Heidi Shafer Archives - Tennessee Star

Paul Rose Wins Republican Nomination for TN State Senate District 32 Race

January 25, 2019January 24, 2019 Chris Butler

Paul Rose easily won the Republican nomination for Tennessee’s State Senate District 32 race Thursday night. According to the results, Rose won with more than 62 percent of the vote, or 6,159 votes out of 9,909 cast overall. Former Shelby County Commissioner George Chism ran a distant second with almost 14 percent of the vote or 1,362 votes. Meanwhile Heidi Shafer, who also served on the Shelby County Commission, placed third, also with almost 14 percent, or 1,358 votes. Former State Representative Steve McManus placed fourth, with about 10 percent of the vote, or 1,030 votes. Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Scott Golden released a statement after the votes came in. “Paul is a long-time friend and has been committed to advocating for conservative ideas and will make a great State Senator,” Golden said. “We are eager to help them win the General Election and help continue the successes of our Senate supermajority.” Rose will now square off against Democrat Eric Coleman in a March 12 general election, according to the Memphis-based WMC Action News 5. The victor will replace former State Sen. Mark Norris, who is now a federal judge. District 32 encompasses Tipton and parts of eastern Shelby counties.…

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Heidi Shafer Talks to the Tennessee Star Report About Her Bid for GOP Nomination in Special State Senate Election

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019 Julie Carr

In a specific discussion on Monday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – the duo spoke to Heidi Shafer, candidate for the GOP nomination in the State Senate special election in the Memphis area to replace Mark Norris and specifically about how she’s running her campaign and what makes her a stand out candidate from the others. Leahy: We have on the line now, Heidi Shafer who is a candidate for the special election Republican primary in state senate district thirty-two in the Memphis area that former state senator Mark Norris, who’s now a federal judge resigned from. Heidi, welcome to the Tennessee Star Report! Gill: Hey Heidi. Shafer: Good morning. Happy New Year everybody! Gill: Now early voting started Friday so the voting has already started right? Shafer: Yes, and because this is a special election it’s the only thing on the ballot. The voting is going to be slow, turnout is going to be minimal, which means that every single vote is going to matter more than ever. Leahy: So you’re running against a couple other…

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Early Voting Begins Friday for GOP Primary Bid to Replace Former State Sen. Mark Norris, Who is Now a Federal Judge

January 4, 2019January 3, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

Early voting begins today for the primary in the State Senate District 32 race to replace Mark Norris. Formerly the Senate Majority Leader, Norris (R-TN-32) was appointed by the U.S. Senate in October as a federal judge in the Western District of Tennessee, The Tennessee Star reported in October. His appointment had languished since July 2017. Four Republicans filed paperwork to replace Norris, The Star reported last month. The general election is scheduled for March 12. Tipton and part of Shelby County make up that district. Michael Nelson of the Daily Memphian said in a column that he likes the chances of one candidate in particular: Because Norris held the seat so long, a number of credible candidates for the Republican nomination have lined up now that it’s vacant. The favorite is former Shelby County Commissioner Heidi Shafer, but in what’s sure to be a low-turnout contest, any or all of her three rivals could make a run for the money: former state representative Steve McManus, Tipton County construction executive Paul Rose, and defeated Shelby County Trustee candidate (also a former commissioner) George Chism. Why do I rate Shafer the favorite? Precisely because it will be a low-turnout affair in which…

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Candidates Gear Up to Replace Mark Norris in State Senate

December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 Chris Butler

Four Republicans have filed paperwork to replace Mark Norris in a special election in Tennessee’s 32nd State Senate District, according to The Daily Memphian. Norris was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as a federal judge earlier this year. The primary will be held on January 24, with early voting beginning on January 4. The general election is scheduled for March 12. Tipton and part of Shelby County make up that district. “Former state Rep. Steve McManus, former Shelby County Commissioner Heidi Shafer, former Shelby County Commissioner George Chism and Covington businessman Paul Rose turned in their paperwork at Shelby County and Tipton County election offices,” The Daily Memphian reported. “Shafer and Chism were the last to make public commitments to the race. McManus entered the fray first and already has a campaign billboard along I-40 in Memphis, while Rose previously said he was committed and made a formal announcement recently.” Shafer served two terms as a Shelby County Commissioner. Shafer told The Tennessee Star she believes West Tennessee “is getting left behind in a burgeoning economy, particularly when it comes to economic incentives and infrastructure.” “We have had some really strong previous folks from West Tennessee (in the state legislature) so…

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Shelby County Commissioners Vote Themselves $6 Million More in Benefits

