Blake’s Blog

The Flinns have a long way to go before catching up with the Fords in terms of numbers of family members holding elected offices.

Even so, the room seemed full of Flinns Wednesday during a joint meeting between the Memphis City Council and the Shelby County Commission over plans for The Pyramid.

The two legislative bodies were grilling Greg Ericson, a local entertainment and marketing executive, about his plans to convert the Downtown arena into an indoor amusement park.

At one point, City Councilman Shea Flinn asked to be recognized to speak.

County Commissioner James Harvey, who was chairing the meeting at the time, mistakenly referred to Shea Flinn as "Commissioner Flinn." Which was just a bit confusing since County Commissioner George Flinn, Shea’s father, was sitting on the other side of the room.

Harvey corrected his mistake, sort of, by referring to Shea Flinn as "the good Flinn," before allowing him to speak.

Later in the meeting, Ericson was providing some of the businesses he had worked with in the past.

"We have a great relationship with Clear Channel," Ericson said, pausing to look at Shea Flinn, general counsel for Flinn Broadcasting, which is one of Clear Channel’s competitors in the local radio station market. "Not through you, though."

"So it’s going to be like that?" Shea Flinn teasingly replied.

"You just lost two votes," George Flinn, owner of Flinn Broadcasting, jokingly added.

For the record, it’s worth noting that the Fords were equally well represented, with Councilman Edmund Ford Jr. and Commissioner Joe Ford both in attendance for at least part of the meeting.