Commissioner Steve Mulroy

Steve Mulroy was first elected to represent County Commission District 5 in 2006.  Against his better judgment, he sought a second term and won reelection in 2010.

A graduate of Cornell University (B.A.) and William & Mary Law School (J.D.), Commissioner Mulroy is a tenured law professor at the University of Memphis, where he addresses our nation's critical shortage of lawyers by teaching Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Civil Rights.  Throughout the 1990s, he traveled the country fighting for civil rights for the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C. and served as a federal prosecutor in the D.C. area.

In his first Commission term, Mulroy authored Shelby County's first Living Wage, Prevailing Wage, and “cash for tires” ordinances, as well as the first legislation anywhere in Tennessee to extend discrimination protections to the GLBT community. Mulroy also played a leading role in the county's new Ethics Ordinance, its Seniors Tax Freeze, and efforts to keep adult businesses away from churches, schools, and homes, as well as overhauling our emergency response system, including new ambulances and a consolidated 911 dispatch center.  He also did a lot of boneheaded things which we can't report here but which you can ask Commission staff about.

Prior to his first election, Prof. Mulroy was active in local civic affairs, successfully advocating for an anti-fraud "paper trail" on voting machines, Instant Runoff Voting elections, and to save Libertyland's historic Grand Carousel and "Zippin Pippin" rollercoaster.   He has also acted in local community theater, where his stage appearances have been mercifully occasional.  

Commissioner Mulroy is married to his long-suffering law school sweetheart, Amy, who is (or at least should be) a candidate for canonization.  They have two children, both in public school:  Molly (15), and Quinn (12), who put up with their dad semi-regularly.   He mentors a child, Brandon, (13), through the Big Brother program, and was awarded 2009 Tennessee Big Brother of the Year.   Mulroy  is a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, where he serves as a lector and a teacher of Children's Liturgy.  He is an avid runner, having run both a marathon and a triathlon; an unapologetic Star Trek fan; and the proud owner of Buster the Wonder Dog, obtained from the Memphis Humane Society.  Other hobbies include procrastinating and high-impact skydiving.