When La Sonya Hall took office on September 1 as the newly elected Shelby County Clerk, many county residents let out a sigh of relief. Countless people hoped that maybe, just maybe, they might finally be able to complete important business through the county clerk’s office without standing in long lines. Or experiencing long waits for needed documents.
I personally thought about a friend who had purchased a car in July but had yet to receive her registration, license tags and other documents from her car dealership. Repeatedly she called and was told the dealership had not received the papers from the county clerk’s office.
After assuming office, La Sonya Hall announced that she had found 34 crates of unprocessed automobile dealer packets – 250
packets in total – that “demands immediate attention.” Hall said her office would expedite processing the packets so car dealerships, and subsequently new car owners, could receive their needed material. She had specific staffers to work on Saturday, Sept. 12, to process the applications. She then temporarily suspended in-person motor vehicle renewal services for one day, September 16, so her staff could process the remaining automobile packets, that included car titles, tags and registration applications. Other clerk office services were offered that day.
Around 5 p.m. on Sept. 16, my friend received a call from her car dealership telling her she could pick up her car tags and registration papers.
Yes, she sighed with relief, as did others, including three county commissioners who also had been waiting to receive registration papers on their recently purchased vehicles.
For Hall, processing the delayed car dealership documents was a task that had to be done as soon as possible. It is admirable that she and her staff quickly completed it. But there never should have been such a backlog.
On Day 1, the new county clerk made it clear that she also had several overall goals for the county clerk’s office as well. At Hall’s request, the Shelby County Commission approved $6,134,386 to finance resolutions for other problems she inherited from the previous Shelby County Clerk, Wanda Halbert, who had headed that office since 2018. During Hall’s first week on the job, she and her team visited all county clerks’ offices to assess the issues that need to be addressed. She said she found the most pressing problems to be out-of-date technology and equipment, customer service challenges (included long lines and wait time), inconsistent processes at the various offices, and the need to strengthen financial and inventory controls. Hall has verbalized and listed on the County Clerk website that her priorities will be to resolve these issues.
The new County Clerk also emphasized that the $6.1 million that was approved is money available in a fund already filled by past county clerks’ office revenue. She also said the money will not increase taxes, require additional customer fees, or affect other expenditures.
Again, the citizens of Shelby County can exhale a sigh of relief. No additional fees!
Hall, who has more than 30 years in public service and government leadership under several mayors, recently served as deputy chief administrative officer for Shelby County. She also has led several City of Memphis departments, including serving as interim director of the Health Department during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Hall earned a doctoral degree from the University of Mississippi. She and her husband, Dr. Alfred L. Hall, have two adult daughters.
Regarding expediting the car dealerships paperwork, Hall said: “This is not simply about catching up. It is about restoring confidence in the Shelby County Clerk’s Office among residents and our business community.”
Many would agree that our city and county had lost confidence in the Shelby County Clerk’s Office over the past eight years when Wanda Halbert oversaw the office. Halbert was voted into the County Clerk’s office in 2018 after serving on the Memphis City Council from 2008 to 2016, and on the Memphis Board of Education from 2007 to 2010.
Halbert’s two terms as Shelby County Clerk were marred by controversies over claims of unpaid rent for various clerk offices, location closures, exceptionally slow and inefficient services, and disputes with other Shelby County government agencies. There also were complaints about ongoing strain on auto dealerships, comptroller deficiencies, and untimely financial reporting. Lawsuits were filed to oust Halbert from the position, but both cases were dismissed due to “lack of jurisdictional standing over the filing of the suits.”
In the spring 2016 primary elections, Wanda Halbert was a candidate for Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk. The Election Commission certified that she lost to State Representative Joe Towns Jr. by 126 votes. Nevertheless, Halbert filed a petition in Shelby County Chancery Court challenging the results and alleging that uncounted absentee ballots could have impacted the outcome.
The good news is that new Shelby County Clerk La Sonya Hall is moving ahead to straighten out problems afflicting that office. She began her term with much needed and successful proactive moves and continues to get the work done for which she was elected. Shelby County residents and business community are hopeful that we will soon have a County Clerk’s office that serves us with competence and efficiency.
That will inspire a collective sigh of relief.
Lynn Norment, a columnist for The Commercial Appeal, is a former reporter and editor for Ebony Magazine.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: With New Shelby County Clerk, a hopeful sign of relief | Opinion
