Shelby County Commissioner Mick Wright promised a formal complaint about County Clerk Wanda Halbert on Wednesday following a December 21 letter from Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp (R) stressing the need for a document formally notifying her office of the clerk’s alleged failures.
Halbert (pictured above, left) is being investigated over claims of mismanagement, and allegations include hours-long lines for basic services, a backlog in license plate registrations, and alleged unpaid back rent on a satellite location that purportedly resulted in the court’s eviction, reported Action News 5.
In that case, Halbert’s alleged mismanagement caused the court to become significantly behind on rent at its Poplar Plaza branch, resulting in the court’s apparent eviction from the building. Halbert claimed the court decided to close the office to better serve customers, though Shelby County officials reportedly insisted Halbert’s office failed to pay rent for months before the location closed.
Wamp wrote in her letter that the investigation, which began in June after District Attorney Steve Mulroy recused himself from the investigation and the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office was appointed, “started out very slowly” because the “majority of individuals” contacted for the investigation did not return the county’s calls.
She reportedly wrote in her letter that only the court’s finance department responded to her office’s public records requests, which were sent on November 9. Wamp explained this lack of response is a violation of the Tennessee code, according to Fox 13 Memphis. She reportedly explained her office received “complaints and grievances” about Halbert but had not received any written documentation. Without that documentation, the outlet explained, Wamp said she could not pursue Halbert’s “ouster” from her position.
In response, Wright (pictured above, right) wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he would send the necessary complaint for the investigation to move forward.
“Until General Wamp’s 12/21 update, I did not know the investigators had need of a formal, written complaint,” he added. “Soon, they will have one for the ages.”
Until General Wamp’s 12/21 update, I did not know the investigators had need of a formal, written complaint. Soon, they will have one for the ages. https://t.co/CoL3c7lP7w
— Mick Wright (@mickwright) December 28, 2023
Wright previously made headlines when, in 2019, he was the only member of the Shelby County Commission to vote against a deal that saw Memphis-based multimedia company Kudzukian, LLC receive $110,000 to produce podcasts on behalf of the city.
“This contract is so outrageous,” Wright said at the time.
“It just baffles me why they’re doing this,” he declared, noting the city “could buy a small fleet of vehicles for that amount and still do a podcast.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Wanda Halbert” by Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert.Â
How irresponsible. If the allegations are confirmed she should be dismissed without cause with penalty to include reduced pension benefits. The latter was based on her performing the duties of her office and, again if the allegations are true, she did not perform her job thus should not receive deferred benefits. On the other hand, if the allegations are true and if she had any class, she would resign to spare the county expense in prosecuting her misdeeds.