The first challengers have emerged for alderman and Board of Education seats in Bartlett’s fall elections, as Kevin Quinn and Bradford Ratliff filed petitions with the Shelby County Election Commission.

Quinn will face Alderwoman Paula Sedgwick for the Position 6 seat on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen, while Ratliff will oppose Portia Tate for the Bartlett Board of Education Position 1 seat.

Quinn, Ratliff and Tate are seeking their first elected offices.

“I love Bartlett and want to help make it an even better place that my kids will never feel that they have to leave,” said Quinn, a 15-year resident. As a student of history and politics for much of his life, he feels he understands the good and the bad effects office holders can have on history, and the importance of trying to make the most careful, educated decisions on even the seemingly small matters.

“Other elected officials and friends know this about me and encouraged me to run when I felt ready,” Quinn said. “This year, I felt that I’d put in many years of public service through appointments or boards and was comfortable moving forward.”

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He believes it’s time to begin the transition to the next generation of Bartlett leaders.

“We have some local officials who are going to retire in the coming years,” Quinn said, mentioning Mayor Keith McDonald. “Being older with a young family (with three children ages 4, 8 and 12), I really understand the importance of investing in the future.”

His professional experience includes current social and digital media work for the Pink Palace Museum and more than 23 years in broadcast television.

 “As the 10th largest city in Tennessee, and with a superior school system, we’re attracting new families and businesses every day,” Quinn said. “That means we must take some different approaches on how we grow, and not just with neighborhoods and industry, but places where the people of Bartlett want to spend their hard-earned money, so we can keep more of it in Bartlett rather than Memphis.”

Sedgwick, the incumbent alderman, is seeking her third four-year term in the Position 6 office.

“I’m very passionate about Bartlett and our local community,” she said recently. “We have an outstanding municipality here, with our own schools now that are thriving. I’m very honored to be a part of that, and I look forward to continuing that hopefully.”

Sedgwick, along with her late husband, owned two businesses – Memphis Wilbert Vault Company and Tupelo Wilbert Vault Company – for nearly 22 years. She also worked for the Memphis Bar Association, where she started the Legal Placement Service, as well as International Paper and ALSAC St. Jude. After her retirement, she has devoted her time to helping ethical men and women get elected to public office.

Her focus areas over the past eight years as alderwoman have included fostering a pro-business environment in Bartlett, as well as keeping the crime rate low, providing access to quality schools, and creating and maintaining superb recreational opportunities.

She serves as the state executive committee woman for Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale and Dyer Counties; she was appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam in 2012 to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority Board, serving on the Planning and Development Committee; and she is the District 8 director for the Tennessee Municipal League.

The other two races for alderman are for Position 4 where Bobby Simmons seeks his fifth term and in Position 5 as Jack Young runs for re-election. No opposition has filed in either of those races.

In one of the three BCS board seat races this fall, Ratliff will challenge Tate, a retired educator with 35 years experience. Tate was appointed to the BCS board last year in an interim capacity following Jeff Norris’ resignation.

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For the past 16 years, Ratliff has honed his communication skills as the student minister at New Hope Christian Church in Bartlett, working with middle and high school students along with their parents.

“I’ve always really had a heart for students and seeing them grow,” said Ratliff, who also has two of his own children currently attending Bartlett schools. “I would love to be a voice for people with kids and teachers in the school system and help to convey concerns and solve problems.”

He notes he is not running because he is upset about any issues but is simply running against a candidate who has not been elected.

“I just have really enjoyed all of the growth in Bartlett and am really impressed by it, and I would love to serve and be a part of it,” said Ratliff, a member of the current Leadership Bartlett class. “I think BCS is doing great things, and I’m proud to say my kids go to school there.”

In addition to working at the church, Ratliff is also a football coach football at Elmore Park Middle School (for the past five years) and a former coach of Bolton High School and Woodland Presbyterian School. He hopes his experience as a parent, volunteer and coach with the district will make the difference with voters on Election Day.

His opponent is running in her first election.

“I was incredibly honored to have been appointed to the position last year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed being a board member and helping Bartlett City Schools continue to be one of the premier school districts in Tennessee,” Tate said. 

She believes it is vital to have someone on the board that knows how schools run from the inside out.

“I have a proven track record of working effectively with all sectors of the education system to produce positive results,” said Tate, who retired from the district last year after 15 years as principal at Rivercrest Elementary, where she also served as vice principal. Under her leadership, Rivercrest became a Rewards School for the first time in 25 years.

Earlier in her career, she was a teacher at Bartlett Elementary and Millington Elementary.

“I feel that I can reflect upon my experiences as a teacher and administrator to influence the best policies for the students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers alike,” Tate said.

Two other BCS board seats are on the fall ballot, including those currently occupied by incumbents Shirley Jackson and board chairman David Cook.

No opposition has filed yet for those races.

The qualifying deadline for all candidates is Aug. 20, and the voter registration deadline is Oct. 5. Early voting runs from Oct. 14-29 before Election Day on Nov. 3.