While most eyes will be on the top of the ticket as Vice President Kamala Harris squares off against former President Donald Trump in an open contest for the White House, Memphis voters will be left to decide a series of ordinances – along with the political fates of several area office holders and hopefuls on the Tuesday, Nov. 5.
If approved, the first referendum on the ballot would ask voters to tweak mayoral races in the City of Memphis by applying a run-off provision in future races for office. A runoff provision is a second election that is held if no candidate yields the minimum number of votes to gain office.
Or, in the case of Memphis, a mandate. No candidate gained a majority of votes during the crowded 2023 mayoral race.
A runoff provision was eliminated by a federal judge in 1991, after the jurist found the provision hindered Black candidates’ runs for office. The abolished 1967 provision also applied to council members.
Another referendum question would authorize the salaries of the Mayor, the administration CAO, as well as appointed directors and deputy directors. It would also allow city council members to set their own salaries.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young currently makes $210,000 per year, after council members approved a 23 percent hike in 2023.
Council members pay tops out at just under $30,000 annually. In the late 1980’s, an ordinance matching council members compensation with their counterparts at the Shelby County Commission was approved.
Previously, the question of pay raises were left up to the voters. As a result, the council rate stalled at $6,000 annually for two decades.
A third referendum, meanwhile, would establish residency rules for mayoral races.
If passed, no candidate shall be eligible to run for the office unless a “bona fide” resident of Memphis for two years prior to the date of the election. The ballot question would also repeal any prior relevant qualifications for the office contained in the charter.
Currently, there are questions about whether a five-year residency requirement adopted by referendum is still on the books – or even constitutional – due to doubts from council attorney Allan Wade.
The residency issue came to a head after Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner announced his interest in running for Memphis Mayor during the last election. It was given further impetus after the longtime Bartlett resident purchased an East Memphis home in February. In the meantime, former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton also announced his candidacy. He has lived in Collierville since mid-2020.
While the preceding ordinances would alter local elections, a series of referendum questions surrounding gun control will also be on the ballot.
Question one of three would prohibit open carry, along with traveling, or storing a handgun in vehicle without a valid handgun permit. It would also make it unlawful to store firearms or ammunition in a vehicle unless “kept from ordinary observation” while properly stored.
The second question declares that “proliferation of assault weapons” poses a health and safety threat to all citizens of the city. Memphis isn’t alone. Gun-related homicides are considered to be one of the leading causes of death for youths nationwide.
Along with the message to state lawmakers, the question seeks to prohibit the open carry, or concealment of assault rifles within the city limits. Persons with valid handgun permits would be allowed to carry the weapons on their property, or to a rifle range.
The third question would allow a court to provide protections to people believed to be under threat from a gun owner, or to protect the life of the gun owner, if they are a threat to their self.
In addition to seizing the weapon, background checks would be ordered to identify those prohibited from owning firearms.
The ordinance also outlaws providing a weapon to a respondent, as well as including protections against false claims.
Nevertheless, any provisions contained in the ordinances aimed towards gun control run counter current Tennessee state law.
Gun control is also a top issue for a pair of area candidates up for re-election to the Tennessee State House of Representatives, including its longest serving member.
Rep. G.A. Hardaway squares of against Republican Renarda Renee Clariett in the District 93 race. During his primary race, Hardaway netted 2,209 votes to cruise to a lopsided win, while Clariett pulled in 375 votes in the majority-Democrat district. Hardaway, a real estate investor, first took office in 2007.
He is joined on the ballot by fellow incumbent Justin J. Pearson. The District 86 representative rose to national prominence after he and fellow State Rep. Justin Jones, District 52, were expelled from the conference in April 2023 for joining protests against gun violence at the capitol rotunda in Nashville.
Pearson was quickly reinstated by the Shelby County Commissioners. A convincing special election victory over Independent Jeff Johnston – with a 2,439 to 157 vote margin – occurred later that August. Pearson, a community organizer, will face Johnston once again.
Another proponent of local gun control is Republican Rep. John Gillespie, who faces Democratic nominee Jesse Huseth for the District 97 seat. Gillespie is a supporter of the local gun control ordinances under consideration. He also abstained from voting during Pearson’s removal hearing.
Another race to watch features incumbent Republican Rep. Mark White against Overton High School teacher and community organizer Noah Nordstrom. It is the 26-year-old educator’s first run for office.
The ballot also features several races with candidates running unopposed. These include state house seats all the way down to seats for the Memphis-Shelby County School Board.
