Early voting for the Oct. 3 Municipal Elections begins Sept. 13, with Sept. 3 the last day to register to get in on the ballot cycle.
Last week, The Shelby County Election confirmed the contenders qualified to run. Eleven candidates are vying for mayor, with 53 looking to fill the 13 open city council seats. Nine candidates are competing for court clerk and five for the three municipal judge positions.
Candidates were required to file petitions by July 18, with a withdrawal deadline set a week later. Now that those deadlines have come and gone, here’s the list of candidates facing off this upcoming election.
Mayor
The three well-known candidates in the race, incumbent Mayor Jim Strickland, Commissioner Tami Sawyer, and former city mayor Willie Herenton, are joined by a mix of candidates ranging from activists to business owners.
Mayor Jim Strickland has the most financially adept campaign with approximately one million dollars in his war chest, while Sawyer and Herenton reported about 80,000 dollars each during the last campaign financial reporting deadline. Despite the monetary disparity, Herenton was recently endorsed by AFSCME Local 1733 and has support from the Memphis Police Association. In June, Saywer was voted the People’s Choice candidate by the Peoples Convention.
Mayoral candidates:
- Leo AwGoWhat
- Terrence T. B Boyce
- Steven Bradley
- Willie Herenton
- Robert (Prince Mongo) Hodges
- DeAngelo Pegues
- Tami Sawyer
- Jim Strickland (Incumbent)
- David Walker
- Sharon A. Webb
- Lemichael D. Wilson
City Council
There are 53 candidates running for the 13 city council seats available, with six council seats drawing two or more candidates each. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, runoffs will take place. District 7 seats drew the most candidates with nine facing off in October. Additionally, there are nine incumbents running for re-election.
- District 1:
- Dawn Bonner
- Sherman D. Greer (Appointed after Bill Morrison resigned earlier this year)
- Rhonda Logan
- District 2:
- Frank Colvett, Jr. (Incumbent)
- John Emery
- Marvin White
- District 3:
- Tanyal L. Cooper
- Patrice Jordan Robinson (Incumbent)
- District 4:
- Jamita Swearengen (Incumbent)
- Britney Thornton
- District 5:
- John R. Marck
- Worth Morgan (Incumbent)
- District 6:
- Perry Bond
- Theryn C. Bond
- Paul S Brown
- Davin D. Clemons
- Edmund H. Ford
- J. Jaques Hamilton
- District 7:
- Berlin F. Boyd (Incumbent)
- Michalyn C. S Easter-Thomas
- Toni Green-Cole
- Jimmy Hassann
- Jerred Price
- Will “The Underdog” Richardson
- Catrina L. Smith
- Thurston Smith
- Larry Springfield
- Super District 8- Position 1:
- M. Latroy Alexandria-Williams
- Nicole Cleaborn
- Gerrie Currie (Appointed after Edmund Ford Jr. resigned earlier this year.)
- Darrick Dee Harris
- JB Smiley Jr.
- Pearl “Eva” Walker
- Super District 8- Position 2:
- Marinda Alexandria-Williams
- Cheyenne Johnson (Appointed after Janis Fullilove resigned earlier this year.)
- Frank William Johnson
- Craig Littles
- Brian L. Saulsberry
- Super District 8-Position 3:
- Cat Allen
- R.S. Ford Sr.
- Martavius D. Jones (Incumbent)
- Gerald Kiner
- Pam Lee
- Lynnette P. Williams
- Super District 9-Position 1:
- Chase Carlisle
- Erika Sugarmon
- Super District 9-Position 2:
- Mauricio Calvo
- J. Ford Canale (Appointed in 2018 following the resignation of Philip Spinosa Jr.)
- Deanille Jones
- Super District 9-Position 3:
- Charley Burch
- Cody Fletcher
- Tyrone Romeo Franklin
- Jeff Warren
Court Clerk
The Court Clerk race features some well-known candidates, including former council members and a local Democratic activist.
Court Clerk Candidates:
- Joe Brown
- Delicia DeGraffreed
- De Givens
- Carl A. Irons II
- Myron Lowery
- Lea Ester Redmond
- William Stovall
- George “Dempsy” Summers
- David W. Vinciarelli
Municipal Judge
There are three positions on the ballot for municipal judge, and two races for the open municipal judge positions. Incumbent Tarik Sugarmon is running unopposed.
Division 1:
- LaTrena Davis-Ingram
- Teresa D. Jones (Appointed earlier this year following the retirement of Earnestine Hunt Dorse.)
Division 2:
- Tarik B. Sugarmon (Incumbent)
Division 3:
- Jayne Chandler (Incumbent)
- David L. Pool
