TN Politics: Brent Taylor’s hotline is ‘unusual’ level of petty, Sanford says

Tennessee’s Republican lawmakers have a supermajority in the legislature, making it relatively easy to oust elected Democrats from office. So far, the tactic has been used twice — to oust state Reps. Justin Pearson of Memphis and Justin Jones of Nashville after they protested gun laws on the House floor.

But state Sen. Brent Taylor of East Memphis is trying to use that power again, this time with Democratic Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy.

Memphis suffers from high gun violence, created in part by Republican laws that made illegal firearms easy to obtain. Taylor believes Mulroy’s administration is not doing enough to prosecute people caught with stolen guns.

To make his case against Mulroy, Taylor set up a hotline for people to leave their criticisms of Mulroy. Sanford says this move by a politician to personally take down another politician is “unprecedented.”

Also this week, the Memphis City Council voted for a tax increase. Sanford says residents will be tolerant, but they will need to see some results.