Ousted School Board Chief to Run for County Mayor

DEVELOPING STORY: Dr. Marie Feagins, who was fired by the Memphis Shelby County School Board, has filed paperwork to run for Shelby County mayor. She will run as a Democrat.

“Friends of Marie Feagins” filed a document Oct. 31 with the Tennessee Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance naming a political treasurer for a Feagins campaign for county mayor, WREG reports.

Feagins was ousted from her job as superintendent in a 6-3 vote. She had the full backing of faculty, staff and parents, but ran afoul of cronyism. Her efforts to focus on teachers and students also put her in conflict with the school board.

Feagins joins a very crowded Democrat primary. Other candidates include Shelby County Assessor Melvin Burgess, Shelby County Chief Administrative Officer Harold Collins, Criminal Court Clerk Heidi Kuhn, Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery and Memphis city councilman JB Smiley Jr.

So far not a single Republican has filed paperwork to run.