John's Goals

Sick Time Buy-Back

Currently, upon retirement, an officer can cash in 600 hours of sick time. At the end of 2022, the MPA held a series of meetings with Mayor Jim Strickland, city legal and city finance to attempt to work out a plan to increase the number of hours that can be cashed in upon retirement. We explored a number of options and came very close to a final agreement which would have included raising the base cash out amount to at least 1000 and would have allowed for the sell back of the rest of earned sick hours at a %. (We also explored the possibility of trading in unused sick hours for % points on one’s pension. Unfortunately, the cost of that approach proved to be astronomical and not practical.) In the end, we simply ran out of time to get a fully realized deal done prior to the end of the fiscal year. (After early January, other major issues took most of the City’s time and focus.) I have talked to Mayor Strickland and he has agreed to speak to the incoming Mayor and advocate for the continuation of talks at the start of the next administration. If I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will certainly work hard and make achieving this goal a priority

PTSD Presumption Legislation for Tennessee Police Officers

Thanks to the efforts of both the local and state firefighter associations. The James “Dustin” Samples Act will take effect Jan. 1, 2024. Named in memory of the 22-year Cleveland, TN firefighter who fought PTSD for many years before ultimately succumbing to the disease in 2020. The new law not only presumes PTSD as a work-related injury for fire fighters, but also establishes a grant program to help employers cover the cost of workers’ compensation claims. I am dedicated to working with the state legislature and the Governor to get a similar bill passed for Tennessee Police Officers. I have already begun conversations with state legislatures to begin the process.

Higher HRA to offset Healthcare Costs

Healthcare costs always go in one direction, up. I am committed to finding innovative ways to lower or offset these costs for both active members and retirees. One option I plan to explore is using Referendum Funds to boost current healthcare reimbursement funds.

Continued Oversight of Referendum Funds

The Sales Tax Referendum is currently bring in 75 million dollars per year to the city of Memphis. The number has grown every year:

2020: 52 Million
2021: 61 Million
2022: 68 Million
2023: 75 Million

Without a doubt, one of the most important jobs of the MPA and the MFFA is to continually monitor this fund closely to ensure every penny is spent the way it was intended to be by the voters. Currently both organizations working closely with the Chief City Finance Officer, The Mayor and City Legal receive quarterly updates and hold bi-annual meetings for oversight purposes. Make no mistake there are 13 members of the City Council who would all love to have unfettered access to these funds, that can never be allowed to happen. If elected I promise to continue protecting and monitoring these funds. Any violation will be met with quick and decisive legal action.

Full Education Funding for MPD Officers & The Public Safety Academy

At one time any and all officers who wanted to continue their education could do so and be fully reimbursed by the City of Memphis. Currently, however, funds are limited and dispersed on a first come first serve basis. I plan to work diligently to restore full funding for any officer interested in going back to school and securing a degree.

This initiative also ties in with another project I am working on with the Memphis Crime Commission and Shelby County Schools. The Public Safety Academy is a program designed to encourage students starting 9th grade to choose a career path program in either fire science or criminal justice through the Shelby County School Vo-Tech program and in conjunction with the police and fire academies and mentors from the community. The idea is to have them become PSTs upon graduation and then earn their degrees fully paid for by the city. The young people of Memphis need opportunity and we need officers. Why not connect the two?

Raise Pension %

One extremely important issue that needs to be addressed involves an increase in the retirement pension %. This will be no easy task. Any change moving forward will involve a lot of hard work and negotiation with the Mayor’s office, City Council and most importantly the state of Tennessee. The issue is governed by both city ordinance and state law.

Ultimately, several things need to happen for this goal to be realized:

A recognition that up to this point officers have shouldered their fair share of the burden.
The City must increase its contribution.
Regardless of hire date officer contributions should be the same across the board.
A higher single % amount for the pension payout should be uniform across the board regardless of hire date.

As an elected executive officer of the MPA, my primary duties are to protect the MOU and serve the needs of the membership by answering questions, helping to solve work-related issues, sitting in on statements, advocating at hearings, and making the scene of critical incidents to ensure the rights of officers are fully protected. In these areas, I believe my passion and commitment have been self-evident to every single member that has reached out to me. Serving as the Chief Steward over the last 4 years has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life. Click the links below to view an annotated list of my accomplishments as well as some of my goals over the next 4 years should I be given the honor of being elected Vice President of the MPA.