Former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton seems serious about running for mayor in 2019.

Chad Boseman, star of "Black Panther," was spotted at St. Jude. Also in town: Jagger and Lewis.

Aldo's Pizza Pies is catching some flak for a 9/11 tribute pizza.

Cohen urges 'no' votes on three Memphis referenda on Nov. 6 ballot.

Good morning from Memphis, where Black Panther is in town. But first...

Willie Herenton, Memphis' first elected black mayor, re-committed Tuesday to seeking his old office in the October 2019 election, according to a Facebook post.

The announcement sets up one of the more interesting battles in recent Memphis history, with the popular but controversial Herenton likely facing off against current mayor Jim Strickland, who unseated incumbent mayor A C Wharton in 2015.

Herenton, who served as mayor from 1992 to 2009, first declared his intent to run in April, although some local politicos questioned how serious he was about running. Herenton told me this morning that he was "amazed" by that reaction.

"If you just look at my background, I don't play games," he said. "I'm a very sincere, focused individual. I have every intention of being a candidate in the 2019 election."

Herenton, who hasn't run for office since 2010, when he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, told me he decided to run because he had an "unfinished agenda" — the details of which were "forthcoming."

"Fifty years later (since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death), I am 78 years old," Herenton said. "I was 28 years old when I was a protester. So my reaffirmation is to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s unfinished agenda. And I left with my own unfinished agenda."

On his new campaign website, the 78-year-old Herenton — who runs the Du Bois Charter School Consortium, which earlier this year closed two of six schools — says his goal is to "move Memphis toward the progressive city it is destined to be." Also:

"I am, and have always been, a man of the people, from the people, and for the people of Memphis. It is evident throughout my career in both education and public service; through my advocacy and actions; and in my relationships and daily communications. During these conversations with ordinary folks, citizens often share with me their concern about the direction of our city. In fact, many of these conversations include a request that I return to the ring – the ring of public service."

Steven Reid, Strickland's long-time political strategist, said Strickland will likely wait until after the Nov. 6 election before announcing whether he'll seek reelection.

But if Strickland runs, as expected, he'll have a long list of accomplishments to tout, including rebuilding the Memphis Police Department, reducing 911 call waits, doubling minority contracts, universal prekindergarten, and economic development gains.

"I guess he gets to run as the 'change' candidate again," Reid said of Strickland, referencing Herenton's 17 years in the office.

Also, polls from candidates in the recent Shelby County elections, and before, have never shown Strickland with an approval rating below 60 percent, Reid said.

"They're very, very high in the white community," he said of Strickland's approval ratings, "but they're even higher in the black community."

Celebrity sightings: Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman and musicians Mick Jagger and Jerry Lee Lewis were spotted yesterday in Memphis:

Did Aldo's cross a line? The Downtown Aldo's Pizza Pies had an, um, interesting tribute to 9/11 this week:

Perhaps the intentions were good. (Aldo's couldn't be reached immediately, but once I get them, I'll add their take here.) A quick survey of past daily slice themes shows that the ingredients don't always — but do, sometimes — reflect the theme.

Regardless, Aldo's is catching some flak for the slice on social media. I'm a fan of Aldo's, but it's tough to see how someone thought the theme was a tasteful idea. Remember 9/11 — but maybe don't name a slice of pizza after our worst terrorist attack.

Memphis' costly transportation utility fee: A proposed fee on MLGW bills could give the Memphis Area Transit Authority the dedicated funding stream it sorely needs. And better public transportation — which many people use to get to their workplaces — could spur more Memphis jobs and development, pushing down our poverty rate.

But the fee hasn't been cheap, as WMC Actions News 5's Joyce Peterson pointed out to me on Twitter yesterday:

The city needs to move forward soon — or stop dumping money down that hole.

Cohen opposes Memphis referenda: Congressman Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, came out strongly on Facebook yesterday against the three misleadingly worded referenda on the Nov. 6 ballot of Memphis voters:

As Cohen said, the first referendum repeals instant runoff voting (IRV) in single-district City Council races. Although voters approved instant runoffs 10 years ago, the method was never implemented — partly because of misunderstandings of how the process worked. Basically, voters pick their first, second and third choices, and then the Election Commission counts the ballots in multiple rounds, eliminating the candidates with the lowest votes and redistributing the ballots of their supporters. The big benefit of instant runoffs: voters wouldn't have to return to the polls for a runoff vote.

The second referendum allows Memphis council members and the mayor to see a third, four-year term. They're currently limited to two terms.

The third referendum repeals runoff elections altogether for single-district council races. So, instead of returning to the polls, the candidate with the most votes wins, similarly to the mayor's race. If the instant runoffs repeal fails, this referendum is moot.

The vote tally on Beale Street Bucks: As the Memphis City Council voted Tuesday to reinstate Beale Street Bucks — the $5 entry fee for the Beale Street Entertainment District — the audio went out, preventing me from hearing how council members voted.

So, here's the way the 7-4 vote went: Voting for Beale Street Bucks were council members Berlin Boyd, Ford Canale, Frank Colvett, Kemp Conrad, Reid Hedgepeth, Worth Morgan and Bill Morrison. Voting against were Joe Brown, Edmund Ford Jr., Patrice Robinson and Janis Fullilove. Martavius Jones and Jamita Swearengen were absent for the vote.

Blackburn leads in Fox poll: With 44 percent, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn leads by three points in the latest poll, from Fox News.

The poll also shows Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee, with the support of 55 percent, with a comfortable 20-point lead over Democratic opponent Karl Dean.

A takeaway from the poll, which has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error: 58 percent of polled voters approve of President Donald Trump's job. That's an encouraging sign for Blackburn, who has aligned herself more closely with Trump recently.

Speaking of Blackburn, did you see Bredesen's new Memphis-focused ad, which was reported in this column yesterday? Blackburn's people didn't get back to me in time for the column, but spokeswoman Abbi Sigler released this statement yesterday evening:

“Marsha appreciated the opportunity to represent Shelby County and West Tennessee in the U.S. House and looks forward to again having that opportunity. She has continued to work closely with St. Jude, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and The Med, Memphis Bio, the medical device industry and the agricultural industry to be of assistance to the Memphis area in developing a healthy and prosperous community. The Memphis region knows Marsha Blackburn is on their side, and she will continue to fight for them.”

Good reads:

The suspect in the Purple Haze shooting is in custody, Daniel Connolly reports.

shooting is in custody, Daniel Connolly reports. Here's the latest on the plans for the Memphis riverfront.

Happening today:

6 p.m.: A public meeting on the resurfacing of Ridgeway , south of Bill Morris Parkway, is at the Hickory Hill Community Center.

A public meeting on the , south of Bill Morris Parkway, is at the Hickory Hill Community Center. 6 p.m.: After his Republican opponent declined a Memphis debate, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen decided to instead have a "Memphis Maters Ideas Forum," which happens tonight at the McNeill Concert Hall at Rhodes College. Follow our Daniel Connolly on Twitter for updates from the event.

For more happenings, check out The CA's events page and its summer events roundup.

The Fadeout: Memphis' Me & Leah are just one of the great bands in the lineup for Saturday's Cooper-Young Festival. One of their recent music videos:

Reach Ryan Poe at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter at @ryanpoe.