Categories
At Large Opinion

License to Ill

Someone I’m close to inadvertently let their Tennessee vehicle tags expire. Since I have more time on my hands to deal with such situations these days, I decided to help out by tackling the project of getting them one of those snazzy new blue license plates. I didn’t expect to have much trouble, even given the recently well-publicized problems of Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert’s bureaucracy. My optimism was based solely on the fact that in early August I ordered a new plate online and it arrived within a week. Maybe, I told my friend, things are improving. Ha. Ha. Polly? Meet Anna.

Let me review the situation for those of you who haven’t been paying attention — and that includes all of you grossly uninformed Shelby Countians who just voted to reelect Halbert despite well-publicized reports on her many problems in executing the duties of her office. To enumerate: There’s an enormous backlog of ordered license plates that has resulted in thousands of people being at risk for being pulled over for expired tags; the local Auto Dealers Association has complained (and complained) that they aren’t getting temporary (or new) plates for their vehicles; the state comptroller has criticized Halbert’s performance, which opened the possibility of a state takeover; Halbert announced that the clerk’s office would close for two (non-consecutive) weeks to “catch up”; and finally the state comptroller confirmed that in the midst of all this chaos and public uproar, Halbert decided it was a perfect time to take a vacation trip to Jamaica.

Still, since I’d had no issues getting my own plate and tags, I was hopeful I could handle all of this online and be done with it. So I went to the county clerk website and typed in my friend’s address and the plate number. Oops. “No such plate number exists,” it said. What? After a little reading, I figured out the issue. The person in question had allowed their tags to expire more than 90 days ago, meaning I had to “contact the county clerk’s office.” Ugh.

So I called. The voicemail, which helpfully let me know that Wanda Halbert is the county clerk a couple of times, explained that “wait times may be longer than usual” and suggested that I write an email to explain the situation. Dutifully, I shot off an email explaining the situation, giving the address and vehicle license number, and hoped for the best, even though It felt a bit like tossing a sacrificial pineapple into an erupting volcano. Then, in the interest of science (and maybe getting a column out of it), I decided to try to get through by telephone. What’s the worst that could happen? At 9:17 a.m., I plugged my phone into a charger, put it on speaker, and dialed back into Wanda World.

I got the opening voicemail, clicked through to make a call, then soothing music began, kind of like what you’d hear if Kenny G played guitar through a Jell-O tube amp. (What, no reggae?) Anyway, every 30 seconds I heard: “Your call is very important to us and will be answered in the order it was received. Please continue to hold.” After the voicemail recording told me this 290 times, I heard a click and someone answered. THANK JESUS, a human! I explained the situation to the person on the phone and she said the issue could not be resolved without the license holder coming into the county clerk’s office in person.

“How long is the wait for people when they come into the office?” I asked.

“Sir, I’m at a call center,” the person responded. “I have no idea.”

A call center. Perfect.

I decided to drive to the county clerk satellite office at Poplar Plaza. The line to get into the office snaked around the corner, maybe 100 people deep.

Friends, Shelby Countians deserve better. Halbert needs to own this, but she won’t. Her response to all of these issues has been that it’s someone else’s fault. She claimed any criticism of her ill-timed vacation is a “personal attack.” No, it is not, Ms. Halbert. You don’t leave your troops — or your constituency — in the middle of a crisis. You were elected to do a job and you’ve failed. All of this is on your plate.

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Priorities of the Memphis Business Community

Each year the Greater Memphis Chamber sets out the Metro Advocacy Agenda, a list of positions and priorities from local business leaders and stakeholders.

This year’s agenda seeks to clean up the disorganized Shelby County Clerk’s Office (for more than just delays in license plates); expand the hiring of ex-offenders; improve relationships with Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW); clean up the city; organize leadership on transportation planning; and more. Here are some details from this year’s Metro Advocacy Agenda.

Shelby County Clerk’s Office

Ongoing news reports during the spring and summer of 2022 have focused on delays and historic backlogs in the Shelby County Court Clerk’s Office with respect to the issuance of vehicle tags and licenses. These reports have highlighted the months-long delays in mailing out tags and licenses to clients who have already paid for the service. Car dealers have been especially impacted, given how temporary car tags issued with newly-purchased vehicles are not being replaced by new car tags sent to them from the county clerk’s office.

Additionally, clients waiting for hours to be served at the Downtown and satellite offices for the county clerk, many times in scorching summer heat, has been especially concerning when considering how strategies to assign appointment times, extend business hours, and leverage simple technology were not instituted to avoid months of excessive wait times.

