Shelby County Commissioners may not have much to say at their Monday, May 20, meeting about a critical decision to come on funding for the new consolidated school system.

That’s more likely to happen at a Wednesday committee session, where they will review the $1.18 billion budget proposal formally for the first time since it was approved Thursday by the countywide school board.

2. Commission Evades Gun Control Fray - Wednesday, May 08, 2013

From time to time, Shelby County Commissioners hear the siren political call of national issues and movements.

The stronger the lure for some on a commission with deep partisan divisions, the more likely the outcome will be anything but unanimous.

3. Commission Receives Schools Financials - Monday, May 06, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners formally get the financials of Shelby County’s two public school systems Monday, May 6, in an action that is not expected to generate much debate.

But the financial statements for the fiscal year that ended June 30 is another step along the path toward the formal merger of both school systems effective at the end of the current fiscal year.

4. School Board Expansion Advanced - Thursday, March 14, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners advanced in Wednesday, March 13, committee sessions a general plan to restructure the countywide school board.

But the plan to turn the 23-member board into a 13-member board on Sept. 1, instead of the seven-member board it is now scheduled to become on that date, is far from complete. And lots of legal questions remain about the details.

5. Funding From Suburbs Suggested - Monday, March 04, 2013

Countywide school board members are not the only players in the schools merger feeling pressure, although they may be feeling more pressure than others.

Shelby County Commissioners whose districts include suburban towns and cities have also been hearing a lot from parents in the suburbs who not too long ago had made peace with the idea that they would be part of the consolidated school district for at least the first school year.

6. Commission’s Schools Debate Has Political Crossover - Wednesday, February 27, 2013

When U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays summoned attorneys from all sides in the schools merger case to his conference room Monday, Feb. 25, there was someone else in the room.

7. Several Paths for School Funding Possible - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The most important number at a weekend Shelby County Commission budget retreat was not the $145 million in new funding the countywide school board has asked for.

It was a percentage – the projection by Shelby County Assessor Cheyenne Johnson that the 2013 property reappraisal by her office will likely reflect a 4.63 percent loss of value on property for taxation purposes.

8. School Board Meets as Budget Debate Grows - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Countywide school board members meet Tuesday, Feb. 12, in special session to send a still-forming budget for the first fiscal year of the consolidated school system to the Shelby County Commission.

9. Commission to Vote on Teacher Residency - Monday, February 11, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners agree on an issue having to do with the coming merger of schools in Shelby County.

At least nine of the 13 commissioners favor giving Memphis City Schools teachers and other system staff who live outside Shelby County five years to move within the county and keep their jobs with the new consolidated school system that takes effect July 1.

10. Commission Debates Post-Hostess Bread Prices - Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners approved a $251,958 contract with a Batesville, Ark., bakery that at least for now has a perceived monopoly on baking and distributing large amounts of bread in the region.

11. Commission to Disband Schools Capital Needs Group - Monday, January 28, 2013

Shelby County Commissioners vote Monday, Jan. 28, on disbanding the nearly 10-year-old Needs Assessment Committee that advised the commission on funding school construction and renovation projects across both public school systems.

12. Wage Theft Ordinance Causes Concern - Monday, December 17, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners take what is expected to be their next-to-last vote Monday, Dec. 17, on a “wage theft” ordinance that will probably be amended as it faces organized resistance from the local restaurant and hospitality industries.

13. Commission to Vote on Industrial Land Sale - Monday, December 03, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners take up the proposed sale Monday, Dec. 3, of 33.6 acres of land in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park in southwest Memphis.

Carolyn Hardy, owner of the Hardy Bottling Co. and consultant to the Blues City Brewery operation that later bought the plant, wants to buy the last available roadside acreage in the industrial park for a business to store and stage modular containers.

14. Shelby County Redistricting Process to Formally End - Monday, October 08, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners will vote Monday, Oct. 8, on putting a formal end to the redistricting process, 10 months after the new district lines were due.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

15. City Could Back Countywide Sales Tax Hike - Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Shelby County Commission chairman Mike Ritz has been talking with some city of Memphis leaders about their opposition to the countywide sales tax hike he proposed for the Nov. 6 ballot.

