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City Councilman Frank Colvett joins race for Memphis Mayor [1]

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Date: 2023-02-02  

Memphis City Councilman Frank Colvett made his bid for Memphis mayor official Thursday morning, becoming the seventh person to announce their candidacy.

Colvett hinted at a potential run in early October 2022, saying his campaign would focus on public safety — both police and providing social services so children can grow up in safe neighborhoods — and his announcement focused on that.

"Memphis faces serious challenges, and we need a Mayor who is ready to face those challenges," Colvett said in a written statement. "Crime is too high, and we need leaders with actual solutions. We need more good cops on the street, but also, we need to work with groups like the Boys and Girls Club to intervene with our at-risk kids before they turn to crime.”

Currently in his final term on the Memphis City Council, Colvett was first elected in 2015. He won reelection in 2019 and served as the council's vice chair in 2018 and 2020. He was chairman in 2021.

Colvett's announcement adds his name to an already crowded field of candidates that includes Downtown Memphis Commission CEO Paul Young, former Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, State Rep. Karen Camper, Businessman J.W. Gibson II, and Memphis-Shelby County School Board member Michelle McKissack.

Every candidate to have announced a bid for the office is Black. Colvett is the first white candidate to enter the fray.

Graduating from Memphis University School and then earning a bachelor's degree in business administration from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, he pitched himself as a Memphian through and through, and said his experience working on the city council will help him as mayor.

“I was born in Memphis, ran a small business in Memphis and have served on the Memphis City Council," Colvett said. "I will use my experience in both government service and the real world to confront the challenges that face us.”

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

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[1] Url: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2023/02/02/frank-colvett-becomes-seventh-person-to-join-the-memphis-mayoral-race/69865989007/

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