10 qualify in campaign to replace Mark Lovell

House member resigned amid sex accusations

Ten candidates qualified by Thursday’s deadline to seek the Tennessee House of Representatives District 95 seat resigned by Mark Lovell in February amid accusations of sexual misconduct.

The heavily Republican district, which includes parts of Collierville, Germantown and Eads, will choose Lovell’s replacement in a special primary election Thursday, April 27, and special general election Thursday, June 15. Early voting begins 15 days prior to each election.

The Shelby County Election Commission received qualifying petitions from the following Republican candidates: Keep Tennessee Beautiful Executive Director Melissa “Missy” Marshall of Collierville; Collierville School Board member Kevin Vaughan; Collierville Alderman Billy Patton; Germantown Alderman Frank Uhlhorn; attorney Joseph Crone of Eads; attorney Gail Williams Horner of Collierville; and Curtis D. Loynachan of Collierville.

Democrat Julie Byrd Ashworth of Collierville and independents Jim Tomasik of Cordova and Robert Paul Schutt of Eads also qualified for the race. Tomasik doesn’t currently live in the district but has until the special general election to move his residency.

Although he received a petition, Republican John Bogan did not file by the deadline. Republican Diane George, who placed third in the 2016 election behind Lovell and incumbent Curry Todd, did not file a petition even though she was quick to express interest in the seat after Lovell’s resignation.

Citizens in the district can vote early in the special primary election from April 7-22 — except on Sundays and on

and to get them to come forward. Even if they don’t want to prosecute, they can get the support they need,” Myers said. “I think the message is getting out there. Studies have suggested for years that that’s one of the most under-reported crimes nationally.”

Statewide, reported criminal incidents on college campuses increased slightly from 2015 to 2016, going from 6,111 incidents in 2015 to 6,158 in 2016, a rise of less than 1 percent.

No Memphis school has reported an on-campus homicide in either 2015 or 2016.

In Memphis, overall reported incidents decreased at four of the six schools that reported. Those incidents include the more serious Type A crimes — homicide, rape, robbery — as well as the less serious Type B offenses, which include liquor-law violations, trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Schools reporting decreases were Rhodes (177 total to 166), CBU (60 to 56), Southwest (69 to 58) and MCA (23 to 9).

Reported crimes increased at UTHSC (40 to 50) and the U of M (322 to 334, or less than half of 1 percent).

“(It’s) very very flat. I’d like it to be negative, but I’ll take this over a significant increase any day,” Myers said.

For each school, the majority of reported incidents fell under the larceny category, which include purse-snatching, thefts from vending machines, shoplifting and theft from cars.