The Memphis City Council worked behind the scenes to find a sponsor for legislation this year that could ban instant-runoff elections statewide and forestall the Shelby County Election Commission from using the method for the first time in 2019.
The council recently instructed The Ingram Group — a well-connected, Nashville-based lobbying firm the council hired for $120,000 per year in November — to ask Republican Sen. Ken Yager of Kingston to carry the bill this year, council attorney Allan Wade confirmed Monday.
Republican Rep. Mark White of Memphis, who proposed the bill last year but made little headway, said the firm also approached him on the council’s behalf to ask if he would again sponsor the bill in the House.
Memphis Flyer Editorial: Memphis City Council Duplicity