There are two contested races and one unopposed race in the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen Nov. 3 election.
Scott Sanders is running unopposed for reelection for the Position 1 seat. Sanders was elected in both 2018 and 2022. In addition to the mayor’s race between alderman Tony Salvaggio and Edgar Babian,
the other contested race on the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen will be two realtors vying for the Position 2 seat.Mary Anne Gibson is vying to be reelected for a fourth term on the Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Gibson — who was elected in 2014, 2018 and 2022 — also serves as vice mayor on the board. Gibson is an affiliate broker with The Firm Memphis Real Estate, specializing in residential real estate, and is an active
member of the Memphis Area, Tennessee & National Association of Realtors and Multi-Million Dollar Club.
Gibson is being challenged by fellow realtor Todd Adams, who serves as a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty in Germantown. Previously, Adams owned Newby’s, bar and music venue on the Highland Strip in Memphis, where he booked national touring acts and ran the business day-to-day.
Adams also said he served four years as president of the University of Memphis football booster club, where he helped raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and made budget and cost-cutting decisions that he deemed necessary even when unpopular. Adams and his family have lived and worked in Germantown for more than nine years.
Gibson and Adams answered a candidate questionnaire from The Commercial Appeal. Their answers are as follows:
Position 2
Mary Anne Gibson
Why did you decide to run for re-election?
I love Germantown and believe deeply in public service. I believe experienced, steady leadership matters — particularly at this moment in our community and that’s why I’m running for re-election.
For the past 12 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving the people of my hometown as Alderman, and for 10 of those years, my fellow board members have entrusted me to serve as Vice Mayor. I don’t take either responsibility lightly.
Over the years, we’ve accomplished a great deal, but there is important work ahead. Priorities for me are to continue strengthening public safety, supporting our excellent public schools, addressing aging infrastructure head on and protecting our parks, amenities and quality of life that make Germantown such a special place to live.
Why should the people of Germantown re-elect you?
In any election, I believe voters should look at the candidates’ record of service and decide whether they have earned their trust to make wise decisions about complex issues.
I have consistently tried to be accessible, prepared and responsive. I do my homework, ask difficult questions when necessary, listen to residents and make decisions based on what I believe is in the long-term best interest of Germantown—not simply what may be easiest or most popular at the moment.
My priorities have remained consistent: public safety, public education, public infrastructure, and our parks and quality-of-life amenities. I have worked to ensure our first responders have the people, equipment, training, technology and facilities they need; advocated for strong schools; supported investments in our infrastructure; and worked for years to expand and improve the parks, greenway and amenities our residents value.
Experience also matters in municipal government. I understand our city, its history, its finances and its challenges. I have built productive relationships across our community and region, and I know how to bring people together to get things done.
Ultimately, I hope people will re-elect me because they know how much I care about Germantown, they know where I stand, and they know I will continue to show up and work hard for them every day.
What do you want the board to focus on to improve the city?
My first priority will continue to be public safety. If we do not get public safety right, little else matters. We must continue recruiting and retaining outstanding police officers, firefighters and public safety professionals while providing them with the staffing, facilities, technology, equipment and training they need.
We also need a renewed focus on our aging infrastructure. Germantown is a mature community, and maintaining our roads, drainage systems, water and sewer infrastructure and public facilities requires disciplined long-term planning and significant investment. We cannot simply respond when something fails; we need to anticipate needs and plan responsibly for them.
Public education must also remain a priority. Germantown Municipal School District is one of our community's greatest assets, and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and Board of Education need to have transparent, constructive conversations about long-term funding needs and priorities.
Finally, I want us to continue protecting the character of Germantown while pursuing thoughtful economic development. We need a strong commercial tax base and opportunities for reinvestment, but growth should complement the community we have spent generations building. Economic development and quality of life should work together, not compete with one another.
What are the major challenges in Germantown you would like to see addressed?
One of our greatest challenges is balancing the needs of a mature community with the fiscal responsibility our residents expect.
We have aging infrastructure that requires substantial investment. We need to maintain competitive compensation, staffing and facilities for public safety. Our school system faces significant long-term funding needs. At the same time, residents expect us to maintain the high level of city services, parks and amenities that distinguish Germantown.