The talks involve those city leaders supporting the countywide sales tax hike that pre-empted plans from City Hall for a citywide half-percent sales tax hike. The citywide sales tax hike would have been used to roll back the city’s property tax rate.

16. Funding for Greenline Extension Narrowly Passes - Wednesday, August 15, 2012

An extension of the Shelby Farms Greenline from Farm Road east across Germantown Parkway to the old Cordova train depot along the old CSX rail corridor is on track.

But this week’s Shelby County Commission vote accepting the $3.3 million state transportation grant that will fund most of the $4.4 million project was close with no votes to spare.

17. House Owned by Steve Jobs At Center of Merger Discussions - Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Some of the veil surrounding the 2009 liver transplant in Memphis on the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs lifted this week as the Shelby County Commission debated whether it should lend its collective voice to a possible merger of the transplant center that worked on Jobs and Tennessee Donor Services.

18. Copter Drones Dominate Commission Debate - Wednesday, May 09, 2012

A plan by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to buy two miniature helicopter drones hit some political turbulence Monday, May 7, among Shelby County Commissioners concerned about privacy issues.

“The potential for abuse is great,” said Commissioner Brent Taylor. “They could peer into our private spaces without a warrant.”

19. Commission’s Redistrict Debate Moves to Chancery - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

It is now up to a court to decide on a new set of district lines for the Shelby County Commission.

And Chancellor Arnold Goldin is not being asked to approve a simple tweaking of district boundaries that will essentially keep the commission as it is.

20. Commission Redistricting Moves to Final Vote - Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Shelby County Commission’s overtime deliberations on redistricting have pulled in elements of other political issues.

There was a move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman and scramble the commission’s already tentative party line divisions. There was the suburban versus urban dynamic and even an intra-party dispute among Republicans on the commission.

21. Commission Has 9 Votes For Single Member District Shift - Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners had nine votes Monday, Feb. 20, to pass a redistricting plan that would change the 13-member five-district body into a body of 13 single-member districts.

The ordinance’s passage on the second of three readings saw four commissioners change their previous votes.

22. County Commission - Luttrell Clash on Urgency of School Transfer Rules - Monday, February 13, 2012

Shelby County Commissioners approved Friday, Feb. 10, a resolution authorizing Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to negotiate with the countywide school board on the terms of a transfer of school buildings in the event suburban municipal school districts are formed.

23. Commission Looks at Power Realignment - Friday, January 20, 2012

For three months, a split among the six Republicans on the 13-member Shelby County Commission has been more evident than the split among the seven Democratic commissioners.

As the commission started over this week on the redistricting process that highlighted the Republican rift, however, the split has evolved into a realignment of political power on the body.

24. Commission Strife Deepens with Censure, Ouster Moves - Thursday, January 19, 2012

A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.

25. Commission Strife Deepens with Censure, Ouster Moves - Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A deadlock among Shelby County Commission members on a redistricting plan moved into uncharted and roiling political waters Wednesday, Jan. 18, with a censure resolution and a possible move to oust Sidney Chism as chairman of the body.

26. Commission Stuck in Neutral on Redistricting - Wednesday, January 11, 2012

There isn’t a lot of optimism that a fresh start on redistricting by the Shelby County Commission will give any plan the nine votes needed to win final approval or produce a new plan.

But the way forward with the old set of plans was an ordinance that had been amended so many times, there were some healthy differences of opinion about exactly what the commission was deadlocked over.

27. County Redistricting Goes to Court - Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Three Shelby County commissioners – one Democrat and two Republicans – filed suit against the full commission Tuesday, Jan. 3, over the body's stalled deliberations on a redistricting plan.

28. District Lines on Tap for Commission - Monday, December 19, 2011

Five days is a long time in politics. That’s the gap between the Monday, Dec. 19, meeting of the Shelby County Commission and the special meeting of the commission last Wednesday.

At the special meeting, commissioners again floated a new redistricting plan that would keep the 13-member body at five districts covering all of Shelby County.

