Nearly 11 months after the Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) school board controversially voted 6-3 to fire its former superintendent, Dr. Marie Feagins, the former education official on Wednesday declared her candidacy in the Democratic primary contest race to become the next Mayor of Shelby County in 2026.
Feagins announced her candidacy in a Wednesday video posted to social media that featured statements by State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and State House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville), who both questioned the school board’s decision to remove her.
“The way that you have went about doing this has done nothing but send the signal that we don’t know how to self govern,” Pearson said in comments included in Feagin’s campaign announcement.
It also included video of Sexton, who previously floated the possibility of the Tennessee General Assembly passing legislation for the state to take control over the county’s schools.
“It is very likely that legislation will be filed that will null and void the school board,” said Sexton in January. “The state will take over the school system, the state will put in place a different board, made up of various individuals in Shelby County, who will oversee the schools and be able to make the changes that are necessary, or hire a new director if necessary, to get the schools back under control.”
In a video posted to social media, showing Feagins surrounded by purple campaign signs, the candidate appeared to indicate that she would pursue bipartisanship if elected.
Former MSCS supt Marie Feagins makes her formal announcement for County Mayor Wed. Dec 17 in Southwind. pic.twitter.com/gvQQEq73hC
— Bill Dries DM (@bdriesdm) December 18, 2025
“There’s no more room for sitting silently and standing quietly on the sidelines, refusing to choose to be on the right side of the history, and unwilling to move forward together, to push the edges of the world toward something better,” said Feagins, before calling for voters to “have the right conversations about the right issues.”
The former superintendent’s campaign website includes a 100-day plan to “stabilize” the county’s economic conditions, as well as promises to secure, “Stable housing,” pursue education and workforce training as methods to lower crime, and to promote economic growth and transparency.
Feagins was superintendent for less than 10 months when the board voted 6-3 to fire her, leading to public outrage during the school board meeting.
Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is term limited and cannot seek another term. His administration is among the plaintiffs who sued over Governor Bill Lee’s decision to activate the Tennessee National Guard as part of the Memphis Safe Task Force.
Memphis City Council member J.B. Smiley Jr., who Action News 5 noted was named as a defendant in Feagins’ lawsuit over her firing, is also seeking the party’s mayoral nomination. The outlet reported that other primary candidates include Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lawry, Property Tax Assessor Melvin Burgess, Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, Shelby County Chief Administrative Officer Harold Collins, and businessman Rusty Quals.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Dr. Marie Feagins” by Dr. Marie Feagins and “Memphis, Shelby County is by Shelby County.
