Commissioner Mick Wright
It’s Election Day, and there’s an important countywide contest on the ballot.
More about that below, but first — if you did not vote early, please vote today.
Voting is 7am to 7pm. Find your polling place at https://tnmap.tn.gov/voterlookup/.
Tell a friend.
Summer has arrived, and with it warmer temperatures. But campaign season is also heating up. The presumptive U.S. Presidential nominees just held their first debate, and soon the national conventions will take place.
There’s plenty cooking in Shelby County, too. Early voting begins this month. The first day to cast your ballot is Friday, July 12. Don’t wait until November to vote. For more information about the August 1 election, visit electionsshelbytn.gov.
The Shelby GOP Lincoln Day Gala was held last week at the Memphis Hilton, where I enjoyed the safest seat in the room. My thanks to Chief Jeff Cox and the Bartlett Police Department leadership team for joining me. They drew heat recently from one of the dumbest advocacy groups on the planet. Needless to say, I back BPD.
If there’s one thing we’ve come to expect when it comes to Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert, it’s a long wait.
And here we are waiting again.
Last week, a circuit court judge ruled District Attorney General Coty Wamp of Hamilton County lacked standing in the case against Clerk Halbert. The judge dismissed the ouster petition Wamp had filed in May.
Wamp was appointed as special prosecutor on June 29, 2023.
As we reach the one year anniversary of that appointment this Saturday, we’re back to square one.
“The waiting is the hardest part.”
Tom Petty
Last year, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office partnered with county commissioners to reserve a portion of their budget for public safety initiatives in each district.
For District 3, this program covered the cost of emergency equipment needed in the event of severe weather episodes and resulting power outages, such as the storm that disrupted 120,000 MLGW customers one year ago.
The resolution I sponsored was approved back in October, but the equipment has just recently been delivered.
I’m thankful for everyone who came together to put this technology in place — Sheriff Bonner, the Board of Commissioners, Mayor Harris, Mayor Parsons, Chief Cox, Chief Gately, and the many members of their teams who made it happen. This will result in lives saved.
Just a quick programming note: I’ve fallen behind with the newsletter, which typically hits inboxes around the first of the month. But with so much happening, I don’t want to skip an issue. Hopefully, you’ll hear from me again next week.
It seems so long ago now, but it was only April 8 when we enjoyed the solar eclipse. Alison and I rented a cabin in Arkansas so we could fully experience the “path of totality.” It was worth the drive. It won’t happen again in the U.S. until 2044.