29. Commissioners Fail to Approve Redistricting Plan - Thursday, December 15, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, Dec. 19, to give final approval to a new set of district lines for the 13-member body.

At a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, a new set of district lines that would keep but tweak the current five-district setup won approval on the second of three readings. But it did not appear to have the two-thirds majority – or nine votes – needed to pass next week.

30. Commissioners Fail to Approve Redistricting Plan - Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners will try again Monday, Dec. 19, to give final approval to a new set of district lines for the 13-member body.

At a special meeting Wednesday, Dec. 14, a new set of district lines that would keep but tweak the current five-district setup won approval on the second of three readings. But it did not appear to have the two-thirds majority – or nine votes – needed to pass next week.

31. County Commission Still Weighing New Districts - Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Shelby County commissioners appeared on their way to setting a new group of district lines by Christmas that would create two more districts but keep the body at 13 members. That changed at the commission’s Monday, Dec. 5, meeting.

32. Commission Approves Flat Bonus, Moves Toward Redistricting End Game - Tuesday, December 06, 2011
Shelby County Commissioners approved a flat $650 bonus per county employee Monday, Dec. 5, after a lengthy debate about what to do with $2.5 million of an $8.7 million surplus from the fiscal year that ended June 30.

33. Luttrell Proposes Employee Bonuses - Monday, December 05, 2011

A one-time pay bonus for county employees the same year that jobs were cut in county government tops the Monday, Dec. 5, agenda of the Shelby County Commission.

The commission meets at 1:30 p.m. at the Vasco Smith County Administration Building, 160 N. Main St.

34. Schools Q&A Points to New Merger Issues - Monday, September 12, 2011

With a schools consolidation planning commission and a new countywide school board set to convene next month, some of the very specific issues of the merger are creating their own political gravity.

35. Interviews Next Step in Board Selection - Wednesday, August 31, 2011

In a week, Shelby County Commissioners expect a long day when they interview contenders for the seven appointments they are to make to the new countywide school board.

The commission’s general government committee will interview the applicants Sept. 7, the day after the deadline for citizens to fill out a questionnaire and agree to undergo a criminal background check.

36. CCRFC Approves Bonds for Pyramid, Convention Ctr. - Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Center City Revenue Finance Corp. has approved the bond financing that should make it possible to begin construction Oct. 1 on the adaptive reuse of The Pyramid.

37. Chism, Bunker Elected Commission Leaders - Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Sidney Chism got his second term as chairman of the Shelby County Commission this week. And he did it with relative ease on the first ballot at the Monday, July 11, commission session.

38. County Commission to Select Leaders - Monday, July 11, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners settle the simmering political question of who will lead the 13-member body for another year at their Monday, July 11, meeting.

On Monday’s agenda is the election of a chairman and a chairman pro tempore for the year-long term that begins Sept. 1.

39. Shelby County Launches Discount Rx Program - Thursday, July 07, 2011

Shelby County residents are now eligible to receive discounts on certain health screenings and more than 60,000 prescription drugs, thanks to a newly launched county government program.

The Shelby County government has partnered with Financial Marketing Concepts, a Florida-based supplemental benefits company, to offer Coast2Coast Rx cards that can save residents up to 45 percent on prescription drugs.

40. Commission Delays County Budget Vote - Wednesday, June 08, 2011

The Shelby County Commission will probably stay within the parameters of the budget compromise outlined by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s administration several weeks ago.

41. County Commission Tightens Attorney-Client Rules - Wednesday, April 06, 2011

The Shelby County Commission could keep legal documents out of the hands of some of its own members if they talk to the public about what happens in closed attorney-client meetings.

The commission passed the resolution Monday establishing that and other sanctions including censure that would have to be enacted with a majority vote.

42. Commission Rejects Paid Leave Restrictions - Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Shelby County commissioners were short of the votes Monday to specifically prohibit county employees from getting paid leave for Christmas shopping days or in exchange for donating blood and other charity work.

43. County Commission Set to Weigh in on Schools Issue - Monday, February 14, 2011

Shelby County commissioners are certain to mirror some of last week’s debate in the Tennessee Legislature Monday when they take up an ordinance and a bundle of resolutions all dealing with the schools consolidation issue.

