Memphis City Council will fill vacant seat for two months ahead of special election

Samuel Hardiman, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read

The vacant seat on the Memphis City Council won't be vacant for long.

The City Council plans to fill the vacant District 4 seat on Sept. 1 during a special meeting, the city's legislative body said Wednesday. That meeting comes the same day Memphis, Light, Gas and Water is expected to reveal its decision about whether it will remain within the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The seat is vacant after Jamita Swearengen resigned last week. She was elected Shelby County Circuit Court Clerk on Aug. 4.

If the council agrees and appoints a new member to represent District 4, which covers Orange Mound, South Memphis and parts of Cooper-Young, that person would serve until a new member is elected on Nov. 8 during a special election.

Frank L. Monteverde 1918 – 1919 Harry H. Litty 1917 – 1918 Thomas C. Ashcroft 1916 – 1917 George C. Love 1915 – 1916 E. H. Crump 1910 – 1915 James H. Malone 1906 – 1910 Joseph John "JJ" Williams 1898 – 1906
Frank L. Monteverde 1918 – 1919 Harry H. Litty 1917 – 1918 Thomas C. Ashcroft 1916 – 1917 George C. Love 1915 – 1916 E. H. Crump 1910 – 1915 James H. Malone 1906 – 1910 Joseph John "JJ" Williams 1898 – 1906

It could also be someone who is running for the seat, Council Chairman Martavius Jones said by phone Wednesday. He said it was possible the council could appoint one of the potential candidates for the office and make that candidate an incumbent.

City Hall notebook: Swearengen resigns, partisan elections fail

More from Samuel Hardiman: Here's why your Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water bill could go down in September

The prospective candidates include Jamita Swearengen's sister, Jana Swearengen-Washington.

Thus far, four candidates have pulled qualifying petitions to run for the seat. Through Tuesday afternoon, none had returned those positions with the required signatures.

They are:

  • La Tonia D. Blankenship

  • Barry A. Ford, Sr.

  • Dewayne Jackson

  • Jana Swearengen-Washington

To be considered for appointment, someone must pick up a packet of materials and return a packet of materials to the City Council's office at Memphis City Hall by Aug. 29.

The vacancy information can be found at the council's website. 

Process differs from 2018 vacancies

The council is moving to fill the vacancy quickly just weeks ahead of an election. The City Charter provides that the council fill the vacancy within 30 days and call a special election for the next countywide general election before the expiration of the original term.

In this case, that's Nov. 8. However, in 2018 the City Council didn't follow the same process. Two members of council — Edmund Ford, Jr. and Janis Fullilove — were elected to Shelby County offices and stayed in office as long as legally allowed — past the window where an election could be held.

That led to the City Council appointing Gerrie Currie and Sherman Greer after weeks of political discord. Currie and Greer would lose the seats to JB Smiley, Jr. and Rhonda Logan, respectively in the 2019 municipal election.

Samuel Hardiman covers Memphis city government and politics for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached by email at samuel.hardiman@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter at @samhardiman. 

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis City Council will fill vacant District 4 seat on Sept. 1