Judge names special prosecutor to investigate Wanda Halbert
The Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office requested an outside prosecutor “due to the need to avoid a conflict of interest and any appearance of impropriety.”
There are 110 article(s) tagged Wanda Halbert:
The Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office requested an outside prosecutor “due to the need to avoid a conflict of interest and any appearance of impropriety.”
The long-awaited and discussed office of the Shelby County Clerk at 3785 Riverdale Road opened this week after many delays.
Halbert has talked of opening a new clerk’s office on Riverdale Road since late last year. The “soft opening” means the office won’t be fully staffed.
Mayor Lee Harris is proposing dropping the rate, but the votes weren’t there. Meanwhile, another effort to take a possible step toward ouster proceedings against County Clerk Wanda Halbert came up short.
The new special adviser to Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert says she has some “concrete ideas” about how to end lines outside the office locations.
The Shelby County Commission chose former city council member Janet Hooks to be Wanda Halbert’s special adviser.
Wanda Halbert met March 29 with county commissioners who pressed for specifics on a lease at Poplar Plaza and an opening date for the Riverdale Road office. One commissioner pushed his call for her to resign.
An email chain indicates representatives from Poplar Plaza have been asking Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert since at least September 2022 about relocating the clerk’s office space in the shopping center.Related story:
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert goes before county commissioners Wednesday, March 29. Here are some of the basics of the controversy that has been ongoing for about a year.
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert says she has a back-up plan to move the clerk’s office now at Poplar Plaza to an old bank branch at Quince and Perkins.
If Wanda Halbert does not move the Poplar Plaza office location, Mayor Harris could make the case that she is derelict in her duty.
The Daily Memphian’s County Commission Scorecard looks at the Feb. 22 commission meeting that was moved and covered two controversial topics, racial reparations and a special adviser for County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
What began as a call for a special counsel to investigate the clerk’s office turned into a special adviser hired by and reporting to the county commission, working with Clerk Wanda Halbert in a three-month period.
If the Shelby County Commission adopts a resolution of no confidence in Halbert, 88,481 voters have to sign a petition to put a recall question on the ballot. Republican state Rep. Mark White’s bill brings that down to 5,899.
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert pledged the Riverdale branch office would open by the end of 2022. It’s not open yet, and Halbert told county commissioners Monday she doesn’t know when it will be.
Less than 24 hours before the partial closing begins, the Shelby County Clerk says it is to “stay ahead of February’s anticipated rush.”
The new Shelby County Clerk’s office missed a second opening deadline of Dec. 1.
The Commission Scorecard covers October votes on a change to county ethics rules, filling a vacancy on the MSCS board, Election Commission funding and the new commission’s relationship with County Clerk Wanda Halbert.
County chief administrative officer Harold Collins says the office is fully equipped, but Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert says the office won’t open until early December, missing a deadline set by Shelby County commissioners.
The commission’s unanimous vote covers staffing, a job study and the opening of the clerk’s new Riverdale Road location by Halloween. But Clerk Wanda Halbert and County HR director Gerald Thornton clashed on some of the basic details of what the office has and what it needs. County Commission delays final vote on how chief ethics officer is pickedRelated story:
“There are some things I want. I’ve wanted them for a while and the hints just aren’t working. So, I’ve made a modest list — 10 things you can choose from.”
Employment and labor attorney Alan Crone, a former Memphis City Council member, says the claim of “whistleblower” status by County Clerk Wanda Halbert is “nonsense” and likened it to an episode of “The Office.”
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert reacts to talk of legislation lowering the number of signatures needed to force a recall election. She also continues to blame County Mayor Lee Harris’ administration for a backlog of license plates and tags that she says has been cleared up.
Under the current law, 15% of registered county voters have to sign a petition to get a recall question on the ballot. State Rep. Mark White (R-Memphis) wants to lower that to 1%.
It took some effort, but Connor Dunning and Catherine Wylie finally got their marriage license — with a little help from their friends — from the office of Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert this week.