The View 38002 June/July 2014 | Page 8

38002.com theview theview Page 8 June/July 2014 2014 Election Coverage County General Elections ~ Thursday, August 7 Meet Your Candidates for Three Key County Races By Terry Louderback The elections on August 7 serve as both the general election for County-wide races and the primary election for state and federal offices. The View 38002 contacted the candidates for the key races of Shelby County Mayor, Sheriff, and District Attorney and invited them to participate in a brief Q&A. Each candidate was sent the same three questions and instructions. The responses printed here are unedited, except for formatting that does not change the content or intent of the answer. Other county offices to be determined on August 7 include Assessor of Property, County Trustee, County Clerk, County Register, General Sessions Judge, and Juvenile Court Judge. Although the County Commission general election is on the August ballot, the representatives for areas including Arlington (District 1:Terry Roland) and Lakeland (District 3: David Reaves) have already been determined as there were no democratic candidates. Residents of 38002 who reside outside of municipal boundaries will also select the District 5 representative to the Shelby County School Board from candidates Scott McCormick and David Winston. State and Federal Offices included on the primary ballot include Tennessee’s Governor, the US Senate seat held by Lamar Alexander, and Congressional District 8., currently represented by Stephen Fincher. The Tennessee State Representative whose district includes 38002, Ron Lollar, is up for re-election in 2014, but has no opposition on the Republican primary ballot. For more information on the August 7 County General and State//Federal Primary Elections, go to ShelbyVote.com Shelby County Mayor Leo Awgowhat and Charles Nelson, independent candidates for Shelby County Mayor, did not respond to our invitation to participate in the Candidate Q&A. Mark Luttrell Republican Candidate Question 1: What experience do you have that makes you the best candidate for Shelby County Mayor? My academic and professional development has prepared me for the County Mayor’s position. Over the past 30 years, I have assumed positions of increasing responsibility, requiring supervision of advanced programs, greater number of staff and increased budget resources. Today I have managerial responsibility for almost 6,000 employees, a budget exceeding $1Billion and an array of programs addressing every aspect of a Shelby County cit