MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer announced Monday her decision to not pursue a second term of public office. Elected on August 2, 2018, Sawyer has served as representative for the County’s seventh district for three years and will conclude her first term as a member of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners on August 31, 2022.
Promising to remain an ally and voice for justice for families in district 7 and the Greater Memphis community at-large, Commissioner Sawyer says her decision to not seek a second term is prompted by an intent to broaden her impact as a servant leader for marginalized communities in a new capacity.
“I am immensely grateful to have the privilege to serve district 7 and humbled by the opportunities that I have had to work alongside community residents to bring about real change for families in an often-forgotten area of Shelby County,” Commissioner Sawyer said.
“The work that I will continue following the end of my term as Commissioner will be focused on the communities that need us to hear them the most in Memphis and across the South, but are too often ignored by government leadership, collectively.”
Garnering an overwhelming majority vote (81%), Sawyer won her race to serve on the Shelby County Commission after mounting a successful grassroots campaign against opponent Samuel Goff. Since being sworn into elected office on August 30, 2018, the freshman Commissioner has gained broad-based community support among constituents for her representation of district 7 and national regard as an activist, thought leader, and outspoken advocate for social justice, the eradication of systemic racism, and equality for disadvantaged black indigenous people of color.
Sawyer currently serves as the first ever chair of the Shelby County Commission Black Caucus, leading initiatives on economic and financial inequity, public health, and healthcare for local families. In 2020, she presented legislation as the first elected leader in Memphis and Shelby County to protect residents during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic by introducing masking ordinance and emergency fund resolutions. She was subsequently appointed to the Tennessee Health Department’s Minority Health Task Force for her pandemic response leadership efforts.
Throughout her first term on the County Commission, Sawyer has also served as Co-Chair for the transportation task force leading to a historic $2.5 million investment in the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) and led advocacy efforts to expand access to reproductive health products for girls in Shelby County Schools. In 2020, she advocated for and sponsored legislation leading to one of the largest investments that children and families in North Memphis have ever received through grant funding allocation of $1.5 million for the expansion of the Girls. Inc campus in Frayser.
With one year left to complete her first term in office, Commissioner Sawyer says she is excited to fulfill her commitment to the residents of district 7 while also looking toward the future.
“For almost eight years, I have had the privilege to serve Memphis as an activist, organizer and elected official and I am humbled to have been chosen by my district to be a servant leader during a time of momentous change and uncertainty in our country,” Sawyer states.
“During my last year in office, I look forward to continuing to fight for progress for Memphis and Shelby County and infrastructure building for policies that will bring equality to the south. Because I also know first-hand what it takes to build relationships and trust within community as a candidate for public office, by announcing my decision to not seek re-election at this point in my term, I hope to allow district 7 sufficient time to come to know and choose a successor who is equally committed and prepared to continue this work with us to address the inequities that persist in our communities.”