MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There’s a new significant development in who could be eligible to run as Memphis mayor later this year.
The Shelby County Election Commission has removed the five-year residency requirement from its website, for now, as its attorneys asked a chancery court judge to make a final determination.
Two Memphis mayoral candidates, Floyd Bonner and Van Turner, recently challenged the five-year residency requirement in chancery court after moving into the bluff city limits in recent months.
The election commission's attorneys said in a motion to dismiss filed Thursday morning that because “the City of Memphis has declined to confirm whether a previous opinion is the official position of the city,” it asked Chancery Court Judge JoeDae Jenkins to determine the issue.
City of Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink hasn't said whether she agreed or disagreed with the opinion of former election commissioner Robert Meyers. His opinion in recent weeks said the five-year mayoral residency should remain in place, based on previous precedent in the city's charter.
ABC24 has reached out to the city for comment but haven't heard back.
The issue is expected to be addressed in chancery court April 19, with a hearing on the lawsuit also scheduled for May 1.