In Collierville, incumbents retained their positions and one new face will join the suburb’s school board, based on unofficial results from Tuesday’s election.

The Board of Education Position 4 seat was open as Frank Warren decided to not seek reelection. Keri Blair received about 44% of the vote to win the seat, while Heath Hudspeth came in second with 32%, according to unofficial results.

Results will be unofficial until certified by the Election Commission at a future meeting.

The posts: Local voters talk Election Day

“Day one, I had a goal in mind of communicating who I was, what I believed in, and what my platform was,” Blair said. “When I started it was ‘Oh, it’s too right. It’s too conservative.’ But as I talked to people and was out in the community — a lot of it was staying true to the things I started and set out from the community. ... I truly believe the edge was the parents, the teachers, seeing who I am and what I believe.”

Blair campaigned on establishing better communication between parents and the board. 

Also running for Position 4 were Jeremy Smith, who received 11% of the vote, and Chelsea Glass, who received about 13%, according to unofficial returns.

Incumbent Wanda Chism handily defeated challenger Alissa Fowler with 65% of the votes cast, unofficial results said.

The three incumbent aldermen retained their seats on the suburb’s board.

Alderwoman Maureen Fraser faced a challenge from William Boone, whom she defeated four years ago. Boone ran for an open seat following the death of Tom Allen. He advanced to a runoff, but was ultimately defeated by Alderwoman Missy Marshall. December will mark the beginning of Fraser’s sixth term. However, the board adopted limits of three terms in 2018, and service in prior terms did not count. This was her second that counts toward term limits. According to unofficial returns, she received 71% of the vote.

“(I look forward to) continuing to work with my fellow board members and the mayor,” she said Tuesday night.

Election Day remains quiet in Shelby County

She anticipates during her next term to face challenges with inflation and continuing to offer competitive salaries for town employees. Those are issues the board works through with new Town Administrator Molly Mehner. Mehner’s first day at the helm is Monday.

Marshall easily won reelection with 71% of the vote, according to unofficial totals. Emily Fulmer, a local activist who focused her platform on election reform, challenged Marshall. This will be Marshall’s first four-year term.

“I think my vision for Collierville lines up with the majority of the citizens,” she said. “I’m not only excited to continue serving. For those that didn’t vote for me, I think it’s really important for me to earn their vote, and let them know just because they didn’t vote for me, I am still their representative.”

Alderman Billy Patton waited until days before the filing deadline to decide to seek his fourth term. According to Tuesday’s unofficial totals, he received 58% of the votes for reelection to Position 2. He defeated Jewel Jordan, a member of the mayor-appointed Planning Commission, who has spent the majority of his life in the suburb.

“Collierville has become a very large town, and I think the people of the town like the direction the town is headed,” Patton said. “I think that tonight was a great night for all of the incumbents.”