Although successive Election Commission printouts were incomplete and therefore misleading — leading some to conclude, for example, that as many as four SHELBY COUNTY COMMISSION races would go to an unopposed candidate — there are a bountiful number of races on the May 4 countywide ballot.
Two commission candidates are, in fact, unopposed. Incumbent Republican Mike Ritz has no opposition in District 1, Position 1, and Democrat Walter Bailey, who was term-limited off the commission four years ago, will return to the commission in District 2, Position 1 with no opponent. Bailey’s once and future seat has been held for the past four years by J.W. Gibson, who is retiring
All other commission races will be contested, at least on primary day.
In District 1, Position 2, the seat being vacated by George Flinn, now a candidate for Congress in the 8th District, will be sought by Heidi Shafer, Flinn’s personal assistant, and Albert Maduska. All are Republicans.
Incumbent Republican commissioner Mike Carpenter will be opposed in the GOP primary by Joe Baier in District 1, Position 3.
Democratic incumbent Henri Brooks will have primary opposition in District 2, Position 2 from David Vinciarelli. Contestants for District 2, Position 3, an open seat, are Norma Lester, Reginald Milton, Melvin Burgess, Eric Dunn, and Freddie L. Thomas, all Democrats.
Incumbent Democrat James Harvey faces primary opposition from James Catchings in District 3, Position 1. Incumbent Sidney Chism is opposed by Andrew Rome Withers in the Democratic primary for District 3, Position 2, while incumbent Edith Moore and Justin Ford will vie in the Democratic primary for the District 3, Position 3 seat that both sought when Moore was awarded the appointment by the commission last month.
There are three contestants for the Republican nomination in commission District 4, Position 1, which is being vacated by a term-limited Joyce Avery. They are: Jim Bomprezzi, John Pelliciotti, and Chris Thomas.
There are three contestants as well for the GOP nomination in commission District 4, Position 2: incumbent Wyatt Bunker, Ron Fittes, and John Wilkerson. In commission District 4, Position 3, the three candidates, all Republicans, are George Chrism, Edgar Babian, and Terry Roland…
In commission District 5, there are two Democrats, incumbent Steve Mulroy and Jennings Bernard, and one Republican, Rolando Toyos.
The race for SHELBY COUNTY MAYOR boasts races in both party primaries. As expected, interim mayor Joe Ford and Shelby County commissioner Deidre Malone will fight it out on the Democratic side, and they will be joined by an unexpected last-minute filee, Otis Jackson, who currently serves as General Sessions Court clerk. Jackson can keep his clerk’s job, which isn’t up again for two more years.
In the Republican mayoral primary, Sheriff Mark Luttrell is opposed by perennial candidate Ernest Lunati, in what is expected to be a walkover for Luttrell.
Leo Awgowhat filed for mayor as an independent, as did Sandra Sullivan. Only Awgowhat had the requisite number of correct signatures, however.
The SHELBY COUNTY SHERIFF‘s race promises to be interesting on both sides of the party line. Democrats filing include Randy Wade, Reginald French, Bennie Cobb, Larry Hill, Elton Hymon, and James Bolden, but the candidacies of Hymon and Bolden are in jeopardy, as they failed to turn in completed Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) forms by the February 4 deadline.
Bolden, a former Memphis police director and director of Homeland Security locally, maintains that he passed POST certification while a member of the Memphis Police Department and that no POST deadline for the Sheriff’s race had been publicly posted.
The status of his candidacy and that of Hymon, also a former law enforcement officer, will be determined within the next week.
Republicans running for Sheriff are James Coleman, Dale Lane, Bill Oldham, and Bobby Simmons.
TRUSTEE candidates are: incumbent Regina Morrison Newman and M. LaTroy Williams, both Democrats, and Jeff Jacobs, David Lenoir, and John Willingham, all Republicans.
Candidates for SHELBY COUNTY CLERK are: Charlotte Draper, Corey Maclin, and Keith Miller (Democrats); and Wayne Mashburn and Steve Moore (Republicans).
Running for JUVENILE COURT CLERK are: Sylvester Bradley Jr., Charles R. Marshall, and Shep Wilbun (Democrats); Republican Joy Touliatos; and independent Julia Robinson Wiseman.
Candidates for CIRCUIT COURT CLERK are: Ricky W. Dixon, Carmichael Johnson, and Steve Webster, Democrats; and incumbent Jimmy Moore, Republican.
Seeking the office of CRIMINAL COURT CLERK are: Republicans Michael Porter and Kevin Key (the latter of whom is the son of outgoing clerk Bill Key); and Democrats Ralph White, Minerva Johnican, and Vernon Johnson. Independent Jerry Stamson also seeks the position.
PROBATE COURT CLERK candidates are: Democrats Sondra Becton, Peggy J. dobbins, Danny w. Kail, Clay Perry, Anita Sawyer-Hamilton, and Kevin Tyler; and Republican Paul Boyd.
Finally, candidates for REGISTER are: incumbent Tom Leatherwood, Republican; and Carlton W. Orange, Lady J. Swift, and Coleman Thompson, Democrats.
(Here, courtesy of the Daily Docket, is an easily readable link to the filings in grid form:
http://dailydocket.info/Petitions_Returned_-Pending_Certification-May_4,_2010-1.htm)
