SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — This is part two of a two-part series covering the upcoming Shelby County Clerk election. Click here for part one.
In what some are saying is already an overheated political climate nationally, locally in Shelby County, the race for General Sessions Court clerk isn’t without its share of heated disputes.
Incumbent Joe Brown lost the Democratic primary to former Shelby County commissioner Tami Sawyer earlier this year, while Lisa Arnold was the only Republican to meet the qualifications for the Aug. 1 general ballot.
Both Arnold and Sawyer are campaigning for the role of keeping all of the records for the six civil divisions and nine criminal courts in the state of Tennessee’s largest court system.
Arnold has worked within the General Sessions Court system for 33 years.
She told ABC24 she wants to make customer service a priority in the courts as well as enhance the court clerk's offices' technology. Arnold said that can help with the backlog of cases.
“We turn the TV on every day," Arnold said. "We talk to our neighbors, our friends, people standing in line at Target, and everybody’s just tired of the crime in the city."
Arnold said she wants to be transparent if she gets in the clerk's office.
"That’s key to helping lawmakers make informed decisions. Also, I want to be very big on customer service and training the employees. I’m expecting the employees to be trained very well because you’re only as good as you’re trained."
Her campaign has been accused of dirty tactics, such as digging up social media posts of her democratic opponent Tami Sawyer and plastering them on campaign literature. Arnold placed the onus on the Republican establishment.
“Honestly, I have not seen it myself," Arnold told ABC24. "That was done independently by the Republican Party. I have made it very clear that it is what it is. It is a partisan race, but you will be dealing with all citizens. I can’t control what the Republican Party has put out."
The election for General Sessions Court Clerk will be the only countywide ballot measure for 2024.
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