Jim Strickland
The Memphis mayor, first elected in an upset win over previous incumbent A C Wharton in 2015, was faced with multiple challengers in the 2019 city election. A former two-term councilman and two-time council chairman, Strickland campaigned for mayor on triple themes of public safety, blight eradication, and governmental accountability, under the slogan “Brilliant with the Basics.” With legal advisers, he devised a successful strategy for removing two statues of Confederate leaders from prominent locations Downtown. Strickland launched the Memphis 3.0 initiative of public meetings in 2017 to help prepare a new strategic plan for the city and in 2019 responded to city council delays by imposing it via executive order. He has floated the idea of finding an alternative power supplier to TVA. Strickland is former chairman of the Shelby County Democratic Party and longtime former law partner of David Kustoff, now a Republican member of Congress from the 8th District.
