MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert is taking a jab at Mayor Harris in response to his letter from earlier this week. The letter addressed leasing at her Poplar Avenue clerk’s office.
The lease ends on June 30, so Mayor Harris asked her to choose an alternative location by close of business Friday. Otherwise, he’d be forced to call a special meeting with the county commission and district attorney beginning proceedings to oust her from office under Tennessee law.
While Mayor Harris’ letter directly addressed clerk Halbert, Halbert sent a response to the chairman of the county commission, Mikhail Lowery.
“Chairman Lowery, I am an independent elected official the mayor is not my boss or the boss of the county commission,” Halbert wrote.
Her lengthy response includes requesting a meeting with commissioners to discuss the issues, not to mention the continued complaints coming from citizens about the ongoing delays in getting their license tags.
“This location is notoriously slow and difficult for people to get in and out of,” Memphis resident Steve Conn said. “I was here last Wednesday, and the line stretched all the way down to the end of the sidewalk here. That’s probably about an eighth mile.”
It’s one of many issues that needs to be dealt with according to Harris, but his spokeswoman said there’s been good communication between clerk Halbert and the landlord, so they’re hopeful.
“What the landlord has been trying to assist the clerk’s office with and has had multiple good faith efforts to do so is to get her a larger spot,” Shelby County Communications specialist Kelly Roberts said. “A spot with more parking, better lighting that just is better for the operation that she has going on there.”
If concerns can be addressed, the mayor’s office believes the plaza remains the best location for citizens because of its convenience. Still, Poplar Plaza isn’t the only clerk’s office facing parking issues and long wait times.
“The closest one is downtown and that’s a long way and parking is so bad down there, it’s dangerous,” Conn said. “It’s just flat out dangerous and parking is really bad, so I come out here — at least I can park but look at the distance.”
Clerk Halbert says she’d like to turn this former bank at Quince and Perkins that’s fully furnished into a second East Memphis location to help with delays at Poplar Plaza, but added the following:
“Until we know what direction will be taken before June 2023 on behalf of the county about Poplar/Highland congestion, the bank owner has offered a short-term rental giving us time to present to commission.”
It’s unclear how Clerk Halbert would setup that office. After all, there’s also the new clerk’s office on Riverdale Road in southeast Shelby County that’s been ready to move into since last October, but it remains closed due to staffing issues.