Judge rules in favor of Turner, Bonner in mayoral candidate residency trial

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The top two candidates running for Memphis mayor now have the green light to continue with their campaigns.

A Shelby County Chancery Court judge ruled Thursday, May 18, that Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and Memphis NAACP President Van Turner meet the residency requirements to run for the Bluff City’s top office.

Attorneys who work for Mayor Strickland’s administration argued that candidates for mayor must live in the city for at least five years to qualify to run.

Attorneys for Sheriff Bonner and Turner filed a lawsuit in chancery court and challenged that, with the Memphis City Council attorney joining the lawsuit and siding with the plaintiffs. 

Judge JoeDae Jenkins ultimately ruled in their favor.

“I’m pleased with the Chancellor’s decision,” Turner said. “I think that I’ve proven that I’m vested in this city. I love this city. I’m a native of Whitehaven. So, I’m ready to run hard for this office.”

Attorneys for the City of Memphis said the city charter spells out a five-year residency requirement for mayoral candidates.

The plaintiff’s attorneys argued voters did away with that in a 1996 referendum.

This lawsuit is significant because Turner lived in unincorporated Shelby County, and Bonner in Bartlett, until both bought houses in Memphis city limits this year.

”We’ll start showing up and talking about the issues. I think that’s the important thing that citizens want to hear from all the candidates,” said Sheriff Bonner, who is a graduate of Hillcrest High School and the University of Memphis. “We’re happy to get this behind us and now we can move on with our campaigns.”

”It puts a lot more focus on the voters, which is where it should be,” Memphis City Council Attorney Allan Wade explained. “They should be making the decision, and they’re not stupid. If you don’t meet their criteria for knowing about Memphis, and they don’t have confidence that you can do things, they’re not going to vote for you.”

City attorneys did not talk with the media after the judge made his ruling, and multiple requests from Action News 5 asking for a statement from Mayor Strickland’s administration went unanswered.

When asked why he thought the City of Memphis pushed for the five-year residency requirement, Bonner’s attorney didn’t mince words.

”Because they have a preferred candidate that they want to win,” said Robert Spence, who also served as the Memphis City Attorney during Mayor Willie Herenton’s administration from 1997-2004, “and they believe that candidate is more likely to win if Mr. Bonner and Mr. Turner aren’t in the race.”

Spence declined to say who that preferred candidate is.

Tennessee Representative Karen Camper (D-Memphis) released the following statement following the ruling:

Action News 5 reached out to all the candidates for their reaction to the residency ruling.

In a Tweet, MSCS Board commissioner and mayoral candidate Michelle McKissack expressed her disappointment in the ruling:

Local businessman and mayoral candidate JW Gibson also expressed his frustration over the ruling Thursday night:

Downtown Memphis Commission President and CEO Paul Young, also running for mayor, says he’s unwavered by the ruling and looks forward to debating each candidate in the upcoming race:

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