MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Everyone pretty much agrees that for months, the Shelby County Clerk’s Office has been a functional mess. Thousands of vehicle owners still don’t have their 2022 auto tag renewals, including those new blue license plates, even after paying for them. Not to mention the long lines outside clerk’s offices in stifling heats.
But despite the problems, which some say are the result of incompetent management, the county commission did the right thing Monday by delaying a no confidence vote against County Clerk Wanda Halbert. Commissioners will take up the issue again on August 8th, four days after the county general election in which Halbert is seeking reelection.
Taking a no-confidence now would have been tantamount to commissioners putting their thumbs on the scale against Halbert’s reelection. With early voting already underway, the voters should decide for themselves if they still have confidence that Halbert, a Democrat who formerly served on the city council, can adequately manage the county clerk job. She is opposed by Republican Jeff Jacobs of Bartlett and Independent Harold C. Smith of Memphis – neither of whom has mounted much of challenge so far.
But Halbert’s performance as clerk and whether she’s capable of righting the ship are clearly the major issues in this race. As bad as things are with license plate renewals, the commission acted wisely in standing down for now and allowing the voters to decide.