Shelby County's Hard Choice is an op-ed series by Tom Lannan, Republican candidate for Shelby County Assessor of Property. This is his own statement — it does not reflect the reporting or editorial views of JustMyMemphis's news staff.

I'm running for Property Assessor, an operational role that demands order, accuracy, and clear accountability. You inspect, you detect, you correct, and then you build something better than what was there before. That is the exact discipline I am bringing to the Assessor's office, and it is the exact same standard we must apply to every operational office in Shelby County—especially the ones where the public feels the breakdown every single day.

If there is any department in this county that has become synonymous with delay, frustration, and systemic failure, it is the County Clerk's Office. That brings me to the second feature in this op-ed series: Tina Montgomery.

The Experience That Fits the Crisis

The Clerk’s Office isn't a political stepping stone; it is a heavy operational machine responsible for accounting, records, statutory reporting, and customer service. When something is failing, you don't hire someone to learn on the job. You hire someone whose career is built on fixing broken systems.

Tina Montgomery brings over 30 years of accounting, statutory reporting, and financial analysis experience to this race. As she put it plainly when asked why she stepped up to run: the deep operational and financial issues plaguing the County Clerk's Office are her strong suit. She isn't an insider looking to protect a political network—she is a financial problem solver who has stepped into tough, broken situations for three decades and cleaned them up.

What She's Actually Proposing

In my campaign for Assessor, I’ve advocated for starting at ground zero: evaluating resources, setting clear benchmarks, and fixing the math. Montgomery's blueprint for the Clerk's office mirrors that exact mindset through three non-negotiable pillars: Competence, Compliance, and Citizen’s Care.

• Competence over Chaos: Montgomery is targeting the root causes of system errors by implementing rigorous hands-on training for staff and modernizing outdated service processes.

• Financial Compliance: Leveraging 30 years in accounting, her focus is on strict oversight—tracking every dollar, meeting state mandates, and eliminating wasteful inefficiencies.

• Citizen's Care: Ending the infamous, hours-long wait lines by establishing modern queuing systems and treating the voters of Shelby County like the actual bosses of local government.

She sums up her mission with a refreshing lack of political spin: she has no political alliances to protect, no favors to repay, and enters this race as a citizen determined to serve the taxpayers and nobody else.

The Bigger Point

Shelby County residents are tired of hearing excuses for why basic government functions take hours of standing in line or result in costly administrative blunders. When operational offices fail, it chips away at the public's trust in our entire local government.

As I’ve said throughout this series, name recognition and party labels aren't credentials. Competence is. Whether we are discussing property assessments or vehicle registrations, the voters of Shelby County deserve leaders who view these positions as operational responsibilities, not entitlements.

Why I'm Telling You This

I am a Republican candidate, but first and foremost, I am a business leader who wants Shelby County to work again. Tina Montgomery’s message to voters cuts straight to the point: the citizens are the boss, and it is time for a Clerk’s Office that works as hard as the people of Shelby County.

When you head to the polls, look past the political theater and evaluate who actually possesses the technical skills to fix what is broken.

Election Day is August 6th. Go look at the person, not just the party.

— Tom Lannan

Candidate, Shelby County Assessor of Property