A C Wharton conceded defeat in the mayoral election to Jim Strickland just three hours after polls closed — when less than 45,000 votes had been counted.
“I’ve never been one to make excuses,†Wharton, the six-year incumbent, said to his supporters who gathered at the Holliday Inn near the U of M. “You don’t see any tears here … Don’t worry about me. I’ll be just fine. I will wake up every day and find a way to serve this city.â€
Wharton was Shelby County’s first black mayor and became Memphis’ mayor in 2009.
Strickland, a former student government president at the University of Memphis, had more nearly twice as many votes than Wharton at 11 p.m.
“The people of Memphis said, ‘We want change,’†Strickland — a city council member since 2007 — said. “The status quo heard you loud and clear… Sometimes it takes new eyes to solve old problems.â€
Strickland climbed to city council chairmen in 2014. He graduated from the U of M in 1986, the same year he was student body president. Â
Strickland is the first white mayor in the majority black city since 1991.
Wharton’s campaign dealt with a slew of hurdles, including criticism on his handling of the city employee pension program and the cuts he made to the retirement program.
Another event that could have worked against Wharton came in September, when Robert Lipscomb resigned as head of the Housing and Community Development after several allegations of sexual misconducted emerged.
Wharton’s political opponents raised hell when WHBQ Fox 13 revealed that the public relations firm owned by Wharton’s campaign manager was awarded a $900,000 contract with the company who will supply Memphis police their body cameras.
The contract was later canceled, but the news broke at the same time early voting had started. Â
Anywhere between 110,000 and 120,000 voters turned out. Some speculated that turn out might be lower due to several precincts being combined, which led to 39 being closed.
A computer error caused the final vote count to be pushed later into the night than expected.Â
