MEMPHIS, Tenn — Paul Young beat out 16 other mayoral candidates Thursday and will now trade his role as president of the Downtown Memphis Commission for the Mayor of Memphis.
While this will be Young's first time holding elected political office, the East High School graduate - with a pair of master’s degrees from the University of Memphis - does not lack experience working in local government (Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development, Shelby County Director of Legislative Affairs, Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development).
Growing up in Memphis's Oakhaven community, Young said never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be mayor one day.
But his mother, Pastor Dianne Young, did.
“She told me, ‘You're going to be in politics, and I just saw it in my dream, and God gave me this vision,’” Young said. “I was like, ‘Mom, what are you talking about?’”
Now, as the outgoing president of the Downtown Memphis Commission prepares to take elected office for the first time, he admits he’s been preparing for this moment for years.
“The mayor is actually the chief CEO of a 6,000-employee corporation,” Young said. “So certainly, there's politics that go along with it, but there's governance…which I have been executing successfully for the past 20 years.”
Young's major goal during his first year is no surprise: come down hard on crime and reverse a surge in violent offenses in the Bluff City.
“Making sure that we elevate the urgency and among all of the players in the system and that we are bringing them to the table on a regular basis, and making sure that the public actually sees that there's action being taken,” he said.
But will current Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis be at that table?
“We're going to have a transition team that's going to help as we make some of those HR decisions over the next couple of weeks and months,” Young said. “And certainly, Chief Davis will be a part of the dialogue.”
Young said that he wants Memphis to know their next mayor’s dream is to simply get things done.
“That's what people are looking for,” he said.
Young will officially take office on January 1, 2024. The Downtown Memphis Commission said they plan on updating us on the search for a new president on Monday.