Mandy Gunasekara’s effort to be on the August ballot for public service commissioner in Mississippi’s Northern District could be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Former Mayor Willie Herenton’s seventh bid for mayor is being framed as a reelection effort and relies heavily on his experience as the longest serving mayor in the city’s history. 

Michelle McKissack sent an email about the district’s third grade reading scores Wednesday afternoon in which she referenced her mayoral candidacy, an “oversight” that could run afoul of district ethics rules. 

The opening day crowd to get petitions at the Election Commission’s Downtown office had a few surprises, a party bus and even some camaraderie among competing candidates.

Five of the dozen candidates running for Memphis mayor came to the Overton Park Shell Saturday as the race for mayor enters its most public phase.

Related content:

Memphis mayoral candidates react to The Greater 901 Initiative poll

Memphis mayoral candidates react to the residency court ruling

Here’s what some of the mayoral contenders had to say about The Greater 901 Initiative’s recent poll of the 2023 mayor’s race.

Here is what some of the Memphis mayoral contenders had to say about the Chancery Court ruling that there is no residency requirement for candidates in the October 2023 elections.

How about Justin Timberlake? Leslie Jones? William, Prince of Wales? No connection to Memphis is too tenuous to be mayor. Who would you choose?

The two mayoral candidates, neither of whom have lived in Memphis for two years, and the City Council argued that a 1996 referendum repealed residency requirements.

The poll showed Van Turner and Floyd Bonner tied with about 15.9% of the vote. Willie Herenton trailed them at 13.9%, and Paul Young had 12%.

A resolution to back a five-year requirement for those running for Memphis mayor and Memphis City Council was tabled Tuesday.

Mandy Gunasekara’s run for Public Service Commissioner in Mississippi’s Northern District suffered a blow Thursday when the state Supreme Court ruled she had not met the five-year residency requirement.

The Memphis City Council filed a lawsuit against the Shelby County Election Commission and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland to stop a five-year residency requirement for elected officials from being enforced. 

He would be a heavy underdog in the general election were he to win the Democratic nomination. 

The Greater 901 Initiative, a political action committee, was identified as the group paying for the earlier poll in an email sent out Tuesday evening.

The meeting was canceled after Memphis City Council Vice Chairman JB Smiley Jr. asked Davis and City Attorney Jennifer Sink about it during the council’s Tuesday meeting. 

Memphis City Attorney Jennifer Sink has taken the stance the City of Memphis' five-year residency requirement for mayoral candidates is in effect.

The City of Memphis’ five-year residency requirement for elected officials goes back to 1905. So why is it up for debate now? And when will we know who is eligible to run for Memphis’ next mayor? 

A referendum ordinance on a two-year residency requirement cleared the Memphis City Council, which left open the question of the residency requirement for this year’s race for mayor.

Related story:

Strickland won’t testify in mayoral residency suit

Watch five mayoral candidates discuss local crime and criminal justice issues during last night’s Daily Memphian mayoral debate. 

The discussion focused on crime and criminal justice moderated by The Daily Memphian CEO Eric Barnes.

Five of the 11 declared mayoral contenders will debate crime, policing and criminal justice at the April 24 event at The Halloran Centre at the Orpheum, which will also be live-streamed on The Daily Memphian site.

A three-plus hour mayoral forum Thursday night at First Congregational Church in Cooper-Young featured Daniel Abston, Frank Colvett, J.W. Gibson, Reginald Hall and Paul Young. 

The lawsuits over the five-year residency rule in the mayor’s race get their first court hearing Friday. Meanwhile, four of the mayoral contenders show up for a People’s Convention gathering at LeMoyne-Owen College and council candidates Meggan Kiel and Pearl Walker kick off their bids.

Cary Vaughn was re-elected Shelby County Republican chairman at the local party’s biennial convention, with a call for new blood and a focus on common ground.