Johnnie Turner to apply for late husband’s seat

Johnnie Turner

Fourteen years ago, Johnnie Turner was at a crossroads: She wasn’t sure if she had the wherewithal to succeed Maxine Smith as executive director of the Memphis Branch NAACP.

Smith had been a formidable freedom fighter whose exploits were legendary, and Turner, a seasoned civil rights activist, felt that her shoes were too big to fill.

“When I was approached about taking Maxine’s place, I said no way. People would expect too much of me. My husband told me, ‘You can do it, but serve the way Johnnie Turner would serve.’”

Now, Turner wants to take a leave of absence from the NAACP to pursue the seat in District 85 left vacant after the Nov. 27 death of her husband, state Rep. Larry Turner, who was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1984.

That decision was made on Dec. 12 after “I sat down and took an analysis and weighed the pros and cons,” said Turner. “I want to complete his term as a fitting tribute to his legacy.”

Turner said she would take up some of the causes that her husband fought for in the General Assembly. “I’m going to do it in my own way. I’m not going to be Larry Turner; he was quiet. I’m not.”

On Monday, Turner called Smith to get her opinion. “I support her decision,” said Smith. “I think she deserves it if she wants it. I think she’s quite capable.

 “I’ve known her for a long time and she’s a person of great dedication. And she’s committed, too,” Smith said.

“In my current role (as executive director), I try to influence decisions,” said Turner, 69. “If I’m tapped to fill the position, I will be the decision maker to influence laws that my husband cared about.”

The Shelby County Commission will interview prospective candidates for the interim position on Jan. 6. The appointment will be made Jan. 11. The next election is November 2010.

“I feel I’m doing the right thing,” said Turner. “I’m not going there (to Nashville) to keep the seat warm. I’m going there to keep it hot.”

Wilbun seeks to reclaim Juvenile Court clerk job

Shep Wilbun Jr.

Shep Wilbun Jr. wants his old job back as Memphis-Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk. He resigned from the Shelby County Election Commission so he would be eligible to run.

On Friday (Dec. 18), Wilbun announced that he would indeed be a candidate in the May 4 Democratic primary. The qualifying deadline is Feb. 18; the withdrawal deadline is Feb. 25.

Why is he seeking his old job again?

“I’m running to be in a position where I can help families and children,” Wilbun told the Tri-State Defender in October. “Juvenile Court in Memphis and Shelby County is a place where families come with issues and problems.”

The court, he said, “sees a majority of African-American fathers who are being solicited for the payment of child support, African-American mothers who are seeking child support payments and African-American children who are getting in trouble.”

Republican Steve Stamson, who beat Wilbun in 2002 and 2006, will not seek re-election in 2010. If Wilbun is elected, he said, “I hope he does a better job than he did when he was clerk.”

Wilbun said he had ruffled some feathers and that the “old school” wasn’t thrilled with his outspokenness. “I speak out on behalf of families, and I will continue to be a voice for families and children in a more cooperative way,” he said.

Wilbun’s voice was silenced in 2002 after a federal grand jury indicted him – and two others – on a charge of official misconduct. The charges involved a payoff to a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by an employee.

The charges against Wilbun eventually were dropped and he says he never did anything wrong. A former city councilman, county commissioner and mayoral candidate, he remained politically inactive until his appointment to the Election Commission.

After Wilbun’s departure from the court, controversy continued to swirl, however. On July 1, the court lost its 45-year contract to collect and enforce child-support payments to Maximus Inc., a Virginia-based company.

According to state Department of Human Services Commissioner Virginia Lodge, it lost the contract because it performed poorly and failed to meet certain collection benchmarks.

Also, Juvenile Court Judge Curtis Person Jr. has been at the vortex of a long-standing court battle with the Shelby County Commission over the addition of a second judgeship based on a 1967 state statute.

“We have a right to appoint a second judge,” said Commissioner Deidre Malone, noting Chancellor Kenny Armstrong’s 2007 ruling to fill the position before a Tennessee appeals court reversed his ruling.

“The commission voted to ask attorney Leo Bearman to move forward to appeal the middle court’s decision so we can take it to the state Supreme Court,” said Malone.

“The commission feels that if we don’t take it to the Supreme Court, we’ll never really know whether or not we were right (in establishing a second judgeship).”

If the Supreme Court doesn’t rule in the commission’s favor, Malone said, “It’s over. We won’t have any recourse.”

Wilbun would not comment on the court’s lost contract, nor would he wade in the battle over a second judgeship. “I’m focused on winning the clerk’s race,” he said.

Moore, a political newcomer, wins vacant commission seat

It was a known fact in political circles that interim Shelby County Mayor Joe S. Ford, 55, wanted his 25-year-old son, Justin, to replace him on the 13-member Shelby County Commission.

The younger Ford also wanted the District 3, Position 3 seat that was once held by his uncle, Dr. James Ford, who died in 2001. On Monday, the hopes of both father and son were dashed after the commission voted to seat Edith C. Moore, a political unknown.

Moore, 61, is retired from IBM and now works as a substitute teacher in the Memphis City Schools. She also operates a real estate business. To her surprise, she beat a Ford.

Moore was selected over Ford,  former high school principal James O. Catchings and Memphis City Schools teacher Ike Griffith. She needed seven votes to win.

After six rounds of voting, Democrats James Harvey, Henri Brooks, and J.W. Gibson, as well as Republicans Mike Ritz, George Flinn, Joyce Avery, and Mike Carpenter voted for Moore.

Clerk Carealine Tuggle swore-in Moore shortly after the vote.

Gibbons calls health care legislation a ‘train wreck’

Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons, who is running for Tennessee governor in the Aug. 5, 2010 state primary election, has misgivings about the Senate health care bill.

“I am deeply concerned about the Senate Democrats’ health care measure and its potential affect on Tennessee’s budget, namely through unfunded mandates,” said Gibbons in a released statement.

“As it’s written now, this legislation could cost our state $735 million between 2014 and 2019, money that will send Tennesseans into deeper debt,” said Gibbons. “To make matters worse, we could be footing the bill for states like Nebraska and Louisiana, which appear to get special deals under the bill.” 

Gibbons called the bill “one of the most glaring examples of Congressional irresponsibility in recent memory.”

Chris Thomas to seek county commission seat

Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas is seeking a new position. On Wednesday (Dec. 16), he filed a petition to run in the May 4 Republican primary for the District 4, Position 1 seat on the Shelby County Commission. Chairwoman Joyce Avery currently holds the seat. She is not seeking re-election.

Thomas is serving his fourth term as Probate Court clerk. He will not seek re-election. He was elected to the clerk’s office in 1994 and served one term on the Memphis City Schools board.

Feb. 18 is the filing deadline for countywide races.