44. Luttrell: Amendment Rumors in Schools Standoff - Thursday, February 10, 2011

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell says there might be some attempt to amend the schools consolidation bill up for a vote Thursday in Nashville.

45. New Members Appointed to MED Board - Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Three new board members were recently appointed to the board of the Shelby County Health Care Corp. by Mayor Mark Luttrell.

46. Schools Standoff Shows Up in Cyberspace - Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The legal opinions on the terms for voting on a consolidated school system are beginning to pile up.

But there are other signs of life away from the law books and centers of government that so far have defined the standoff between Shelby County’s two public school systems.

47. IT Veto Override Might Not Be Last in County - Friday, January 07, 2011

The Shelby County Commission’s decision to override a rare veto by County Mayor Mark Luttrell may not be the last time the mayor and the commission are likely to clash.

48. Eye on Efficiency - Tuesday, January 04, 2011

“Faster, higher, stronger,” is the motto linked to the Olympic Games that inspires athletes from around the world.

Someone could use a similar phrase to describe Memphis and Shelby County governments as they navigate the tricky obstacle course of providing public services, paying obligations and promoting economic development.

49. County Commission Overrides Luttrell IT Veto - Monday, January 03, 2011

Shelby County Commissioners voted Friday to override a veto by County Mayor Mark Luttrell of the ground rules for a new more centralized information technology (IT) system for county government.

50. On the Mend - Monday, December 20, 2010

It’s said that you don’t choose The MED – you wake up in The MED.

Insured patients with other options haven’t historically selected for their health care needs The Regional Medical Center at Memphis, the area’s safety net facility that also is home to a top-notch burn unit and the area’s only Level 1 trauma center in a five-state region.

51. Commission Set for IT Talk Drama - Monday, December 06, 2010

Vetoes by a Memphis mayor are rare. They are even rarer by a Shelby County mayor because of the strength of the Shelby County Commission in the county charter.

The one last Thursday by county mayor Mark Luttrell comes three months after Luttrell took office in county elections that saw Republican candidates, including him, sweep every countywide office on the August ballot.

52. Luttrell Considers Veto of County IT Plan - Friday, December 03, 2010

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is weighing a veto of his administration’s plan to consolidate Shelby County government’s information technology operations to include other countywide elected officials.

53. Commission Approves Optional IT Centralization - Friday, November 26, 2010

It could be called a virtual piece of political turf.

This week the Shelby County Commission found more than enough political considerations in the question of who should control county government’s information technology.

54. Commission Approves Optional IT Centralization - Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Shelby County Commissioners approved the framework for a voluntary consolidated information technology (IT) system in county government. But the commission also voted down creating the position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) to oversee the more coordinated system.

55. Commission Considers IT Consolidation, New Position - Monday, November 22, 2010

Shelby County commissioners take up the issue of consolidation once again at Monday’s meeting of the body.

It’s not consolidation of city and county governments, though. Voters dealt with that on the Nov. 2 ballot.

56. Commission Delays Major IDB Changes - Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Companies getting tax breaks from the Memphis-Shelby County Industrial Development Board (IDB) will make an annual report to the IDB instead of quarterly reports.

The change was approved this week by the Shelby County Commission with little discussion.

57. MED Eyes Dallas Hospital as Example - Friday, October 29, 2010

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell said Thursday his top priority is appointing a board for The MED that will help the publicly owned hospital build a stronger foundation.

58. Commission Debates Charter Stand, Approves Terms For New Morgue - Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Shelby County Commissioners talked Monday about consolidation, education funding and minority business contracts during a session that also included a debate about building a new morgue.

A resolution approving the agreements between Shelby County and the state for the construction of a new Regional Forensic Center passed on an 11-0 vote. Commissioner Heidi Shafer abstained and Commissioner Justin Ford, who is a funeral director, recused himself from the vote.

59. MSARC Move Up for New Commissioners - Monday, September 13, 2010

Shelby County Commissioners elected in the Aug. 5 elections hold their first meeting Monday of their four-year term of office.

