderstanding of the criminal behavior would lead to practical andinformed changes once he takes office, Bates said.
In a more general sense, Bates says college is a good investmentfor anyone.
"A college education certainly can't hurt anybody," he said.
As part of his commitment to improving the District 1 area,Bates also founded the Raleigh Action Committee, a proactiveneighborhood watch in the community.
