Robert Lipscomb: City Hall's 'Fixer'

Memphis, Tn - Sometimes it's painfully written on his face. when Robert Lipscomb becomes impatient with the snail's pace of progress derived from city government bureaucracy.

But, then that's what you'd expect from a man many regard as City Hall's answer to "The Fixer."

Lipscomb, appearing before the Memphis City Council with a Fairgrounds renovation update, on Tuesday warned, "Unless we get a consensus on who's in charge of this project and a consensus around where we're going...a plan that we can all say we're headed in the right direction. We'll be here two years from now talking about the same thing."

Lipscomb continued, "In six months we've had three mayors, three CAOs, three City Attorneys. So, everybody has a different view of the world."

However, with so much political turmoil engulfing city government in the last five years, it's been Lipscomb, currently dual Director of the Memphis Housing Authority and Housing Community Development whose imprint, on projects big and small, has elevated him to a status and influence beyond any known non-elected administrator in the city's history.

John Branston, Memphis Flyer columnist observed of Lipscomb, "He's not a politician. He's never run for anything. He'd be the first person to tell you he doesn't plan to run for anything. But, he's held a lot of titles. Sometimes more than one at the same time and a lot of railroads run through him."

Memphis City Councilman, Myron Lowery, espoused, "Robert does not overstep his boundaries. He has the latitude to do what is necessary to be done given the parameters that the Council and the Mayor gives him."

But, it's the gravity of the assignments, his passion, unquestioned loyalty and determination to complete them, which some critics (none of whom would speak on camera) have equated to a "tunnel-vision" that has drawn comparisons to famed and controversial 20th Century New York City master urban planner Robert Moses....whose visionary work on the Big Apple's infrastructure never came by way of election at the ballot box.

Branston noted of Lipscomb, "He seems to have some big visions and some city builder ideas. Well read....and a heckuva lot of experience."

Now knee-deep in spearheading the multi-million dollar Fairgrounds renovation and trying to finalize Bass Pro's entry into the Pyramid, Lipscomb is once again catching a lot of heat, apparently without weakening his resolve to finish both.

Branston added, "So, you're not going to have a hard time finding criticism of the project and the person who had to stand by it. The person who chose to stand behind it. He can take a hit and come back to you the next day."

Lowery concluded, "What makes Robert extremely good is that he doesn't seek the limelight. He doesn't look for glory for his work. His achievements stand for themselves."