September 2, 2018September 1, 2018 Chris Butler

Walter Bailey

Certain Shelby County commissioners are getting an upgrade in their health and life insurance benefits, and county taxpayers must pay an additional $6 million to $10 million a year because of it. Commissioner Walter Bailey Jr., in stealth mode, and using possible ninja-like reflexes, snuck the proposal through and got it passed under the other commissioners’ noses. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, commissioners voted to reduce the years required for them to serve to collect retiree health and life insurance benefits. They changed that number from 15 years to eight years, “making previously ineligible commissioners — among 2,500 other employees — eligible.” The vote was 7-2, according to the paper. Outgoing Commissioner Heidi Shafer told The Tennessee Star many of her colleagues didn’t know what they were voting for. “But I voted against it,” Shafer said. “It was never brought up in discussion. There weren’t supporting documents in the system to show what it was really about, and we were hearing it was about county retirees. I’m not going to vote to change something without any numbers or figuring out whether it’s a good move.” Most other commissioners, Shafer went on to say, had no idea they were voting on something that…

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Memphis Might Change How it Gives Out Tax Incentives

August 19, 2018August 18, 2018 Chris Butler

Memphis

Memphis and Shelby County have an unelected board of 11 people who have enough power to grant millions of dollars in tax abatements to corporations. Shelby County Commissioner Heidi Shafer told The Tennessee Star that city and county officials aren’t getting results under the current way of doing things. “There have been a chorus of people jumping up and down saying we have to do better because business is getting sucked out of our county down to Mississippi,” said Shafer, whose term as commissioner ends later this month. Shafer said she wants to restructure this board, known as the Memphis Economic Development Growth Engine. Under the current system, the EDGE CEO is accountable only to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell Jr. Both mayors appoint the EDGE board of directors, although county commissioners and city council members vote to confirm them. Otherwise, county commissioners and city council members have no sway over their respective mayors, Shafer said. Shafer recently made a motion to have the EDGE CEO report to his or her board of directors — instead of the two mayors. “The CEO has a board of directors, but they are sort of symbolic. They can’t…

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Feds Give Memphis Airport $43 Million, Despite Traffic Decrease

August 9, 2018August 8, 2018 Chris Butler

Memphis Airport

Federal taxpayers will shell out $43.3 million to improve the Memphis International Airport, despite reports traffic has fallen dramatically in recent years. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, announced the funding, which came from the Federal Aviation Administration. Exactly $28.5 million of that will reimburse airport officials for reconstructing two taxiways. The remaining $14.7 million, meanwhile, goes to what Cohen called “the rehabilitation of the Memphis International Airport’s Concourse B.” Northwest Airlines was once the airport’s most dominant carrier. Then Delta gobbled it up. Delta decided it only needed one hub in the South, in Atlanta. That decision cost Memphis almost two-thirds of its passengers, according to a recent New York Times story. The result — three concourses are left and most of its gates are unused. Airports officials will spend $219 million to close and renovate Concourse B and mothball concourses A & C. No one at Cohen’s office returned requests for comment Wednesday. Memphis International Airport spokesman Glen Thomas, in an emailed statement, said the airport qualified for the federal funding, even though it might seem like a ghost town. These funds, Thomas said, involved federal Airport Improvement Program money. Under federal law the aviation system generates that money.…

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Shelby County Commission Chairman Heidi Shafer Helps Lead Memphis Anti-Addiction Effort

May 26, 2018May 25, 2018 John Bryant

Shelby County Commission

On May 14th, the current chairman of the Shelby County Board of Commissioners, Heidi Shafer was joined by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, her fellow Commissioners, Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter, U.S. Attorney Mike Dunavant, UTHSC Dr. David Stern, District Attorney Amy Weirich, and a myriad of law enforcement, fire, and government leaders from Shelby County, to unveil the “Multifaceted Plan to Eliminate the Addiction Epidemic in the Greater Memphis Area.” An opioid task force unveiled a plan Monday to fight the opioid epidemic in Shelby County. The task force formed last year and quickly got to work on a problem they said cannot wait any longer for a solution. From 2013 to 2016, 474 people died from opioid overdoses–most of those deaths were concentrated in the heart of the county. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the opioid epidemic has not yet peaked. The Shelby County opioid task force said it plans to spend $2.4 million in the first year to combat the epidemic. The money will be spent to help the county map out opioid-related deaths, track overdoses, boost public awareness of the epidemic, and subsidize the cost of opioid-combating…

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Shelby County Commissioner Billingsley Suggests County Already Operating As a Sanctuary City

