Of the Democratic Party candidates angling for Shelby County clerk in 2026, La Sonya Hall is probably the least in need of formal introductions if elected next November.
The current Shelby County deputy chief administrative officer, who holds a Ph.D., has been appointed to numerous government posts — both with the county and City of Memphis government — over her 25-year career as a civil servant.
“I’ve worked in government my entire life,” said Hall. “I’ve worked for four administrations. Three city mayors and one now county mayor.”
Under each executive, Hall has been tasked with “some of the most complex and challenging systems.” These include the transfer of grant programs from the city to the county while serving as interim director of the Shelby County Health Department.
“I was able to manage that entire portfolio and get it to a clean audit. I worked with the commissioner of workforce development and managed to get that as clear as we possibly could, with state approvers finding no problems with our audit,” said Hall.
The interim stint included managing the county’s COVID vaccination sites. Hall personally stood up and directed the Whitehaven vaccination site.
Now, the recurring appointee has declared the Shelby County Clerk’s Office as her next “turnaround” project. Hall pulled a petition Monday for her first run for office. If elected, she will inherit a troubled agency. Under the direction of current Clerk Wanda Halbert, the past eight years have been marked by episodes of dysfunction and disarray.
The trouble began with a backlog of license plates and vehicle tag renewals during the COVID pandemic. The slowdown was followed by faulty financial reports submitted to the county treasurer. The latter resulted in a state-ordered financial audit, which produced an action plan to correct the office’s financial ledger.
More recently, Halbert ordered offices closed after the Memphis Safe Task Force was announced in late September. The deployment of state and federal authorities to Memphis at the request of Gov. Bill Lee caused a rush by motorists trying to renew lapsed tags or get new registrations. A dispute of rental payments for the Millington branch bookends Halbert’s tenure.
According to Hall, she’s a natural fit to lead the ailing department. The clerk’s office performs a series of well-defined functions. In addition to issuing new plates and registrations, the office’s unglamorous duties include providing business and marriage licenses.
“The county clerk, unlike any of the other offices, is a transactional office and I want to run it like a business,” said Hall. “I want to run it with a business mindset in that these are taxpayer dollars that have to be reported, have to be reconciled and audited.”
Moreover, its customers account for the second-largest chunk of annual revenue for the county. During some months, the fees collected are the county’s main revenue source.
“It is purely transactional. It’s multifaceted from the standpoint of addressing both citizens and business owners,” said Hall. “One of the biggest challenges I see currently with the clerk’s office is just operational breakdowns. You’ve got long waits, inconsistent processing and then outdated systems.”
Jawboning Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris’ successor into investing in updated technology would likely be one of Hall’s first endeavors as clerk. Many computers use outdated operating systems. The antiquated technology not only slows down operations, it also presents an ongoing security risk.
When it comes to human error, Hall believes she has the bases covered.
“I’ve also trained across the state’s elected officials that include county clerks on customer service delivery.”
According to Hall, “a lack of customer service” is a common complaint among citizens. She believes more could be done, particularly for senior citizens, the disabled and veterans.
“I have stopped and actually observed how we operate the county clerk’s office. Senior citizens with walkers are standing in line. I know there are ways we can process senior citizens by making sure there are prioritizations,” said Hall.
One solution to get lines moving is offering designated areas to provide services to the demographics. Data could also be pored over in search of optimal times for appointments.
“We can use technology also to make sure that we don’t have wait times. You can have specialized appointments. We can use data to inform us as to how many senior citizens we have. Designate particular times when senior citizens can come in and our veterans can come in as well,” said Hall.
However, one quick solution Hall promises never to employ when lines grow too long is to close up shop for the day.
“We are going to be open as our hours dictate. I promise not to ever close — not for something like that. We want to make sure that people know we will provide them with top-notch service every day.”
