contact
us
HERE
Democrat
Mickell Lowery calls his approach “Public Safety with Purpose.” Lowery emphasizes stronger local leadership, cooperation among government agencies, infrastructure investment and continued communication with state officials. Lowery lists public safety among the central issues on the campaign platform.
Lowery also discussed public safety, county finances, schools and economic development during an appearance on WKNO’s Behind the Headlines. The WKNO interview is available here.
Lowery’s publicly identified approach includes:
More no.
Interagency cooperation, neighborhood investment, crime prevention and jail replacement have all been proposed by earlier Memphis and Shelby County administrations. Lowery may administer those policies differently, but the central ideas are familiar.
Lowery has not provided a specific number of additional deputies, a violent-crime reduction target, a repeat-offender plan, a jail-replacement timetable, a complete funding source or proposed changes to prosecution, pretrial detention and warrant enforcement.
Lowery favors cooperation with the state but says Shelby County should remain governed by locally elected officials. Lowery’s position suggests that the Memphis Safe Task Force should not become a permanent replacement for local government.
The MSTF combines federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies. The U.S. Marshals Service reported more than 10,000 arrests and more than 1,700 firearms seized through June 2026.
Lowery has not publicly established:
Lowery presents a conventional approach built around cooperation, prevention, investment and local authority. The approach lacks staffing numbers, funding details and measurable enforcement goals.
Lowery opposes replacing the elected school board with permanent state control.
The Tennessee General Assembly created a state-appointed oversight structure for Memphis-Shelby County Schools. MSCS later sued Tennessee over the takeover law, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the proceedings.
Lowery says Shelby County residents should govern Shelby County and that the elected school board should continue operating while the courts decide the legal dispute. Lowery nevertheless supports continued communication with state officials.
Lowery’s position is clear on local control. Lowery has not explained what new accountability requirements would accompany continued local control.
Lowery supports greater education investment, universal pre-K and continued operation of the elected MSCS Board of Education.
Lowery has not provided:
Lowery’s program assumes that greater investment and stable governance will produce improvement but does not explain how spending would be converted into measurable academic gains.
No separate Lowery teacher-retention program was identified in the campaign platform or interviews reviewed.
Lowery has not specified teacher raises, retention bonuses, classroom-safety protections, workload reductions, housing assistance, recruitment incentives or a multiyear retention goal.
Lowery clearly supports investment and local control but provides few measurable solutions for low achievement or teacher departures.
\
Lowery’s campaign promotes “Jobs & Growth that Work for Everyone.” Lowery supports employer recruitment, infrastructure investment and conventional economic-development projects. Lowery’s campaign priorities are available here.
Lowery’s identifiable positions include:
Lowery has not presented a separate plan for preventing existing employers from closing, relocating or moving to surrounding counties and states.
Lowery’s broader policies might affect population loss, but no measurable population-retention strategy has been documented.
No documented plan was found for permit reform, business-tax stabilization, commercial-crime protection, employer exit interviews, small-business assistance or an early-warning system for companies preparing to leave.
Lowery has the more developed conventional economic platform, but the platform concentrates more on attracting major investments than retaining existing small and midsize businesses.
Lowery connects population loss to crime, schools, employment, infrastructure and healthcare. Those issues affect whether residents remain in Shelby County.
However, Lowery has not presented a distinct population-recovery plan containing:
Current and historical Memphis population estimates are available through the U.S. Census Bureau.
Lowery presents a broad traditional county-government agenda emphasizing investment, pre-K, infrastructure, Regional One Health, economic recruitment and preservation of local control. Lowery’s main weakness is the absence of measurable crime targets, school-performance standards, a teacher-retention package, a business-retention program and a population-recovery plan.
Republican
John DeBerry Jr. argues that state and federal intervention became necessary because Memphis and Shelby County failed to control crime adequately.
DeBerry discussed public safety, state intervention and the Memphis Safe Task Force during a May 2026 appearance on WKNO’s Behind the Headlines. The complete PBS/WKNO interview is available here.
DeBerry says the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office should become the best-funded and best-trained law-enforcement agency in Tennessee.
DeBerry’s publicly identified approach includes:
More yes.