May 2, 2018May 1, 2018 Chris Alto

Waiting until only eight of the Shelby County Commissioners were still present to conduct business on Monday, Shelby County Commissioner Mark Billingsley introduced a resolution urging Governor Haslam to veto the anti-sanctuary city bill that was passed with overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. In discussing his reasons for bringing the resolution, Billingsley said that Shelby County’s law enforcement was “not prepared for this” referring to the legislation determining the state’s policy about cooperation with federal immigration authorities and compliance with federal law. Billingsley’s comment is strongly suggestive that Shelby County law enforcement is currently releasing criminal illegal aliens into the community instead of transferring custody to ICE, a practice that if confirmed, would constitute a violation of the new anti-sanctuary law and potentially make the county ineligible for economic and community development grants from the state. Mauricio Calvo, director of Latino Memphis, spoke in favor of Billingsley’s resolution even though the reasons he cited are unsupported by federal court precedent and the experience in other states that have passed even stricter anti-sanctuary city and anti-illegal immigration measures. Seven commissioners passed the resolution while Commission Chairman Heidi Shafer did not vote citing a lack of information available to…

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Court Dismisses Individual Shelby County Commissioners as Defendants in Lawsuit Filed By Mayor Mark Luttrell

December 5, 2017December 5, 2017 Tennessee Star Staff

Last Monday, the Chancery Court of Shelby county dismissed individual Shelby County commissioners as defendants in a lawsuit filed against the Shelby County Commission and individual commissioners by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who is trying to stop an opioid abuse lawsuit filed by the Shelby County Commission. The Shelby County Commission explained the background in a press release issued on Friday, which said, in part: On Thursday, November 2, Shelby County Commissioners announced that they hired Napoli Shkolnik PLLC, a national law firm known for their expertise in filing lawsuits against opioid perpetrators, to file suit on behalf of the county against Big Pharma for their role in their opioid crisis. In response, Mayor Luttrell filed a lawsuit demanding that they cease their actions with Napoli Shkolnik with a defense that only the county mayor has the authority to hire legal counsel to sue on behalf of the county. The parties named in the suit were the Shelby County Board of Commissioners as a whole and their hired firm Napoli Skholnik, as well as each Commissioner individually. The Chancery Court’s decision on Monday dismissed the suit against each individual Commissioner. And while the Mayor’s suit will continue against both…

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Shelby County Commission Overrides Mayor Luttrell’s Veto of Opioid Lawsuit

November 30, 2017November 30, 2017 Tennessee Star Staff

The Shelby County Commission voted on Wednesday to override vetoes by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell of two resolutions passed by the commission earlier this month. One resolution officially confirmed Commission chairwoman’ Heidi Shafer’s hiring of an out-of-state law firm to file an opioid abuse lawsuit against manufacturers and distributors on behalf of the county. The second resolution “instructed the mayor to stop suing the commission in Chancery Court for control of the lawsuit; and approved the use of taxpayer dollars to fund the commissioners’ legal defense against the mayor’s lawsuit,” the Commercial Appeal reported. “The Shelby County Commission and Shelby County sued several pharmaceutical companies in Shelby County Circuit Court on Thursday, alleging illegal abuse in their manufacture, sale, and distribution of opioids,” The Tennessee Star reported on November 6: “It’s not just the drug companies. It’s also the distributors, including pharmacies and the doctors writing the prescription that are being sued,” Heidi Shafer, chairman of the Shelby County Commission tells The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview. “The lawsuit is very narrowly tailored only to go after those who are abusing,” Shafer adds. “About 80 counties around the country are already suing the companies involved in opioid abuse,” Shafer says.…

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Judge Rules in Favor of Shelby County Commission, Opioid Abuse Lawsuit Can Proceed

November 15, 2017November 14, 2017 Tennessee Star Staff

Tennessee Star

A Tennessee chancery court judge ruled on Tuesday that the opioid abuse lawsuit filed by the Shelby County Commission earlier this month against several pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, and distributors can proceed, but gave Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell until the end of the year to intervene. “I am pleased the judge ruled that the opioid lawsuit would go forward,” Shelby County Commission Chairwoman Heidi Shafer tells The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview. “The commission’s whole objective in this is to help the citizens of West Tennessee out of this horrible mess,” she adds. “This lawsuit is one of many actions we are taking to stop our communities being flooded with these extremely addictive drugs,” Shafer says. “The end of the year. That is the timeline that was set by a chancery court judge as to when the Shelby County Mayor’s administration needs to intervene in a lawsuit county commissioners filed against opioid makers,” WREG reported about Tuesday’s ruling. “I think he was clear he believes going forward it’s in the public’s best interest for the lawsuit to move forward,” attorney Allan Wade, who “spoke on behalf of the commission in court,” told WREG. “We’ve never objected them getting in…

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Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell Now Suing All 13 Shelby County Commissioners to Stop the Opioid Abuse Lawsuit They Filed

