FROM MEMPHIS
FOR MEMPHIS

Just like you, I love my city... and its people. The people of Memphis are hardworking, resilient, and deeply proud, not just of how far we've come and who we are, but all that we're striving to accomplish. Memphis deserves a new destiny.
At this moment, yet again, Memphis is at a crossroads and we must do what's necessary to move us forward. We must restore public trust in public safety, strengthen our infrastructure , bring more job opportunities and invest in businesses in our city. That is why I'm running for Mayor.
My entire career has been about 'getting the tough jobs done' and that will not stop now. There's a new horizon just ahead and I know we'll get there together. My name is Van Turner, a son of Memphis. Let's get the tough jobs done together!"

Van D. Turner, Jr.

About

MEET VAN

Van Turner is a product of the best of Memphis. He is a native of Whitehaven, Memphis and now raises his three children with his junior high sweetheart, Tammie, in the Binghampton neighborhood. Van is a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Morehouse College and a graduate of the University of Tennessee Law school where he served as the president of the Black Law Students Association. Van clerked for the Hon. Samuel Hardy Mays, Jr. in United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Currently, he is a Partner at Turner Feild, PLLC where he practices civil litigation, constitutional law, and business litigation. He also heads the non-profit that removed the Confederate statues of Nathan B. Forrest and Jefferson Davis from Health Sciences and Memphis Parks.

He was elected as a Shelby County Commissioner in 2014 and re-elected without opposition in 2018. Van currently serves as President of the Memphis Branch of the NAACP. Van has served on the board of several legal organizations, including the Tennessee Bar Association, the Mississippi Bar Association, and the Memphis Bar Association. Additionally, he has been an active member of the Economic Club of Memphis, the Rotary Club of Memphis, and the Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inns of Court.

FAMILY

TAMMIE TURNER (Wife)

MALIK, MASAI & MALIA (Children)

EDUCATION

WHITEHAVEN HIGH SCHOOL

MOREHOUSE COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF TN COLLEGE Of LAW

EXPERIENCE WE CAN TRUST

President, NAACP Memphis Branch
Former Shelby County Commissioner
Former Chairman, Shelby County Democratic Party
Memphis Business Journal, “Top Forty Under 40”,
Super Lawyer Magazine, “Mid-South Rising Star”
Inside Memphis Business, “Innovation Award Winner”
Tennessee Bar Association
Mississippi Bar Association
Memphis Bar Association
100 Black Men of Memphis, Inc.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Douglas Lodge No. 360, F. & A.M., Prince Hall
Leadership Memphis
Metropolitan Baptist Church, Ordained Deacon
Economic Club of Memphis
Rotary Club of Memphis
Leo Bearman, Sr. American Inn of Court

Issues

VAN ON THE ISSUES

First Thing, We will Reform the Police, Not Defund. Safety involves stopping and preventing crime. It also involves restoring the public’s trust in public safety officials. City Hall needs a crisis manager with a proven track record of getting the tough job done. In the aftermath of Tyre Nichols' brutal murder, Van will work for TRUE police reform that eliminates the toxic culture which led to Tyre’s death and create a comprehensive plan to address crime at the root cause, which is economic opportunity for all.

MAKE MEMPHIS SAFE

Van Turner will also fight to eliminate environmental discrimination in Memphis including new road updates and severely needed updates to the water system. Memphis is a hub city for transportation. Van will work with the federal government to ensure railways that run all across Memphis are safe and work to develop light rail transportation.

STRENGTHEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Memphis has always been built on commerce and one of the best ways to ensure the city’s future is to make Memphis a home to the jobs of the future. Van’s administration will work to bring green jobs, tech jobs, and industry to Memphis to complement the new Ford Electric Motor Blue Oval project. He will fund summer youth programs and advocate for minority and women owned business funding & opportunities . He'll also work to connect recent high school graduates with opportunities to learn a trade for the future.

BRING JOBS TO MEMPHIS

Endorsements