The five declared Democratic candidates for the office of Shelby County Mayor in 2026 appeared together at a forum Tuesday night, testing their staples and skills before an audience of some 400 attendees at the Great Hall of Germantown. And wondering if there would come another.
There were no obvious winners at the event, sponsored by the Germantown Democratic Club amd brokered into being by club president Jeff Ethridge. All the candidates had their moments, and all had issues to deal with. The evening was mainly a chance for the mayoral hopefuls to introduce themselves, and the competition between individuals, insofar as there was any, was more implied than direct.
The most open conflict of the evening was between the assembled Democrats and a body of Republicans who, curiously enough, were in another room across the hall for a monthly meeting of the Shelby GOP’s executive committee.
Some of the Republicans engaged in gibes, amd some wielded pickets with polemical messages, but the confrontation, such as it was, was relatively modest and ended before the forum began.
Emcee for the forum was Deborah Clubb, who salted the serious questioning with a few “lightning-round” probes, some tinged with levity (“cats or dogs?”,”Tigers or Grizzlies?”) and others sampling the candidate’ preferences on hot-button matters. One of the latter elicited unanimous responses in favor of a recall provision for Shelby County officials.
Most of the formal questioning concerned policy matters and revolved around the issues of health, education, and public safety.
There were no shockers as such, with the candidates evidently playing to the themes they intend to establish during the campaign to come.
County CAO Harold Collins, for example, spent most of his time singing the praises of the administration he serves, that of current County Mayor Lee Harris. He characterized himself as “not flashy, just doing my job and keeping my word.” The basic issue of the campaign, as he saw it, was “whether we keep building or start over.”
Collins’ most divergent statement was that Shelby Countians should be thankful for the coming of Elon Musk’s giant xAI project to Shelby County. Most of the others were skeptical or critical of the enterprise, for a number of reasons, including environmental concerns and the lack of sufficient constraints on its operation.
Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, the only woman in the race so far, jested, “One of these candidates is not like the others,” continuing, “It’s not what you think.” She emphasized her 25 years of public service in a variety of jobs, noting in particular her ongoing sponsorship of expungement programs for ex-offenders.
County Commissioner Mickell Lowery noted his erstwhile work as the Commission’s budget chair and stressed his role in sponsoring some of the body’s most consequential legislation regarding new schools, and the prospective expansion and relocation of Regional One.
City councilman JB Smiley styled himself an activist who favored action over talk and as one who “won’t bow down” to state or federal overlordship, citing his roles in attempting to circumvent state restraints on proposed anti-gun legislation by the city and in “pushing back” against the current state and federal intervention here.
Assessor Melvin Burgess emphasized his expertise in financial matters, both in his current role and as a former auditor for the schools and as a two-time budget chair on the County Commission. He made the somewhat jolting revelation that Electrolux had defaulted on $37 million in financial obligations when the company abruptly pulled up stakes and left the county.
Before and after the forum, there was a buzz of gossip among attendees regarding persistent rumors, first reported in the Flyer. that deposed schools superintendent Marie Feagins is actively considering entering the mayoral race, presumably as an independent. Feagins is said to have enlisted substantial support among established donors. And, just in case, Feagins herself was out there in the audience, ready to pounce if the spirit moved her.
In a true sense this movie has just begun.