Topping the agenda is confirmation of six top officials and division directors of County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s administration as well as a resolution to move control of the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center (MSARC) from the health department to the county division of Community Services.

60. Ford Wins Democratic Mayoral Primary - Wednesday, May 05, 2010
 

Interim County Mayor Joe Ford became the Democratic nominee for mayor in the August county general elections Tuesday night.

And the August sheriff’s race will be a contest between Democrat Randy Wade and Republican Randy Wade.

All three were among the winners in Tuesday’s low turnout county primaries.

Approximately ten percent of Shelby County’s nearly 600,000 voters cast ballots in early voting and election day polling.

Ford, who was appointed interim mayor in December, beat County Commissioner Deidre Malone and General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson in the Democratic primary. He will face Republican Mark Luttrell who had only token opposition in the Republican primary from perennial contender Ernie Lunati.

Luttrell has raised more money than all three of the Democratic primary contenders combined and began running television ads in the last week runup to election day.

The final unofficial totals in the Democratic mayoral primary are:

Ford 20,360 57%

Malone 12,916 37%

Jackson 2,168 6%

The pair of primaries for Sheriff featured eight candidates, seven of whom either currently work for the sheriff’s department or are past employees. Only Reginald French, in the Democratic primary was not a former or current department official.

Wade was the 2002 Democratic nominee, losing to Luttrell who is leaving as Sheriff after serving two terms. French was the Democratic nominee in the 2006 elections.

Oldham is Luttrell’s chief deputy, the number two position in the department. He is also a former director of the Memphis Police Department.

The final unofficials totals in the Republican primary are:

Bill Oldham 13,821 48%

Dale Lane 7,981 28%

Bobby Simmons 5,886 21%

James Coleman 943 3%

In the Democratic primary:

Randy Wade 22,643 67%

Reginald French 6,777 20%

Larry Hill 2,738 8%

Bennie Cobb 1,814 5%

Voters in the primary elections decided to return six Shelby County commissioners to new four year terms with Tuesday’s results. They also elected six new commissioners. The winner of the thirteenth commission seat will be decided on the August general election ballot in a contest between district 5 Democratic incumbent Steve Mulroy and Republican challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos. The winner of the match up will determine whether the commission remains majority Democrat or goes majority Republican.

Mulroy easily defeated Jennings Bernard in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.

Republican incumbent Mike Ritz ran unopposed as did new Democratic commissioner Walter Bailey.

In the remaining ten contests, the primaries decided who gets the seats since no one ran in the opposing party’s primary.

The most hotly contested contest among the commission races was for District 4 Position 1. Outgoing Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas beat John Pellicciotti, appointed to a commission seat last year but running for a different position in the same district. Jim Bomprezzi, the former mayor of Lakeland, was the third contender in the contest.

The final unofficial totals in the Republican primary:

Thomas 7,631 52%

Pellicciotti 4,871 33%

Bomprezzi 2,298 15%

In position 2 of the same district incumbent Republican Wyatt Bunker easily overcame two challengers with former Lakeland alderman John Wilkerson finishing second and Ron Fittes finishing third.

Millington businessman Terry Roland claimed the third position in the district that takes in all six of Shelby County’s suburban towns and cities.

Roland beat George Chism to take the seat Pellicciotti was appointed to but opted not to run for in deference to Roland.

Heidi Shafer, an aide to outgoing County Commissioner George Flinn, claimed Flinn’s District 1 Position 2 seat over Albert Maduska.in the GOP primary.

District 1 incumbent Republican Mike Carpenter easily beat businessman Joe Baier.

In the Democratic commission primaries, Melvin Burgess claimed Malone’s District 2 Position 3 seat in a field of six contenders. His closest contender was Reginald Milton. Burgess, a city school system audit manager, had run for the seat before. He brought in 54 percent of the vote.

The other hard fought Democratic commission primary saw Justin Ford, son of the interim mayor, claim his father’s District 3 Position 3 seat.

