Two Lakeland men have pulled petitions and submitted signatures to run for office in the May 1 Shelby County Primary, with early voting April 11-26.
Locations and times for early voting must be approved by the Shelby County Election Commission (SCEC). The SCEC meets at 4 p.m. Feb. 27.
- Bennie Cobb is the Democratic nominee for Shelby County sheriff.
- Chris Thomas, Republican, seeks the position of Shelby County probate court clerk.
Biographical information is provided on the two candidates.
Link to the website which lists all candidates who have pulled petitions to run in the primary:
Bennie Cobb
He served 37 years as a law enforcement manager and public safety professional with the Memphis Police Department and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). His positions with SCSO include SWAT Team, metro narcotics unit, internal affairs, community police, detective division, court house security, metro gang unit, entertainment district unit, uniform patrol division and jail division. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
He has lived in Lakeland since 1991 and said he provided public safety services for Lakeland for several years.
Mr. Cobb coaches little league sports and conducts church and community programs on the dangers of drugs, gangs and guns. His volunteer work includes Juvenile Court, Memphis Park Commission, Fraternal Order of Police, National Rifle Association, FBI National Academy Association and the Tennessee Gang Association. He previously served as vice chairman for the Lakeland Parks and Recreation Board, chairman of the Shelby County Employees Credit Union and Shelby County Democratic Party.
He ran for SC Sheriff in 2014. His campaign website is https://www.cobbforsheriff2018.com/index.html
Chris Thomas
He is campaigning to return as probate court clerk. He served in that role from 1994-2010. He was elected to the Memphis City School Board in 1991 at age 27. In 2010 he was elected to the Shelby County Commission and served until 2014. He was appointed city manager of Lakeland in 2014 and served a year.
Mr. Thomas is a lifelong Shelby County resident. He graduated from Kingsbury High School in 1982 and earned a BBA from the University of Memphis. He enjoys golf, volunteering for several non-profits, and spending time with his three adult children and five grandchildren. Chris works as a Realtor with Kaizen Realty.
His community involvement includes chairman of the FedEx St. Jude Golf Classic Escort Marshals Committee, Advisory board Member for Best Buddies, former co-chair and race director of Men for the Cure, volunteer for the Delta Fair, volunteer Mid-South Convoy of Hope and former board member of Life Choices, J.I.F.F. and the Marguerite Piazza St. Jude Gala.
His campaign website is under construction.
The graphic below details election information for 2018.