Another challenge is economic sustainability. Germantown is largely built out, so our future will depend less on outward expansion and more on thoughtful redevelopment and reinvestment in our commercial areas. We need to strengthen our tax base without sacrificing the residential character and quality of life that make people want to live here in the first place. Germantown Thrive 2050, our comprehensive land use plan, is engaging our residents so we can hear directly from them what the future of Germantown should look like.
I also believe maintaining public trust is increasingly important. Residents deserve transparency, civil discourse and elected officials who are willing to listen to one another, work through disagreements and make decisions based on facts.
Germantown is an exceptional community, but maintaining that excellence doesn’t happen automatically. It requires planning, investment, collaboration and leadership that is willing to think beyond the next election cycle. That is the approach I have brought to the board for the past 12 years, and it is the approach I will continue to bring if the people of Germantown give me the privilege of serving another term.
Todd Adams
Have you ever been involved in politics, and if so, what is your background?
This is my first run for public office. I have not held elected office. My civic involvement has been as a resident and business owner. In 2008, I participated, as a business owner and resident, in the University of Memphis comprehensive overlay planning process; the UNDC collaborative effort—led by the University Neighborhoods Development Corporation (UNDC), the university, and local stakeholders—ultimately shaped the design standards to transition the neighborhood into a more walkable, cohesive, and vibrant university. More recently I have taken part in Thrive Germantown as a citizen, meeting with city staff and sharing input. I have also attended Board of Mayor and Aldermen meetings to see how the board conducts its business and how decisions are made in public.
Why did you decide to run?
I was at City Hall the day (Germantown) Mayor Mike Palazzolo announced he would not seek reelection. That announcement brought home that Germantown is entering a period of transition. The decisions ahead on growth, public safety, schools, and spending should include a practical voice from someone who lives with the results.
I am running for Position 2 because I believe local government works best when it is led by residents with a real stake in the community, not only by people who have already served multiple terms. The incumbent is seeking a fourth term. I am running because I think the city needs a common-sense, resident’s perspective at the table.
Why should the people of Germantown elect you?
Voters should elect someone who has already had to balance a budget, raise money, cut costs, and make decisions that did not please everyone. That is what I did as a business owner and as booster club president. I am also a parent who has had children in GMSD (Germantown Municipal School District) schools, so I understand why families choose this city and what they expect it to protect.
I will listen to residents, judge proposals by whether they are good for Germantown, and be straight about the tradeoffs. I am not running to build a political career. I am running to be a voice for the people who live here.
The clearest differences between my opponent and me are these. She voted to send a full-time mayor charter change to the voters. Residents rejected that in May. She voted yes on the tax-increment financing proposal for The Standard. I would not have. I support term limits for aldermen. She does not, and she is asking for a fourth term.
What do you want the board to focus on to improve the city?
If elected, I want the board focused on five things:
Public safety. Competitive pay and benefits so we can recruit and retain officers and firefighters, modern equipment and training, and staffing levels that do not stretch first responders thin.
Responsible growth. Measured development that protects neighborhoods, manages traffic, and keeps Germantown livable. That includes saying no to developer subsidies that are not in the taxpayers’ interest.
Schools. The school board runs GMSD and the city board does not, and I want a clearer working relationship between the two so residents know who decides what.
Fiscal accountability. Full transparency in budgeting and spending, and a refusal to fund wasteful or poorly justified projects.
Term limits. Fresh perspectives on the board, and a commitment to lead by example.
What major challenges in Germantown do you want the board to address?
The largest challenge I see is a communication disconnect between City Hall and the community. Diesel Fuel in the City Water - Citizens Snowed and iced in our homes for 8 to 10 days —full-time mayor — TIF— the Garbage Debacle! (Read the room.) The mayor and vice mayor were in charge of our City and were silent for most of these issues. Residents should not have to guess what the board is deciding, what belongs to the city, and or what belongs to the school board. Closing that gap is how more citizens come to understand the role of city government, the role of the school board, and the role they themselves play in showing up, asking questions, and holding the right people accountable.
Beyond that, the board needs to deal directly with managing growth without losing neighborhood character or worsening traffic, keeping police and fire fully staffed and supported, and making sure tax dollars are spent carefully and in public view.
Check back with The Commercial Appeal to learn about the candidates in suburban races in Shelby County, including Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Lakeland and Millington.
Corey Davis is the Collierville and Germantown reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Corey.Davis@commercialappeal.com or 901-293-1610.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Germantown alderman race: incumbent Gibson faces Adams for Position 2