With the high-profile attention on the challenges receiving car tags, interviews conducted in preparing the Metro Advocacy Agenda also revealed other problems in the processes and function of the Shelby County Clerk’s office. These items include:

• Substantial delays in the issuance of business licenses

• No updates in system with respect to business transfers

• Inactivity of the Shelby County Alcohol Commission resulting in businesses not being able to obtain alcohol licenses or to clear alcohol-related violations

• Backlog of refunds for overpayment

In an extraordinary move following the August 2022 Shelby County general election, in which the incumbent county clerk was reelected, the Shelby County Commission voted to officially request the intervention of the state of Tennessee into the operations of the Shelby County Clerk’s Office. This action punctuated previous requests for state intervention from the Greater Memphis Automobile Dealers Association and other concerned officials from West Tennessee.

On-ramps for ex-offenders

Ex-offenders (individuals who have been previously convicted of a crime) have traditionally been difficult to place in employment due to policies, liabilities, and [human resources] practices governing many businesses.

What has become apparent in recent years is that the perception of ex-offenders as a un-hirable undercuts a valuable opportunity to employ certain members of this population. As industries and businesses of every size have struggled mightily with securing dependable, qualified employees during the Covid-19 pandemic, the training and hiring of select groups of ex-offenders has resurfaced as a viable workforce strategy for certain organizations.

To this end, interested businesses could benefit from programs that help to train and prepare ex-offenders who meet certain criteria for job opportunities. Such programs, with eligibility requirements and training shaped by employers, are fitting on-ramps for businesses seeking to shore up their workforce.

MLGW

A recurring theme for a number of businesses and industry sectors has been the communication, inconsistency, and delays they have faced in having operational issues and challenges addressed and tracked by MLGW.

In response to concerns from investors, MLGW president J.T. Young suggested the formation of the MLGW Business Advisory Council to bring business and industry leaders together with key members of MLGW’s staff to discuss systemic issues and potential remedies.

After a number of delays due to weather events and efforts to ensure overall diversity of the council, an inaugural meeting for the MLGW Business Advisory Council will convene in September 2022.

Cleanup

In addition to an overall communitywide commitment to regaining our status as the Cleanest City in America, code enforcement, cleanup, landscaping, and overall beautification projects should be prioritized along major thoroughfares and around significant landmarks and tourist destinations in support of economic development.

Visit the Chamber’s website for the full list and more details.

Categories
News News Blog News Feature

With Clerk’s Offices Closed to “Clean Up the Mess,” Wanda Halbert Goes to Jamaica

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is in Jamaica this week, her offices are closed to catch up on the controversial backlog of license plate requests from citizens, and the Tennessee Comptroller is having none of it

Halbert has been under fire for weeks as requests for Tennessee’s new plates have gone unfulfilled and lines stretch down the sidewalks at her offices. Halbert has given numerous excuses for the backlog, winning her a vote of no confidence by the Shelby County Commission. 

However, she was re-elected in August and vowed to clear the backlog. To get there, she made the move to close her offices for two separate weeks. That move was called “unusual” by Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower recently. 

On the first day of the closure, Mumpower’s office confirmed that Halbert was out of the country, in Jamaica, while her staffers were left to “clean up the mess.” 

Here’s the statement Mumpower’s office tweeted this afternoon:       

“The Comptroller’s office has confirmed that Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is currently out of the country in Jamaica.

“This comes as the Shelby County Clerk’s Office has closed its offices this week to “catch up” on a backlog of work. 

“The clerk’s trip shows a lack of leadership and concern for her staff who are left to address the backlog without her presence in the office. It also shows a lack of respect for the citizens of Shelby County who are forgoing many of the clerk’s services this week in hopes that she is addressing her office’s deficiencies during the closure.” 

“The clerk’s decision to travel to Jamaica this week shows that her apologies were meaningless,” said Comptroller Jason Mumpower. “Her decision to take a trip damages her credibility and shows a complete lack of awareness. The clerk is [absent without leave] while her staff is left behind trying to clean up the mess.” 

Categories
Memphis Gaydar News

Shelby County Clerk’s Office Is Issuing Marriage Licenses for Same-Sex Couples

Bradley and Chris Brower

The Shelby County Clerk’s Office began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples right after the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in favor of legal gay marriage in all 50 states.

Memphians Bradley and Chris Brower, who held a wedding ceremony in Memphis on June 13th,  were issued the first marriage license in Shelby County at around 11:30 a.m. The couple will be granting an interview to the Flyer later this afternoon.