November 14, 2017November 13, 2017 Tennessee Star Staff

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell is now suing all thirteen Shelby County Commissioners to stop the opioid abuse lawsuit they filed earlier this month. But on Monday, the Shelby County Commission hit back, and voted “to direct Mayor Mark Luttrell to drop a lawsuit against its chairwoman over who controls an opioid lawsuit against Big Pharma,” the Commercial Appeal reported. “It’s a blatant bully tactic to try to scare commissioners into believing that they don’t have the right to vote and act as a check and balance on the executive branch,” Shelby County Commission Chairwoman Heidi Shafer told The Tennesssee Star in an exclusive interview late Monday. “I was proud of the commission for standing up to such bullying tactics,” Shafer told The Star. “The commission voted 8-5 to approve the resolution, which was added on to the agenda an hour into Monday’s meeting. The resolution also directs the administration not to file any lawsuits without prior approval from a majority of the commissioners,” as the Commercial Appeal reported, adding: Luttrell’s administration sued chairwoman Heidi Shafer and the commission on Nov. 6 for her decision to hire law firm New York-based Napoli Shkolnik, known for winning a huge class-action settlement for sick Ground Zero workers,…

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Shelby County Commission Slaps Down Mayor Mark Luttrell’s Attempt to Stop Opioid Abuse Lawsuit

November 9, 2017November 9, 2017 Tennessee Star Staff

On Wednesday the Shelby County Commission slapped down an attempt by Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell to stop the opioid abuse lawsuit it filed last week, voting 8 to 0 “to immediately move forward in suing opioid manufacturers and distributors.” “Why Mayor Luttrell would want to drag his feet for two years when Tennessee’s opioid prescription rate is the second highest in the United States is a mystery to me,” Shelby County Commission Chairwoman Heidi Shafer tells The Star in an exclusive interview. “We have more prescriptions for opioids than we have people. Who benefits from that?” Shafer asks, adding: Not the babies born addicted. Not the elderly who are routinely prescribed these addictive drugs and becoming hooked. Not the hospitals, schools, and law enforcment. Not the taxpayers! “It looks like the Swamp does not exist only in Washington, D.C. It looks like we have a Swamp right here in Memphis,” Shafer says. The commission’s vote “comes ahead of a Tuesday, Nov. 14, hearing in Chancery Court on county mayor Mark Luttrell’s lawsuit against Shafer. Luttrell claims Shafer violated the county charter by acting unilaterally to hire a law firm,” the Memphis Daily News reported: Commissioner Terry Roland said the commission’s ratification vote…

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Shelby County Commission Sues Pharmaceutical Companies Over Illegal ‘Opioid Abuse’

November 6, 2017November 5, 2017 Tennessee Star Staff

Tennessee Star

The Shelby County Commission and Shelby County sued several pharmaceutical companies in Shelby County Circuit Court on Thursday, alleging illegal abuse in their manufacture, sale, and distribution of opioids. “It’s not just the drug companies. It’s also the distributors, including pharmacies and the doctors writing the prescription that are being sued,” Heidi Shafer, chairman of the Shelby County Commission tells The Tennessee Star in an exclusive interview. “The lawsuit is very narrowly tailored only to go after those who are abusing,” Shafer adds. “About 80 counties around the country are already suing the companies involved in opioid abuse,” Shafer says. Last month, President Trump declared the epidemic of opioid addiction to be a public health emergency. “President Donald J. Trump is mobilizing his entire Administration to address drug addiction and opioid abuse by directing the declaration of a Nationwide Public Health Emergency to address the opioids crisis,” the White House said in a statement released on October 26. “The lawsuit against several pharmaceutical companies was filed at 9 Thursday morning on behalf of the County, but the issue won’t go before the full County Commission until next week,”WREG reported: Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell, who says his administration was already working…

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Memphis Grassroots Conservative Champion Heidi Shafer Aspires To Seat In State Legislature

June 1, 2017May 31, 2017 Wendy Wilson

Tennessee Star

When Heidi Shafer moved to Memphis in 1987, she couldn’t tell local politicians apart. Everyone, Republican and Democrat, was against crime and for the children and for education. Their campaign literature did little to distinguish one from the other. “Everybody sounded the same,” she recalled in an interview Wednesday with The Tennessee Star. Her frustration would one day motivate her to get involved to find out what was really going on. She began helping out with grassroots conservative campaigns, charting a path that eventually led to her bid to serve as a Shelby County commissioner. First elected to the county commission in 2010 and re-elected in 2014, Shafer is currently the only woman on the 13-member board and also is among a conservative minority. Her second four-year term ends next year and Shafer, bound by the commission’s term limits, is thinking about what she wants to do next. She is seriously considering running for the Tennessee General Assembly. Her fellow commissioner Terry Roland, also a fellow conservative, hopes that Shafer makes it to the Capitol. “If I were in a foxhole, I’d want her with me,” he said. Shafer, 51, has become known for fighting for lower taxes and…

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