After serving as a Shelby County public defender and the county’s mayor, A C Wharton was first elected into office as the Memphis mayor in 2009 in a special election.
He was re-elected again in 2011 after receiving the majority of the vote in a landslide victory. But the 2015 campaign has had his team facing many challenges, especially in the last couple of weeks.
The mayor has been trying to overcome several issues, including the contract between TASER and his campaign manager, Deidre Malone. That contract was later severed.
Then there was the sex abuse scandal involving Robert Lipscomb, the former head of housing and community development for the city.
In addition, there are still many city employees upset over the handling of the city’s pension programs.
On election night, just like all the other candidates, Wharton will be anxiously watching the results come in with his supporters at the Holiday Inn on the University of Memphis campus.
WREG’s Alex Coleman is there and will continue to bring you updates throughout the night.
