Will Republicans choose diversity, reward incumbency?
Republicans have controlled most county offices for the past eight years and many for far longer than that. This year, term limits and retirements, and the resuscitation of the Democratic Party in Shelby County, threaten that dominance.
May 1 is the primary election for county offices. Republicans and Democrats will choose the nominees who will face each other in the Aug. 2 general election. If the primary voters choose wisely, their nominees will be well positioned for August. If they don’t, then the challenges mount in the general election.
The primary is likely to be a low-turnout election. Perhaps as few as 12 percent of voters will participate. A handful of votes or a small advantage can make all the difference. Those small advantages come from name recognition as a result of having run for office before, money, organization, or simply being first on the ballot.
Here are a few key questions for the Republicans as they go to the polls on Tuesday.
Will Republicans increase or decrease their diversity?
For Juvenile Court clerk, Republican activist Robert Hill, an assistant in the county trustee’s office, faces former Bartlett Alderman Bobby Simmons. Hill is African-American and has helped numerous Republican candidates around the county. His nomination would double the number of African-American Republican county office seekers. Simmons has run for county office before and has a strong base in Bartlett.
Probate Court Clerk Paul Boyd, currently the only AfricanAmerican Republican elected official in Shelby County, faces opposition from newcomer George “Dempsey” Summers and notso-newcomer Chris Thomas, former Probate Court clerk, county commissioner and school board member.
Boyd is amiable and well liked among Republicans. Thomas has campaigned often and successfully. If Boyd loses the primary, the
number of African-American Republicans in county government drops precipitously.
What is the meaning of the Trump phenomenon at the local level?
County Commissioner Terry Roland, running for county mayor, has made no bones about his early and vocal support of Donald Trump for president. He headed the Trump campaign in West Tennessee.
Trustee David Lenoir has broad backing from the business community and the Republican establishment. Juvenile Court Clerk Joy Touliatos has support from a number of old-line Republicans and some crossover Democrats.
The Trump formula in the early primaries was to win with 35 percent or so of the vote. It could work for Roland, especially if Touliatos draws votes from Lenoir. It’s likely to be close.
There are also hints of the Trump factor at work in the race to succeed Roland in District 1, North Shelby County, Millington and parts of Arlington, where Amber Mills, former executive director of the Shelby County Republican Party, faces newcomer Melody McLeary.
It takes a different form in District 3, Bartlett and Lakeland, where newcomer Lindsey Massey faces Mick Wright, a Ted Cruz delegate and longtime Republican activist.
Will incumbents be protected?
Boyd is not the only incumbent Republican officeholder to face a primary challenge. There is also a challenge to incumbent County Commissioner Steve Basar in District 13, East Memphis. Basar faces stiff opposition from Brandon Morrison.
Basar was elected in 2012 to fill a vacancy on the commission and was reelected in 2014. On the commission, he has been at odds with some of his Republican colleagues.
He has ballot position, experience as a candidate and the backing of his wife, Brenda Presley Salomito, a political force in her own right.
Morrison is an exception to the rule regarding newcomers. She is well funded, well organized and well connected in the district. Morrison grew up in the district and raised her family there. She says she has over 200 volunteers and has a seemingly infinite number of yard signs. This will be the commission race to watch.
Your vote counts
With low turnout, the importance of each vote increases. The results matter. This election will determine the nominees for the August general election. Good nominees win those elections. Bad nominees lose. The results on May 1 go a long way toward determining who will run local government and deliver services.
If you want good government and good service, it’s your choice.
John Ryder is a Memphis attorney who serves as chairman of the Republican National Lawyers Association. He previously served as general counsel to the Republican National Committee. Email him at ryderontheriver@gmail.com.