Five candidates have applied to fill Bartlett’s interim Alderman Position 2 seat, vacated by Emily Elliott moving out of the suburb.
Ed Brooks, James Lamb, Paula Sedgwick, Brandon Weise and Mandy Young submitted resumes to serve in the office until the end of the year. The seat is on the Nov. 8 municipal ballot, and a new alderman will be selected for Position 2.
On Tuesday, June 28, the Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen heard from each candidate regarding their desire to serve the remaining six months of Elliott’s term.
Each candidate was given up to five minutes for an opening statement and up to 10 minutes of questioning from the board. Candidates were selected in random order to give their opening statements and to answer questions.
Brooks, a senior project manager with Spirit Architecture Group, hopes his experience with presenting development projects to design boards and committees, working closely with engineers, and maintaining a focus on budgets and quality design can be an asset to the board.
Mayor A. Keith McDonald asked each candidate if they plan to run in this year’s November election to fill the position.
“I would not run for elected position at this point with my boys being at home still. It would take too much time away, but this six-month position would give the chance to do some civic duty and be an example in that way without having that long-term commitment,” Brooks said.
Lamb, a member of the city’s Planning Commission since the early 2010s, also has served on the Parks and Recreation Board in the past. He wants to serve as interim alderman because he feels an obligation to the city.
“I have been exposed to a lot of what’s going on through the Planning Commission and through Parks and Rec,” said Lamb, who retired 20-plus years ago as a regional manager for Cigna Health Care. “I support growth as long as it’s done properly, both residential and commercial.”
He believes the biggest strength he would bring to the board is his ability to study available information to make good decisions.
Sedgwick, a retired business owner and executive, served as a Bartlett alderwoman from 2012 to 2020. She lost reelection bid two years ago by 61 votes to Kevin Quinn.
“I had the opportunity to be involved with the growth of Bartlett,” said Sedgwick, a 2011 graduated from Leadership Bartlett. She also served on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority Board. “I’m doing this because there’s still a little kick in the old girl, and I have such a passion for Bartlett.”
She does not plan to run for the position in the upcoming election.
Weise is the only candidate seeking election in November for Position 2.
“I have a passion and desire to help Bartlett,” said Weise, employed the past decade with Shelby County government in Probate Court and the Register of Deeds office. “I’d like to help out in any way that I can. I have a history of volunteering and community service.”
He sees the next several years as critical for Bartlett’s growth with the new Ford plant – BlueOval City – going up in Haywood County.
Weise most recently ran to represent District 97 in the state House of Representatives in 2020, losing in the Republican primary to John Gillespie.
Young is a senior liaison – IT talent architect with ALSAC St. Jude, and she is the current chairwoman of the Bartlett Planning Commission as well as a member of the city’s Historic Board.
“For the past 10 years, I’ve slowly gotten more and more involved in this beautiful city of mine that I call home, and this is just the next natural step for me,” said Young, who graduated from Leadership Bartlett in 2019. “I have proven over the years to be an active and passionate citizen.”
Young considered a run in the November election to fill the position but recently decided not to do that this year.
At the next board meeting July 12, each alderman and the mayor will select their top two candidates. The board will vote to approve the top vote-getter, and in the case of a tie the names will go into a bowl and the first name selected will be considered by the board. If that person is not approved, then the board will vote on the second name.