Early voting is underway for the Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk race. Former Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer won the Democratic nomination earlier this year and former criminal court clerk office employee Lisa Arnold secured her spot on the ballot as the only Republican to qualify.
The election in August will be the only Shelby County-wide race in 2024. The General Sessions Court Clerk is responsible for keeping records and keeping track of funds for both the civil and criminal court divisions.
The Commercial Appeal reached out to both Arnold and Sawyer and asked a series of questions to inform voters. Candidate responses have been put in the order they will appear on the ballot.
Some responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Tami Sawyer
Q: Why are you running for General Sessions Court Clerk?
A: I recognize the importance of the General Sessions Court Clerk's office to the operations of Shelby County's largest court system. The clerk's office manages over 165,000 cases a year, both criminal and civil cases. There is a significant backlog in the courts and the clerk's office has the capacity to reduce that backlog but it requires innovative leadership.
I am running because I believe that through improving employee morale and retention rates, advancing the technology the clerk's office uses, enhancing customer service and increasing community education on the role and services of the clerk and the courts, we can see a significant change in General Sessions Court's operations and service. I am running because Shelby County and Memphis deserve a leader who is dedicated to being present and engaged every day to ensure efficiency, justice, and accountability.
Q: What experience do you have that qualifies you as the best person for the job?
A: As a former County Commissioner, I shared oversight of Shelby County's $1 billion budget, which prepared me to lead an office of almost 200 employees with a $7 million budget. With over 15 years of senior Human Resources leadership at the U.S. Navy, Teach for America, and Amazon, I am skilled at identifying training needs and working with staff to improve customer service. I plan to work with the General Sessions Court Clerk's staff to enrich their leadership capabilities and improve morale. Additionally, I will work within Shelby County to find talented individuals to help drive innovation and improve processes in the clerk's office.
Q: Have you held any elected positions prior to this? Please list them with the number of years you served.
A: Shelby County Commissioner, District 7, 2018 - 2022, four years
Q: Are there any changes you plan to make if you are elected in August?
A: My first priority is to engage with the current staff and the General Sessions Court Clerk's office to understand their needs. I want to enter the role with their support, and I will engage them in any plans for change. In the first 100 days, I plan to audit the technology employed by the clerk's office and identify the correct systems and equipment to improve our record-keeping, customer service, and timeliness. I plan to hire a community engagement manager responsible for educating the community on resources for those facing financial hardship and to receive feedback on the community's needs.
I want to extend operations to the North Memphis/Shelby area, where government offices are lacking. We have offices in East and South Memphis. Still, several Shelby County residents in the northern part of the county are impacted by transportation and financial barriers that may hinder their interaction with the courts. I will create a larger pool of certified translators to provide the courts with more support for the increasing number of individuals coming before the court for whom English is a second language.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: Our campaign has been endorsed by several community leaders, from grassroots advocates to elected officials to pastors and educators. We have widespread support that underscores the community's belief in my capacity to make necessary improvements in the court's office and to utilize the office for community good.
Sawyer's campaign website can be found at www.votetamisawyer.com.
Lisa Arnold
Q: Why are you running for General Sessions Court Clerk?
A: Crime is the top issue facing our community, and the General Sessions Clerk’s office is the first stop for criminal defendants after their arrest. I’m running for Clerk to use my 33 years experience in the Criminal and General Sessions Clerk offices to ensure information on criminal defendants is accurately collected and recorded. I’ll demand exceptional training of clerk employees so justice is served.
Q: What experience do you have that qualifies you as the best person for the job?
A: I have 33 years experience in the Criminal and General Sessions Court Clerk offices. I started working in General Sessions at age 15 during the summers. After high school graduation, I began working full time in the General Sessions Clerk’s office and earned my Computer Operations degree at State Tech.
I worked my way up from the bottom of the ladder and served in key management positions under Clerks of both political parties. I served as Customer Service Supervisor, Grand Jury Supervisor, Collections Supervisor, and Finance Coordinator. I was the only Republican appointed by former Clerk Edward Stanton when I served as Manager of the Finance Department.
Q: Have you held any elected positions prior to this? Please list them with the number of years you served.
A: This is my first campaign for public office.
Q: Are there any changes you plan to make if you are elected in August?
A: I plan to immediately make changes so we can be more transparent with court data. To be more transparent, employees must be properly trained to properly record the data so judges and our local and state partners can make informed decisions. Right now, our local government and elected representatives do not have access to much court data – particularly when it comes to criminal cases. How can our state legislature make laws or our local governments change policies that affect our court systems if they don’t have timely and transparent data from the General Sessions Court Clerk’s office?
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
A: I also plan to create an action plan targeting the backlog to both criminal and civil cases. I want a specific backlog team to target those cases that have been sitting for too long.
The General Sessions Court Clerk’s office needs e-filing at both the local and state levelimmediately.
Enhanced technology is also a needed change. I first want to address what technology we already have available that we aren’t utilizing in the General Sessions Court Clerk’s office. If we’ve already paid for a system, are there ways to utilize that system for increased efficiency before spending more money? The office then must address what new technology needs to be added for the accurate and convenient recording of court information.
After becoming Clerk, I will also assess where the office has fallen short in training employees. Our clerk’s office is only as good as our employees are trained, and it’s unfair to both the employees and Shelby Countians using the clerk’s office if employees aren’t adequately trained. This should also improve employee morale. Deficient training will be remedied as fast as possible for accurate docket and court information
Arnold's campaign website can be found at LisaArnoldForClerk.com.
Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at (901) 484-6225, brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman.
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