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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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No special election to replace departing City Council members

The Memphis City Council positions set to become vacant as a result of the Aug. 2 election will not be filled by a special election in November. Instead, interim members will be selected by the council, according to Shelby County Election Commission officials.

The August election, where a wide range of positions on the city, county and state level were up for grabs, left three city council seats vacant with the election of Councilwoman Janice Fullilove (Super District 8-2), to the position of Juvenile Court Clerk, Councilman Bill Morrison (Dist. 1) as Probate Court Clerk and District 6 Councilman Edmund Ford Jr. as the new District 9 representative on the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

Deputy City Attorney Jennifer Sink said the vacating council members would have had to submit letters of resignation by Aug. 22 to trigger a special election, which would have been held at the same time as the next election in November.

Linda Phillips, administrator of elections for the Shelby County Election Commission, said none of the council members resigned by that deadline.

“We do know none of them did it in time to trigger a special election to be included on the November 6 Federal and State General Election,” Phillips said in a written statement. “There will not be a November Special Election. It will be up to the City Council to select three interim members. Those positions will be on the next city election in October of 2020.”

Fullilove (last Friday) said she had not resigned her seat yet because she had been busy preparing for her new position as juvenile court clerk.

“I have so many things I have to do to try to get things done to get a feel for the office,” Fullilove said. “I am (resigning), and I’m trying to think when I’m going to do it.”

She said it will probably be sometime in November, since council members have 90 days to resign after the election. Fullilove said leaving the council is bittersweet for her.

“To leave the council does something to me, but I’m looking forward to doing the best I can do with the juvenile court clerk position,” Fullilove said.

Morrison said he also has not submitted his letter of resignation because of unfinished business he has on the council.

Ford had not returned telephone and e-mail messages by TSD press time.

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