MEMPHIS, Tenn.– A day after being appointed to an open Tennessee Senate seat, London Lamar hit the ground running as Interim Senator for District 33 and as a panelist on the “Root Cause of Youth Crime” symposium at LeMoyne-Owen College.
“Yesterday, we saw three students shot outside the Whitehaven Library. We have a problem in this city when it comes to gun violence. Now, I do think we need to make investments in preventative measures,” she said.
Thursday, Shelby County Commissioners appointed Lamar to fill the seat vacant since Katrina Robinson was expelled by the Tennessee Senate last month following her conviction on federal wire fraud charges.
“I want to reignite trust in public service. Nobody’s perfect. Nobody. Everybody makes mistakes. But what I do want people to know is that you have someone with the track record and experience of getting good things done and has a clean record,” Lamar said.
Her priorities: strong schools, safe communities and healthy families.
“We need everybody involved in this process so we can make sure none of our children and citizens are dying,” she said. “We need to get a handle on making sure our families and women and mothers can have safe and healthy pregnancies so we’re not losing children.”
As for her former house seat, a redistricting plan approved by the General Assembly earlier this year had drawn Lamar and fellow Democrat Torrey Harris into the same state House district.
The Republican super majorities in both chambers eliminated one of the 14 state House seats in the Shelby County delegation.
Even though she’ll likely face challengers, Lamar says, with the help of voters, her sights are now set keep the senate seat full-time.
“It’s an honor to be appointed to this seat by the Shelby County Commission, and I ask for your vote in the August primary and November general election,” Lamar said.
Senator Lamar is also owner and founder of a consulting firm and a trainer with progressive governance academy. She also chairs the Shelby County Delegation of State Legislators.