Ford beat Edith Moore, a retired IBM executive, whom the commission appointed to the seat after the elder Ford became mayor.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Ford 7,342 66%

Moore 3,822 34%

Democratic incumbent commissioners Henri Brooks, Sidney Chism and James Harvey were all re-elected over primary challengers.

The county-wide primaries for seven clerk’s positions saw the return of former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican 16 years after Republican challenger Bill Key took her job. Johnican decisively beat Ralph White and Vernon Johnson in her first bid for office since the 1994 defeat. She will face Republican Kevin Key, the son of Bill Key in the August general election.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Johnican 16,381 51%

White 10,170 31%

Johnson 5,954 18%

Former Juvenile Court Clerk Shep Wilbun easily won the Democratic primary with 76 percent of the vote to face Republican Joy Touliatos in August for the office being vacated by Republican Steve Stamson. Touliatos was unopposed in the primary.

Democrat Coleman Thompson is back for another go at incumbent Republican Register Tom Leatherwood.

Aside from Leatherwood, Jimmy Moore is the only other of the seven clerks seeking re-election. Moore ran unopposed in the GOP primary. He will face Democrat Ricky Dixon in August.

Trustee Regina Newman was appointed to her office following the death last year of Paul Mattila. Newman easily overcame M LaTroy Williams in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. She will face David Lenoir, who beat former Shelby County Commissioner John Willingham in the Republican contest.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Lenoir 15,922 58%

Willingham 11,569 42%

The other six candidate field on the ballot was in the Democratic primary for Probate Court Clerk. Sondra Becton posted impressive vote totals over her rivals, bringing in 35 percent of the vote with Peggy Dobbins her closest rival. Becton, who is making her fourth bid for the office, will face Republican Paul Boyd, who ran unopposed in his primary.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Becton 10,929 36%

Dobbins 5,366 18%

Annita Hamilton 4,848 16%

Clay Perry 3,549 12%

Danny Kail 3,120 11%

Karen Tyler 2,782 9%

The closest contest of the evening was in the Democratic primary for County Clerk. Wrestling promoter and television personality Corey Maclin won his political debut by less than 1,400 votes over Charlotte Draper and LaKeith Miller. He will face Republican Wayne Mashburn who beat Steve Moore in the companion primary.

Early voting in advance of the Aug. 5 election day begins July 16. The August ballot will also feature state and federal primary elections including the statewide primaries for governor and the primaries for all nine of the state’s Congressional districts.

61. Commission Races Hinge on Public Issues - Monday, April 19, 2010

Two issues figure in to the 11 competitive races for the Shelby County Commission – the future of the Regional Medical Center and local government consolidation.

Any push card for a credible candidate includes either something about how to save The MED or the candidate’s opposition to consolidation – or both.

62. Candidate Filing List -- The Final Version - Friday, February 19, 2010

Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell appeared on his way to the Republican nomination for Shelby County mayor at Thursday’s noon filing deadline for candidates on the May 4 primary ballot.

63. UPDATE: Mayor's Race Grows At Filing Deadline - Thursday, February 18, 2010

Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell appeared on his way to the Republican nomination for Shelby County mayor at Thursday’s noon filing deadline for candidates on the May 4 primary ballot.

Luttrell faces only token opposition from perennial candidate Ernie Lunati.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary for mayor grew to three contenders as General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson filed his qualifying petition just before the deadline. He joins interim County Mayor Joe Ford and Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone.

Luttrell ruled out a bid for Shelby County mayor last year (2009). But when Harold Byrd decided not to run in the Democratic primary, some local GOP leaders asked Luttrell to reconsider.

The result touched off a scramble of candidates from both parties for the open sheriff’s office. But before the noon deadline, the initial field of over a dozen possible contenders was narrowed to ten – six Democrats and four Republicans.

The other surprise at the filing deadline was the return of attorney Walter Bailey to the District 2 Position 1 seat he gave up in the 2006 elections. Bailey sought re-election then to another term despite a two term limit on commissioners. Bailey lost to J.W. Gibson who decided not to seek re-election. He also lost a court fight to overturn the term limits.

Bailey was the only candidate who had filed for the seat at the Thursday deadline.

