Mayor Wissman was first elected Mayor of Arlington in September of 2011. He was re-elected in 2015 & 2019. His current term will expire in 2024.
During his tenure, Arlington has experienced tremendous success and has been recognized as the Best Place to Own a Home, Best Place to raise a family, and is the 2nd fastest growing community in Tennessee. He has taken great pride in helping Arlington establish our very own school district, expansion of public safety, adding new parks, focusing on Depot Square, and keeping us competitive in the region while maintaining our small town charm.
Prior to being elected Mayor, he served on the Shelby County School Board from 2008-2013. In 2010, Memphis City Schools (MCS) voted to surrender their charter, which prompted the merge of MCS & Shelby County Schools and was the largest in U.S. history. With the school merge looming over the future of schools in Arlington and other suburbs of Memphis, and the current Mayor not seeking re-election, Mike decided to run for Mayor due to the importance of the school issue. With the merge being under federal oversight, Judge Hardy Mays extended the terms of both MCS and SCS school board members until 2013, causing Mike to hold both the office of Mayor and SCS Board Member concurrently. It is with these duel roles the Mayor Wissman was a key factor in the negotiations and creation of Municipal School Districts in Shelby County. Arlington is proud to have formed Arlington Community Schools which opened their doors in August 2014.
Family
Mayor Wissman has been married to his wife Wendy for 18 years and they have two children, Wade and Lyla.
Career
Mayor Wissman has been a full time Fire Driver / EMT with the Memphis Fire Department for the last 18 years. Prior to his career in the fire service, he spent 10 years in management in the recreational industry and also commercial sales.
Civic
Mayor, Town of Arlington, 2011 to present; Shelby County School Board 2008-2013; Vice Chairman 2009 to 2011; received the TN PTA Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2012; Level IV School Board member; Tennessee PTA School Board Member of Year 2010 and 2012; Shelby County School Board member concurrently with first 2 years as mayor; Tennessee Legislative network (TLN) Rep. for SCS; served on the TLN Board of Directors and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Board of Directors; University of Memphis Alumni Association; Leadership Arlington (Inaugural Class); Shelby GOP; Northeast Shelby County Republican Club; Memphis Firefighters Association; Former Reserve for Shelby Co. Emergency Services & Germantown Fire Department; NRA; and member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
Religion
The Wissman's are active members in their church and the community.
Education
He is a graduate of Bartlett High School. He received his Bachelors of Professional Studies from University of Memphis and also holds a Degree in Emergency Medical Technology.
Hobbies
He enjoys fitness, hunting, coaching youth sports, boating, and fishing.