← Back to Shelby County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-05-05
Contest for Assessor of Property
County
primary - Partisan - Assessor of Property
About this office
The Shelby County Assessor of Property locates, identifies, classifies, and appraises all real and personal property in the county for tax purposes. The office runs the state-mandated quadrennial reappraisal (next cycle: 2029), appraises personal property annually, and maintains approximately 353,000 real-estate parcels. The Assessor does not set the tax rate, send tax bills, or collect taxes β those duties belong to the County Commission (rate), the Trustee (collection), and the Clerk (registration-linked functions).
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Personnel management at scale. Leading and retaining a department of ~150β200 appraisers, GIS analysts, and customer-service staff responsible for ~353,000 parcels and a multi-million-dollar budget.
- Real-estate appraisal and property-law expertise. Familiarity with mass-appraisal methods, comparable-sales analysis, the four-year reappraisal cycle, and Tennessee assessment law (TN Code Title 67 Ch. 5), including exemption rules and the Board of Equalization appeals process.
- Technology and systems oversight. Ability to evaluate, procure, and administer Computer-Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) software, GIS platforms, and the data infrastructure modern assessment depends on.
- Integrity and impartiality. A demonstrated record of even-handed decision-making. Property valuation directly affects every taxpayer's bill, so the office's perceived fairness β under pressure from large taxpayers, political allies, and the public alike β is as important as the technical result.
- Public communication. Explaining assessment methodology clearly to homeowners receiving increase notices, to journalists, and to the public bodies (County Commission, Board of Equalization, State Board of Equalization) the office reports to.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Democratic Primary
4 candidates
Javier Bailey
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Bailey serves as Chief Administrative Officer for the Shelby County Assessorβs office, providing direct management experience over professional staff and operations. His twenty-year trial law practice supports statutory compliance and appeals process knowledge. He holds a real estate broker license and developer background, offering practical mass-appraisal context. Peer recognition as Deputy Assessor of the Year underscores industry standing. However, his biography lacks specific details on statutory valuation methodologies under Title 67 Chapter 5, independence from collection functions, or public-facing communication strategies.
Sonya N. Murphy
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Murphyβs bankruptcy practice involved providing property valuations to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, offering direct experience with valuation methods relevant to statutory duties under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 67, Chapter 5. Her Juris Doctorate and legal publication work demonstrate a foundation for understanding complex appraisal methodologies and the appeals process before the Board of Equalization. As a licensed attorney, she possesses the analytical framework necessary for independent valuation separate from collection or spending functions.
Michael O. Harris
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As President and CEO of the Memphis Metropolitan Land Bank Authority, the candidate manages real property assets, offering direct experience relevant to statutory valuation duties under Tennessee Code Annotated Title 67. Leadership roles at ProGeny Place and the Rotary Club demonstrate public-facing communication skills necessary for explaining assessment methodologies. Military service and civic board memberships suggest capacity for managing professional staff and maintaining independence from political spending pressures.
Daryl Lewis
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Thirty years as a real estate broker and architectural engineering degree provide technical grounding for mass-appraisal methods and statutory valuation duties under Tennessee Code Title 67 Chapter 5. The candidate pledges to retire his license, addressing independence from collection interests. His platform emphasizes transparency and neighborhood engagement, mapping to public-facing communication needs by bridging complex valuations with citizen understanding. He cites PILOT accountability, reflecting a focus on uniformity and schedule adherence for the tax base.
Republican Primary
1 candidate
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