Only one incumbent county commissioner – Republican Mike Ritz -- was effectively re-elected at the deadline because he had no opposition.

All but one of the eleven contested County Commission races will be decided with the May 4 primaries. The only general election battle for the August ballot is the district 5 contest between GOP challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos and whoever wins the May Democratic primary between incumbent Steve Mulroy and Jennings Bernard.

Former County Commissioner John Willingham also returned to the ballot among a field of Republican contenders in the primary for Shelby County Trustee.

And former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican joined the Democratic primary field for her old job. Incumbent Republican Bill Key pulled petition to seek re-election but did not file at the deadline.

Here is the list of races and contenders from The Shelby County Election Commission. All candidate have until noon Feb. 25 to withdraw from the ballot if they wish.

D-Democrat

R- Republican

I- Independent

Shelby County Mayor:

Deidre Malone (D)

Joe Ford (D)

Otis Jackson (D)

Mark Luttrell (R)

Ernest Lunati (R)

Leo Awgowhat (I)

Shelby County Sheriff:

James Coleman (R)

Bobby Simmons (R)

Bill Oldham (R)

Dale Lane (R)

Larry Hill (D)

Bennie Cobb (D)

Randy Wade (D)

James Bolden (D)

Elton Hymon (D)

Reginald French (D)

County Commission Dist 1 Pos 1

Mike Ritz (R) (incumbent)

County Commission Dist 1 Pos 2

Albert Maduska (R)

Heidi Shafer (R)

County Commission Dist 1 Pos 3

Mike Carpenter (R) (incumbent)

Joe Baire (R)

County Commission Dist 2 Pos 1

Walter Bailey (D)

County Commission Dist 2 Pos 2

Henri Brooks (D) (incumbent)

David Vinciarelli (D)

County Commission Dist 2 Pos 3

Eric Dunn (D)

Norma Lester (D)

Tina Dickerson (D)

Melvin Burgess (D)

Reginald Milton (D)

Freddie Thomas (D)

County Commission Dist 3 Pos 1

James Harvey (D) (incumbent)

James Catchings (D)

County Commission Dist. 3 Pos 2

Sidney Chism (D) (incumbent)

Andrew "Rome" Withers (D)

County Commission Dist. 3 Pos 3

Edith Moore  (D) (incumbent)

Justin Ford (D)

County Commission Dist 4 Pos 1

Chris Thomas (R)

John Pellicciotti (R)

Jim Bomprezzi (R)

County Commission Dist 4 Pos 2

Wyatt Bunker (R) (incumbent)

John Wilkerson (R)

Ron Fittes (R)

County Commission Dist 4 Pos 3

Terry Roland (R)

George Chism (R)

Edgar Babian (R)

County Commission Dist 5

Steve Mulroy (D) (incumbent)

Jennings Bernard (D)

Rolando Toyos (R)

Shelby County Clerk

Charlotte Draper (D)

Corey Maclin (D)

LaKeith Miller (D)

Wayne Mashburn (R)

Steve Moore (R)

Criminal Court Clerk

Vernon Johnson (D)

Minerva Johnican (D)

Ralph White (D)

Michael Porter (R)

Kevin Key (R)

Jerry Stamson (I)

Circuit Court Clerk

Jimmy Moore (R) (incumbent)

Steven Webster (D)

Carmichael Johnson (D)

Ricky W. Dixon (D)

Juvenile Court Clerk

Joy Touliatos (R)

Charles Marshall (D)

Sylvester Bradley (D)

Shep Wilbun (D)

Julia Roberson Wiseman (I)

Probate Court Clerk

Paul Boyd (R)

Sondra Becton (D)

Danny Kail (D)

Annita Sawyer Hamilton (D)

Peggy Dobbins (D)

Clay Perry (D)

Karen Tyler (D)

Shelby County Register

Tom Leatherwood (R) (incumbent)

Coleman Thompson (D)

Lady J. Swift (D)

Carlton Orange (D)

Shelby County Trustee

Regina Newman (D) (incumbent)

M. LaTroy Williams (D)

John Willingham (R)

Jeff Jacobs (R)

David Lenoir (R)