Our endorsements in Aug. 2 county election: Part I

EDITOR’S NOTE: Watch video interviews with Democratic and Republican nominees for these eight countywide administrative offices at commercialappeal.com.

IN THE UPCOMING AUG. 2 ELECTION, Shelby County voters will be hiring a new mayor and sheriff as well as a new trustee, property assessor, register of deeds and county clerk.

Voters also will be hiring new clerks for circuit court, probate court and juvenile court, and at least eight new county commissioners (out of 13).

In fact, among all countywide elected officials, and mostly because of term limits, only one incumbent is seeking re-election: Criminal Court Clerk Richard DeSaussure, who is being challenged by Heidi Kuhn.

With such unprecedented turnover ahead, we believe experience matters, especially in the eight primarily administrative offices that most voters know the least about.

Frankly, these administrative posts should be appointed positions. Candidates run as Democrats or Republicans, but there is no Democratic or Republican way to run a clerk’s office, or to assess property, collect taxes or register deeds.

These offices need to run as effectively and efficiently as possible. That’s why we are endorsing the following candidates for those offices:

ROBERT TROUY FOR ASSESSOR

The assessor’s primary job is to estimate for tax purposes the fair market value for all property in the county. By all accounts, Cheyenne Johnson, county assessor since 2010, has done that about as well as anyone. Her 2017 countywide property reassessment drew 40 percent fewer appeals than expected.

As Johnson’s Deputy Administrator of Appraisal Operations, Trouy oversaw the residential reappraisal process. He also trained employees, certified the assessment roll, reviewed property owner inquiries, and managed the appeals process.

He has worked for five elected assessors in various managerial positions over the past 32 years. His is a Master Assessor and the logical choice to succeed Johnson, who is term-limited.

WANDA HALBERT FOR COUNTY CLERK

County clerks do more than collect checks for license plates and car tag renewals. They also collect some taxes, issue business licenses, marriage licenses and beer permits, swear in deputy sheriffs and notaries public, and license pawn brokers, among other duties.

County Clerk Wayne Mashburn has run the office well over the past eight years, but he’s term-limited. The office has a wide range of responsibilities and deals with a vast cross-section of county residents. That’s why we’re recommending Halbert for the position.

Halbert served seven years on the Memphis City School Board and eight years on the Memphis City Council. She’s got more than 30 years of work experience in the private sector with companies such as FedEx Services. Of the two candidates for clerk, we believe Halbert is best suited and prepared for the job.

REGINA NEWMAN FOR TRUSTEE

David Lenoir, who has held the position for the past eight years, calls the trustee the county’s banker. With annual revenues of more than $1.2 billion, the job is even bigger than that.

The trustee is also the county’s tax collector, bookkeeper, accountant, and daily investment manager of over 40 different bank accounts. Experience in the position is a wise investment for voters.

That’s why we’re recommending Newman for the position. She served as interim county trustee from 2009-2010, following the death of Paul Mattila.

Now in private practice, Morrison has also served as a deputy city attorney, an assistant city treasurer, and an assistant to the Commissioner of Revenue for Tennessee. The transition from Lenoir to Newman should be seamless.

WAYNE MASHBURN FOR REGISTER OF DEEDS

Shelby County has elected only two registers since 1961 — Guy Bates, who served until he died in 2000, and Tom Leatherwood, who has been register since he was first elected in 2000.

The register keeps nearly all of the county’s vital records and archives, recording deeds, mortgages, powers of attorney, marriage settlements, military discharges and so on.

Mashburn, whose father Sonny Mashburn was county clerk until 1993, has served ably and admirably as county clerk for the past eight years. We have no doubt that he will continue his fine public service as register.

RICHARD DESAUSSURE CRIMINAL COURT CLERK FOR

DeSaussure, an attorney, was elected to the position in 2014. Before that, he was the clerk’s chief administrative officer for four years, and chief staff attorney for 10 years. He also spent 15 years as chief staff attorney and prosecutor in juvenile court. He has earned re-election.

TEMIIKA D. GIPSON FOR CIRCUIT COURT CLERK

We believe either candidate would be a worthy successor to Jimmy Moore, who has held the position since 1994. Gipson has been working in the court system even longer, holding various positions here for the past 25 years, including the past five Court Operations Specialist in Criminal Court, overseeing a staff of 25. That experience will serve the county well.

CHRIS THOMAS FOR PROBATE COURT CLERK

We believe either candidate would serve the county well in this position, but Thomas by far has the most relevant experience. He served ably as probate court clerk from 1994-2010, eventually training other probate clerks across the state. Thomas, a former city school board member, was ousted as Lakeland’s city manager in 2015, but Mayor Wyatt Bunker, who supports Thomas, said that decision was about politics, not performance. This clerk’s office is about performance, not politics. We recommend Thomas.

JUVENILE COURT CLERK

Joy Touliatos, first elected juvenile court clerk in 2010, is term-limited and cannot seek re-election. That’s too bad. Juvenile Court is in the midst of a difficult period of federal monitoring and fundamental change. The court needs a competent, experienced manager at the helm for Judge Dan Michael. We cannot recommend either candidate.

July 8: Our endorsements for 8 countywide offices July 15: Our endorsements for county commission July 22: Our endorsements for county mayor and sheriff July 29: Our endorsements for other races on Aug. 2 ballot

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