There are 82 article(s) tagged Mick Wright:

• February 2022

  • County Commission Scorecard: COVID tests, CHOICES playground and Juvenile Court

    The County Commission Scorecard finds basic ideological differences remain on the 13-member body, as it moves into the home stretch of its four-year term.

    By Bill Dries February 03, 2022

• January 2022

  • In split vote, Shelby County decides to distribute COVID test kits

    Three county commissioners voted against the $1.44 million purchase of 180,000 tests in 90 kits with two tests a piece. One cited comments by Dr. Ben Carson on Fox News earlier this week complaining that more tests would mean a rise in COVID cases.

    By Bill Dries January 20, 2022

• December 2021

  • County Commission approves Tom Lee Park redesign funding

    Shelby County Commissioners approved $6.7 million in capital funding Monday, Dec. 20, for the Tom Lee Park redesign.

    By Bill Dries December 20, 2021

  • Pay raises approved for next elected commission, mayor and sheriff

    The commission being elected in August with at least six new members will get a 19.9% pay raise. The mayor and sheriff elected on the same August ballot will get 21% raises.

    By Bill Dries December 20, 2021

• October 2021

  • County Commission races show activity ahead of new district lines

    District 3 commissioner Mick Wright opened his re-election campaign over the weekend. Races where the incumbent commissioner is term limited are also showing signs of life.

    By Bill Dries October 18, 2021

• September 2021

  • Consolidation proponents try to convince suburbs of benefits for them

    The world has changed drastically in the past 11 years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced nationally in March 2020. That does not mean minds have changed on consolidation or that people are necessarily more open to even exploring the idea.

    By Omer Yusuf September 06, 2021

• August 2021

  • Opinion: The virus is not political, but our policy choices are

    We’ve all seemingly decided that virtual instruction is a sub-optimal policy choice, and that classroom instruction is worth the additional risk.

    By Mick Wright August 23, 2021

  • Wright wants legal opinion on Health Department authority

    Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright says even with recent changes in state laws this year, it’s unclear where the health department’s authority to issue mask mandates and require other measures ends and where decisions by elected officials begin.

    By Bill Dries August 11, 2021

• July 2021

  • New voting machines rejected as County Commission moves to rebid

    Shelby County commissioners Monday voted down a new touch-screen voting system that includes a paper trail and moved to cut the Election Commission out of the process by taking new bids on a system that primarily uses hand-marked paper ballots.

    By Bill Dries July 26, 2021

• June 2021

  • How precautions and protocols have changed during the pandemic

    Messaging about COVID-19 precautions still isn’t keeping pace with evolving information about the virus, including that it readily spreads via smaller airborne particles. 

    By Don Wade June 20, 2021

• April 2021

  • Health Department gets $11.5 million in federal pandemic funding

    The funding is to maintain 171 Health Department positions specifically for the pandemic.

    By Bill Dries April 12, 2021

• March 2021

  • Photo finish: Commissioner questions why Assessor’s picture adorns reappraisal notices

    The notices are drawing fire from a county commissioner after the commission approved $180,000 more in funding last month for the direct mail piece. The assessor’s office says it is Melvin Burgess’ way of “owning” the process.

    By Bill Dries March 10, 2021

• February 2021

  • Questionable secret meeting to be held in public Friday

    The head of the Tennessee Coalition of Open Government says it’s “implausible” the Tuesday secret meeting was legal. And one of the county commissioners who attended said the “ton of information” presented should have been heard by the public. 

    By Bill Dries February 25, 2021

  • County Commissioners grill Health Department over vaccine missteps, confusion

    County leaders also talked about battling social media misinformation that is crowding testing sites and leading some to book appointments at multiple sites.

    By Bill Dries February 22, 2021

  • County commissioner urges National Guard intervention for vaccine effort

    The County Commission will discuss the call by Commissioner Mick Wright during Wednesday, Feb. 17, committee sessions. Wright said the current system needs to be reworked.

    By Bill Dries February 15, 2021

• January 2021

  • Commission advances ban on Trump honors, condemnation of Capitol attack

    The resolutions were discussed as commissioners watched the presidential inauguration while working through committee agendas. The full commission votes on the matters Monday.

    By Bill Dries January 20, 2021

  • County Commission approves $2.5M restaurant, hospitality workers relief fund

    Republican commissioners said their “no” votes were because of concerns about the use of county reserves to create the $2.5 million fund. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is asking Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to reimburse the county funding with state money.

    By Bill Dries January 11, 2021

• December 2020

  • County Commission supports health directive, fines for violations

    Shelby County commissioners voted Monday, Dec. 21, to support a health department directive announced earlier in the day and, in a separate vote, to give the health department the authority to cite and fine business owners for violating the directive.

    By Bill Dries December 21, 2020

• November 2020

  • Mutual Respect: Commissioners Sawyer and Wright rise above political quarrels

    They seldom agree, just like a couple of United States Supreme Court justices you might remember. But Shelby County commissioners Tami Sawyer and Mick Wright share a healthy respect for one another.

    By Don Wade November 29, 2020

  • Opinion: Conservative commissioner says we can ‘Live divided, together’

    I’m a Republican serving with a Democratic majority, in a blue county of a red state. Shelby County government may not be the perfect model of comity, but the nation could take courage from how well we get along.

    By Mick Wright November 20, 2020

• October 2020

  • Wright completes isolation period after testing positive for COVID

    Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright said Friday he’d recently tested positive for the coronavirus and had just completed an isolation period. His wife was the only person exposed and has since tested negative for the virus.

    By Bill Dries October 02, 2020

• September 2020

  • Three county police reform ordinances get rough reception at County Commission

    The trio of ordinances affecting the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and corrections officers advanced automatically in Monday’s first of three votes on the measures. A second reading will be held in two weeks and a third is tentatively set in October. 

    By Bill Dries September 15, 2020

• August 2020

  • County hiring freeze continues to thaw with questions about budget numbers

    Shelby County commissioners approved a waiver to the freeze Monday for county firefighters but put off another waiver for 78 more positions in other departments. 

    By Bill Dries August 24, 2020

• May 2020

  • Shelby County government retreat gives clearer picture about county’s budget

    Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris' administration officials answered questions as county commissioners prepare for another review of the fiscal 2021 budget.

    By Linda A. Moore May 08, 2020

• April 2020

  • Coronavirus mothballs work by public transit ad hoc committee

    The Shelby County Commission's public transit ad hoc committee's work will be reviewed, but there won't be more money in the budget for transit.

    By Linda A. Moore April 29, 2020