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The Town of Arlington’s municipal elections are rapidly approaching on Aug. 1 with early voting starting July 12.

The Memphis suburb’s mayor’s seat, three alderman positions and two Arlington Community Schools (ACS) board offices are on this year’s town ballot.

Several incumbents ended up running unopposed, including Mayor Mike Wissman along with aldermen Larry Harmon Jr. in Position 1 and Jeff McKee in Position 3.

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New ACS board candidate and real estate agent Courtney Barnes is also running unopposed for the Position 4 seat currently held by Kay Williams, who chose not to seek reelection.

Two races on the ballot are contested with Dwight Barker and Jordan Hinders vying for the alderman Position 1 held by former town mayor Russell Wiseman and incumbent Lyle Wilson Conley and Betsy McEntire squaring off for an ACS board seat.

Both Barker and Hinders are making their second attempt at alderman. Hinders lost in 2022 to Oscar Brooks in Position 4 and Barker lost in 2020 to Wiseman.

Barker, a project manager and franchising consultant, feels good about the direction of his campaign.

“We’ve been talking to a lot of people and letting people know who I am,” he said, noting his years of experience on the town’s Municipal Planning Commission and Industrial Development Board.

Barker said Wissman and the current board members have done an amazing job in recent years.

“I just want to keep Arlington moving in a positive direction,” he said.

In his final push before the election, Hinders, a Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputy, plans to check with some local businesses to see if they might host a meet-and-greet so he can talk directly to citizens.

“There are a lot of things I’ve heard citizens talk about that I hope I could help put into action,” he said. “Arlington’s about to grow very fast, and I want to make sure we’re ready for that growth, especially with these two new apartment complexes coming in.”

He said the race against Barker is up in the air at this point.

“I feel like a lot of citizens are more focused on the national election coming up (in November) rather than the local one,” Hinders said.

In the ACS school board races, Conley will seek her second term on the board. 

“You never know how things are going to turn out, but I think I have a proven record that is to my advantage of voting diligently for the needs of the students and the teachers,” she said.

Conley says she is proud of her past four years on the board.

“I’ve really enjoyed this time, and I want to continue working with the board members to make (us) one of the best districts around,” she said.

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McEntire, making her first run at an elected position, says she has learned a lot from the experience.

“I feel like win or lose, I’m still going to be able to serve our schools since I’m the PTA president at the high school. That’s the most important thing to me is that I’m actually helping at the schools,” she said. She also she respects Conley and does not see it as a competition against her.

As an accountant, McEntire plans to show voters her strengths and how she differs from those serving on the board now.

“If I do get elected, I’m just excited about the possibilities and being able to help where I can,” she said.

Wissman, a planning and development inspector with Memphis Fire Department, will win a fourth four-year term as Arlington mayor. He was first elected in 2011. This is his second time running unopposed, the last was in 2016.

Harmon, a Memphis Fire Department battalion chief, will have his third term in Position 1, while medical-sales specialist McKee will win his fourth term in Position 3.

Early voting begins July 12 and runs to July 27.