Memphis voters deciding whether to keep incumbent mayor
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Voters have gone to the polls in Memphis to decide whether incumbent A C Wharton Jr. should get a fourth term as mayor or if he should be replaced.
Polls closed at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Memphis mayoral election. There is no runoff in the non-partisan election, so the winner could claim victory with 40 percent of the vote – or less.
Wharton, who is black, was first elected as the city’s mayor in 2009. He is seeking another chance to work on repairing problems such as high crime, poverty and blight.
City Council member Jim Strickland is trying to become this majority-black city’s first white mayor since 1991.
Other top African-American candidates include City Council member Harold Collins and Memphis police union chief Mike Williams.
