Opinion: The time is right to pursue ouster
By Mick Wright, Guest Columnist
Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright represents District 3, which covers Bartlett and Lakeland.
When Wanda Halbert’s ouster trial finally begins on May 1, 2026, it will have been 1,037 days since an independent prosecutor was appointed to lead an investigation into “numerous complaints concerning the Shelby County Clerk’s Office, which, if proven, could constitute a willful neglect by the County Clerk to perform the duties of her office.”
Nearly three years will have elapsed in the type of case Tennessee law specifically intended to be conducted in “speedy summary proceedings.” Our courts grant ouster cases priority over other civil and criminal actions in part because elected officials occupy these positions for a limited time.
Because Clerk Halbert’s term expires September 1, even some of her critics now question the value of these long awaited proceedings reaching a conclusion.
I’d like to offer a few reasons why it remains critically important for prosecutors to finish the job. In my view, pursuing ouster is necessary no matter how much sand remains atop the hourglass, whether it’s 123 days or half a millisecond.
First, the Clerk’s willful neglect has continued to this day, causing ongoing problems for Shelby County residents, local officials, car dealerships, fleet managers, handicapped drivers, auditors, Clerk’s office employees, state leaders, and others.
Halbert’s management style as Clerk has been characterized by a combination of paranoia, distrust, micromanagement, and paralysis that has rendered the operation inert. This imposes high costs on the people of Shelby County.
The specific costs include longer wait times at each of the retail locations, millions in uncollected fees straining the City of Memphis budget, and findings that cloud Shelby County’s annual audit.
Second, many of the problems in the Shelby County Clerk’s office can be corrected quickly.
The prime opportunities for immediate improvement are routine matters that should have been addressed years ago.
In a single day or less, a leader could:
· Update the location guide that has been out of date for six years.
· Correct the fee schedule that has been incorrect for at least three years.
· Upgrade computers running software Microsoft hasn’t supported for six years.
· Agree to a new Whitehaven lease that expired five years ago.
· Call the kiosk vendor to schedule maintenance on all machines.
· Ensure that all lease agreements and payments are current.
After these tasks are completed, an interim Clerk could select a replacement for the Poplar Plaza office, develop a plan to open the drive-through windows at Riverdale, revise the policy for serving car dealerships and businesses with large vehicle fleets, and order kiosks for any municipal city hall that would like one.
Third, it is crucial that justice is served in this case. Failing to hold this Clerk accountable would be disastrous.
The integrity of the state’s ouster statutes is already hanging by a thread. Allowing such a flagrant case of willful neglect to go unaddressed would deal a fatal blow to our system, deactivating an important measure that discourages officials from running their operations into the ground. Imagine a sheriff, a mayor, a trustee or an assessor simply not executing the functions of the job. That’s a recipe for chaos both here and across our state.
More immediately, if we don’t draw a line in the sand now, it can happen next in the Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk’s Office, for which Halbert is now running. Our criminal justice system is already burdened by delays, and our jail is already bursting at the seams; with an unaccountable official in charge, conditions could get unthinkably worse, both for victims and the accused.
Finally, for anyone concerned about the time and money invested in this process, remember that most of the work was performed in 2023. Now that we’ve overcome the delays caused by the defendant, all that’s left is the trial. It makes no sense to take a journey of a thousand miles, only to quit when we reach the final step.
And while there’s no guarantee the trial court will ultimately bring accountability in this case, we must see it through.
“The time is always right to do what is right.”
