By Sharen Rooks

The Riverdale Confrontation: When the Mask Slips

They say character is what you do when you think no one is watching. For JB Smiley, character is apparently what happens when he thinks he can intimidate a woman into silence.

While supporting a candidate at the ATOP polling location on Riverdale, I was met with the “Real JB.” Not the one on the glossy mailers, but the one who uses his physical stature to occupy the personal space of private citizens. When Smiley’s campaign manager pointed me out like a target, and Smiley himself marched over to stand two feet from my face, he wasn’t looking for a debate. He was looking for submission.

He demanded to know why I called him a “thug.” I didn’t blink. I told him I call it like I see it. If your primary method of political engagement is physical cornering and verbal harassment of women, you aren’t a public servant—you’re a bully.

Sharen Rooks is not a woman you corner. I stood my ground because I know his “thuggishness” isn’t about where he’s from or the color of his skin; it’s about his choice to lead through fear rather than through service. As the old saying goes: If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and smells like a duck... it’s a duck. And in Shelby County, we are currently drowning in a pond of JB Smiley’s making.

The xAI Heist: $12 Billion in Promises, $2.2 Billion in Reality

While Smiley is busy trying to hush women at polling places, the real "pay-to-play" scheme is happening in the boardroom. The Greater Memphis Chamber and city leaders like Smiley have spent months touting the $12 billion investment brought by Elon Musk’s xAI. It’s a number designed to dazzle, to make us look the other way while they fast-track unpermitted gas turbines that poison the air in South Memphis.

But here is the investigative truth that Smiley doesn’t want you to calculate:

• The Payout: City leadership helped grease the wheels for a "record-shattering" investment.

• The Discrepancy: While the $12 billion headline grabs the news, local tax records and expert analysis suggest the actual taxable base being evaluated is closer to $2.2 billion.

• The Question: Where did the other $10 billion go? It’s buried in tax abatements, infrastructure "gifts," and behind-the-scenes "oversight" that Smiley—as a key member of the Council—benefited from.

This is the classic Memphis Shuffle: lure the public with a massive number, then quietly let the corporate giant pay pennies on the dollar while our schools and roads continue to crumble. Smiley didn't just "let" xAI open; he fought for it to open with minimal public oversight, all while pretending on the campaign trail to be a man of the people. Let me clearly, state for the record, I receive zero benefits from this bait and switch. If the records reflect these types of dealings, one should be aware and govern yourself accordingly and how they support politicians or not. I have not endorsed any candidates, cannot vote in Shelby County and have NEVER been in a relationship with the person in question.  Essentially, saying, this is not personal!

The Pattern: A War on Women

Smiley’s behavior at Riverdale wasn't a one-off "heated moment." It is a calculated pattern. We see it in his dismissive treatment of Dr. Marie Feagins during her tenure as MSCS Superintendent, and the aggressive vitriol aimed at her during legal disputes. We see it in the reports of mayoral candidate spouses—like the wife of a rival candidate—who now feel the need to hire armed private security just to walk through a polling site where Smiley’s team is present.

This is a man who treats the political arena like a street fight, especially when his opponent is a woman. He uses his campaign manager to "escalate" rather than "de-escalate," creating a gauntlet of intimidation that has no place in a democracy.

A Call to Action

Shelby County voters, look past the smile. Look at the $10 billion gap in his xAI math. Look at the private security guards protecting women from his “campaigning.”

I’ve run campaigns, and I know a leader is only as good as the order they keep. JB Smiley is out of order. He needs emotional intelligence classes, not the keys to the Mayor’s office. Don't let a bully buy your vote with a billion-dollar lie. As a HR practioner for more than fifteen years toxic employees do not change they become a cancer within the organization when left unaddressed.