Incumbents hold onto seats in mostly uncontested Shelby County Commission race

Incumbents to the Shelby County Board of Commissioners were able to hold onto their seats Thursday, with three facing challengers.

Many of the seats were not in contention Thursday: Eight of the races did not have general challengers and were thus decided in the primaries. Half of those eight will be returning commissioners, while the other half are newcomers.

County Commissioner District 1

Incumbent Amber Mills, a Republican, won the election for Shelby County Commission District 1, defeating Democrat Donna McDonald-Martin. The district includes Arlington and Millington.

A former flight attendant and executive director of the Republican Party of Shelby County, Mills has held a role on the commission since 2018.

County Commissioner District 2

Incumbent David C. Bradford Jr., a Republican, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning he’ll return to the Shelby County Commission to represent District 2, which includes Collierville.

County Commissioner District 3

Incumbent Mick Wright, a Republican, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning he’ll return to the Shelby County Commission to represent District 3, which includes Bartlett and Lakeland.

County Commissioner District 4

Incumbent Republican Brandon Morrison won the election for Shelby County Commission District 4, defeating Democrat Britney Chauncey. The newly created district includes parts of East Memphis and Germantown.

Morrison is family office president of MBA Corporation, dealing with family investments and has been on the commission since 2018, representing district 13 until redistricting occurred.

County Commissioner District 5

Shante Avant, a Democrat who previously served on the school board representing South Memphis, won the election for Shelby County Commission District 5, defeating Republican Todd Payne. The newly formed district represents Cordova.

Avant is the vice president for the Women's Foundation for Greater Memphis.

County Commissioner District 6

Newcomer Charlie A. Caswell Jr., a Democrat, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning he'll represent District 6, which encompasses northwest Shelby County, including Egypt, Raleigh and parts of North Memphis.

Caswell is the executive director of Legacy of Legends Community Development Corporation, which serves children ages 5 to 17 in the Frayser-Raleigh area, focusing on addressing "adverse childhood experience and trauma" and connecting them to counseling and mental health services.

County Commissioner District 7

Henri Brooks, a Democrat, won the election for Shelby County Commission District 7, defeating Shirelle-Dakota Brown, an Independent. The district includes Midtown, Frayser, Overton and North Memphis.

Brooks previously served eight years on the Shelby County Commission and 14 years in the Tennessee legislature. In 2015, she entered an Alford plea to a charge of putting a false address on a petition to running for juvenile court clerk. The felony charge was later dismissed and expunged. This year, her primary challenger also lodged a residency challenge against Brooks, but one that was not taken up by the state party.

County Commissioner District 8

Incumbent Mickell M. Lowery, a Democrat, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning he’ll return to the Shelby County Commission to represent District 8, which includes downtown Memphis, Frayser, South Memphis and Central Gardens.

Lowery has worked for FedEx for over 20 years, holding multiple positions. He has served on the commission since 2018.

County Commissioner District 9

Incumbent Edmund Ford Jr., a Democrat, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning he’ll return to the Shelby County Commission to represent District 9, which includes Southwest Memphis, Westwood, West Junction/Walker Holmes and Whitehaven.

Ford, a former mathematics instructor with Shelby County Schools, is now the senior financial literacy coordinator with the City of Memphis. He was a Memphis City Councilman from 2008-2018.

County Commissioner District 10

Newcomer Britney Thornton, a Democrat, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning she'll represent District 10, which includes parts of Central Gardens, Chickasaw Gardens, Cooper-Young, Midtown, Orange Mound and South Memphis.

Thornton is the executive director of JUICE Orange Mound, a local nonprofit focused on community organizing and fundraising in Orange Mound.

County Commissioner District 11

Newcomer Miska Clay Bibbs, a Democrat, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning she'll represent District 11, which encompasses sections of Fox Meadows, Hickory Hill, Oakhaven, Parkway Village and Whitehaven.

Currently a member of the Shelby County Board of Education, Clay Bibbs is the chief of staff at Teach for America in Memphis.

County Commissioner District 12

Newcomer Erika Sugarmon, a Democrat, was unchallenged in the general election, meaning she'll represent District 12, which includes some parts of Hickory Hill as well as some parts of southeast Shelby County south of Germantown.

Sugarmon is a teacher and activist who's taught at White Station High School for 23 years. In 2019, she sought election the Memphis City Council, losing to Chase Carlisle.

County Commissioner District 13

Incumbent Michael Whaley, a Democrat, won the election for Shelby County Commission District 13, defeating challenger Ed Apple. The district includes parts of East Memphis.

Whaley is the Tennessee director of Leadership for Educational Equity. He has served on the commission since 2018 and is its current vice chair.

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby County Commission race fairly uncontested as incumbents keep seats