Three’s a crowd: Field grows in race for Bartlett alderman Position 6
Kevin Quinn (left), Joshua McNeil and Kenneth Hayes are candidates for the Bartlett Alderman Position 6 seat. (The Daily Memphian file)
The race for Bartlett’s Alderman Position 6 seat is already heating up.
Incumbent Kevin Quinn and challengers Kenneth Hayes and Joshua McNeil have already pulled petitions to run in the Nov. 5 municipal elections.
A spirit of friendly competition was in the air earlier this week at the city’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, where Hayes and McNeil were cited signing each other’ petitions to run for the position.
The pair were applicants last summer to fill Position 4, left vacant after Bobby Simmons resigned. That position ultimately went to Monique Williams, who is running so far unchallenged in this fall’s election.
Kenneth Hayes
Hayes served in the Army during the Desert Storm Iraq/Iran conflict in the early 1990s and today is retired military. Five years ago he and his wife, Maureen Scurlock-Hayes, moved to Bartlett from Las Vegas.
He was appointed to the Bartlett Station Commission earlier this year and cites a desire to be involved in helping build Bartlett.
“I guess I’m getting older, and I’m seeing a lot of things that need help,” Hayes said. “We can’t sit on the sidelines and wish everything comes to fruition. I’m retired and want to step in. I volunteered for the military. Why can’t I volunteer for the city and try and make things better?”
Hayes is also a committee member of the Bartlett Education Foundation and a Shelby County Election Commission poll deputy, as well as a former Red Cross volunteer and participant in Leadership Bartlett.
His goal is to “build a stronger, more inclusive community where every voice is heard and every individual is valued.”
As for why he chose to run for Position 6, where there are three candidates, versus challenging one of the other incumbents, who are thus far unopposed, Hayes has a strategy.
“They (McNeil and Quinn) would split the white vote, and I would win,” he said.
Joshua McNeil
McNeil is a member of Bartlett’s Planning Commission and Industrial Development Board, having been appointed to both within the past year.
Professionally, he works for Noresco, helping cities, counties and school districts across Tennessee to lower costs and improve infrastructure.
“What that has taught me is an understanding of the day-to-day operations of municipalities just like Bartlett, as well as their budgets,” McNeil said.
He and his wife, Brittany, moved to Bartlett 10 years ago.
“The child we’re expecting is really what drove my decision to pursue being more involved in my community,” McNeil said. “I’m passionate to help my city to the best of my ability.”
He also shared why he is running for Position 6.
“For me, it was pretty easy decision because I had already promised my support to Mr. Jack Young and Mrs. Monique Williams,” he said.
Kevin Quinn
Quinn, a TV, radio and digital media specialist and partner in Quinn Family Farm LLC, won his first four-year term in Position 6 in 2020. He then ran for mayor in 2022, losing to David Parsons.
“Over the last year or so, I’ve spent more time doing more alderman stuff than working because we have so many problems that have been hitting us that no one could’ve seen,” Quinn said. He expects a tough couple of years ahead thanks to inflation, supply chain issues and other recessionary factors.
Quinn has been vocal about wanting more people running for elected office, so he is encouraged to see two people already vying for his spot.
“Things are going well here compared to some other municipalities around us, but we have a whole bunch of hard decisions to make in the next two to four years,” he said. “We’re very lucky to have a good board right now with a lot of different business backgrounds and decades of experience to help navigate some troubled waters.”
Quinn also currently serves on the board of the Bartlett Education Foundation, is secretary of the Tennessee Municipal League District 8, and is chairman of the Bartlett Historic Preservation Commission, as well as duties with other boards and commissions.
He and his wife, Crandall, have lived in Bartlett since the mid-2000s and have three kids in Bartlett City Schools.
The qualifying deadline to file petitions is August 15, and early voting runs from Oct. 16 to Oct. 31.
Topics
Bartlett 2024 Bartlett elections Alderman Kevin Quinn Joshua McNeil Kenneth Hayes Subscriber OnlyAre you enjoying your subscription?
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Michael Waddell
Michael Waddell is a native Memphian with more than 20 years of professional writing and editorial experience, working most recently with The Daily News and High Ground News.
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