Funding law enforcement, improving training and increasing coordination are familiar proposals. DeBerry differs from many local candidates by openly arguing that state and federal intervention was justified by local failure.
DeBerry also connects the withdrawal of outside forces to improved local law-enforcement capacity rather than to a political deadline.
DeBerry has not supplied a dollar amount for additional sheriff funding, a target number of deputies, specific training requirements, a withdrawal timetable, crime-reduction benchmarks, a repeat-offender proposal or a detailed detention policy.
DeBerry supports the MSTF as a necessary response to local conditions but does not describe the task force as a permanent solution.
DeBerry favors gradually withdrawing the MSTF after local law enforcement can maintain public safety without extensive outside assistance.
DeBerry’s position is:
The MSTF became necessary because local government failed to control crime. The task force should remain while needed, but stronger local law enforcement should eventually make the task force unnecessary.
The MSTF reported more than 10,000 arrests and 1,700 firearms seized through June 2026.
DeBerry has not established measurable standards for determining when local agencies would be ready to replace the task force.
DeBerry offers the clearer law-enforcement philosophy and more definite MSTF position. The program still lacks funding figures, staffing targets and performance benchmarks.
DeBerry is more supportive than Lowery of state intervention in Memphis-Shelby County Schools.
DeBerry argues that Nashville did not intervene without cause and that poor academic and administrative performance invited state action. DeBerry appears prepared to work with the state oversight structure rather than make opposition to it the first priority.
DeBerry’s position is:
State intervention resulted from local failure. Local officials should cooperate with the state, correct the underlying problems and ultimately become capable of governing the system successfully again.
The state-created oversight process remains disputed because MSCS sued Tennessee and a federal judge temporarily blocked the proceedings.
DeBerry emphasizes accountability for the large amount of money spent by Memphis-Shelby County Schools. DeBerry says the public should expect better academic results.
DeBerry connects poor performance to:
DeBerry supports stronger spending accountability, restoration of classroom discipline, teacher authority and cooperation among the school board, county government and state officials.
DeBerry has not established reading or math targets, curriculum reforms, restructuring standards, principal-evaluation rules, tutoring plans, attendance targets or deadlines for improvement.
DeBerry identifies classroom disorder and lack of respect for teachers as causes of teacher dissatisfaction and departure.
DeBerry has not supplied a complete retention plan covering salaries, bonuses, benefits, classroom safety, assault protections, administrative support, workload reduction, housing assistance, recruitment or multiyear retention goals.
DeBerry offers the clearer diagnosis of state intervention, low performance and classroom discipline. The plan remains incomplete because DeBerry has not converted those principles into measurable academic and teacher-retention policies.
DeBerry emphasizes Memphis and Shelby County’s importance as a national transportation and distribution center.
DeBerry argues that economic growth depends on:
DeBerry discusses this broader governing approach in the PBS/WKNO candidate interview.
DeBerry says crime, weak schools and governmental dysfunction discourage business investment and contribute to companies leaving.
No detailed DeBerry plan was identified for a business-retention office, permit reform, business taxes, commercial-crime protection, small-business assistance, employer exit interviews, neighborhood commercial recovery or incentives for existing companies.
DeBerry’s argument is that restoring order, discipline and effective government would improve the business climate. That is a diagnosis rather than a complete economic-development plan.
DeBerry identifies conditions contributing to business outflow but offers fewer direct economic-development proposals than Lowery.
DeBerry links population decline to crime, weak schools, economic decline, governmental failure and Memphis’ deteriorating reputation.
DeBerry’s central response is to restore safety, educational performance and civic confidence so residents and employers no longer feel compelled to leave.
DeBerry has not presented:
Current and historical population estimates are available through the U.S. Census Bureau.
DeBerry provides a stronger diagnosis than a program. DeBerry has not explained how county government would measure or actively manage population recovery.
DeBerry presents the clearer break from current local leadership on crime, the MSTF, school discipline, accountability and state intervention. DeBerry’s weaknesses are the lack of funding details, staffing targets, academic benchmarks, a complete teacher-retention program, a business-retention strategy and a measurable population-recovery plan.