Paul Young Bio
Paul Andrew Young (born October 7, 1979) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 65th and current mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. He has held the office since January 1, 2024, and is a member of the Democratic Party. Before entering public office, Young built a career in urban planning and economic development, including serving as president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission.
As mayor, Paul Young has prioritized public safety, infrastructure improvements, and economic growth in Memphis. His administration has launched new technology programs, tax and fee changes, and partnerships aimed at strengthening neighborhoods across the city.
Early Life and Background
Paul Andrew Young was born on October 7, 1979, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Dr. William Young, a Vietnam War veteran, and Reverend Diane Young. He grew up in the Oakhaven neighborhood of Memphis, where his parents were active community and faith leaders. His father became the chaplain of Methodist Hospital when Paul was two years old, the first African American to hold the position. William Young also founded a church in Bolivar, Tennessee, when Paul was seven. Diane and William later founded the Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church in Oakhaven when Paul was eleven, and his parents served as surrogate parents for many children in the community while Paul was growing up.
Young attended East High School in Memphis. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee. After completing his undergraduate studies, he decided to pursue a master’s degree in city and regional planning, an interest that was inspired by a sermon from his mother. He later added a Master of Science and an MBA at the University of Memphis, rounding out a blend of technical, planning, and business training. In 2009, Young was named a mid-career fellow by the nonprofit New Memphis, an early recognition of his leadership potential in the city.
Path to US Politics
Before running for office, Paul Young built a career in urban development and nonprofit leadership. He served as president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period in which downtown districts across the country faced major economic challenges. In that role, he advocated for a grocery store in the downtown area, and within about a year the South Point grocery store was announced as a result of his efforts and other downtown partners.
Young’s transition into electoral politics came in 2023, when a wide-open mayoral race developed in Memphis. His 2023 campaign focused on strengthening the Memphis economy, creating jobs, and expanding technology and development opportunities. His platform also addressed systemic issues such as poverty and crime, with an emphasis on neighborhood safety and broader access to opportunity. The campaign worked with the firm VoteShift, which specializes in strategies for candidates focused on racial equity, and Young connected with voters through a Reddit AMA on October 3, 2023, as well as content shared across YouTube and story ads.
Paul Young Career
Early Career (2009–2022)
After being named a mid-career fellow by New Memphis in 2009, Paul Young steadily rose in Memphis civic and business circles. He held roles that combined planning expertise, economic development, and nonprofit leadership, building a reputation for collaborating across sectors. His technical background in electrical engineering, combined with his master’s degree in city and regional planning and his MBA, gave him a distinctive profile for work on infrastructure and growth issues.
Young’s most prominent pre-mayoral role was serving as president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission, a position he held during the COVID-19 pandemic. He pushed for downtown amenities, most notably a grocery store, and helped lay the groundwork for the South Point grocery store announcement. These years positioned him as a recognizable figure in Memphis’s economic development community and set the stage for his entry into elected office.
2023 Memphis Mayoral Election (2023)
Paul Young was elected mayor of Memphis in the 2023 Memphis mayoral election, a contest that drew 17 candidates on the ballot. It was the first Memphis mayoral election since 1971 in which an incumbent was not seeking re-election, helping to make the race especially competitive. Young received 24,408 votes from 98 precincts, finishing about 4,500 votes ahead of his nearest competitor, Floyd Bonner Jr. The second closest competitor was Willie Herenton, a former Memphis mayor.
Overall turnout reached 88,699 votes, representing 23.8 percent of registered voters. After the results were finalized, Young was sworn in on January 1, 2024, becoming the 65th mayor of Memphis. The victory capped a campaign that had focused on jobs, technology investment, neighborhood safety, and broader economic opportunity for Memphians.
Mayor of Memphis Era (2024–Present)
Since taking office, Paul Young has pursued an agenda centered on public safety, fiscal reform, and economic development. On public safety, he promised a “pandemic-like response” to crime during his campaign, engaging police, prosecutors, judges, and community organizers. His administration launched Operation Code Zero, which increases police presence in high-crime and high-traffic tourist areas, and is overseeing the installation of $10–$15 million worth of AI-powered cameras across Memphis to address concerns over crime and shootings. In September 2025, after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announced plans to deploy federal troops to Memphis, Young spoke out against the planned deployment while saying he intended to make the most of it.
On the fiscal side, Young implemented several tax and fee increases aimed at improving city services and infrastructure, including a 49-cent property tax hike, a $30 increase in vehicle registrations, and a $12 increase on solid waste fees. His administration created public dashboards, including one from the Memphis Police Department that tracks data points such as homicide rates. In transportation, Young replaced the entire Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) board following significant financial deficits and a decline in public approval from 75 percent in 2018 to 38 percent in more recent years, and he ordered a forensic audit of MATA’s finances. In August 2024, Young and police Chief C.J. Davis announced $3 million to compensate businesses recovering from crime, and his administration has supported financial incentives for affordable housing and committed to increasing funding for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the most dramatic moments of Paul Young’s tenure came in June 2025, when he was targeted in a kidnapping attempt. The suspected perpetrator, Trenton Abston, was arrested after scaling the wall of Young’s neighborhood. Abston was found to have a TASER, gloves, rope, and duct tape in his vehicle, along with a list of several other leaders and the names of their spouses and children, in addition to Young. The incident came shortly after a separate event that involved targeting public officials in Minnesota, underscoring the broader risks facing local leaders.
Paul Young Career Wins
Paul Young’s primary electoral victory is his 2023 election as mayor of Memphis, in which he finished first among 17 candidates and was sworn in on January 1, 2024. While his career has been defined more by civic leadership and policy work than by long lists of elections, his mayoral win stands as the central achievement of his time in public life.
Mayoral Election Highlights
In the 2023 Memphis mayoral election, Paul Young received 24,408 votes from 98 precincts, defeating 16 other candidates, including former mayor Willie Herenton. His margin over the runner-up, Floyd Bonner Jr., was roughly 4,500 votes, and the total turnout across the city was 88,699 votes, representing 23.8 percent of registered voters. The race was notable as the first Memphis mayoral election since 1971 in which an incumbent was not seeking re-election, making Young’s victory a significant personal milestone and a turning point for the city.
Other Wins & Achievements
Beyond electoral politics, Paul Young has been recognized for his leadership in Memphis’s civic and business community. In 2009, he was named a mid-career fellow by the nonprofit New Memphis, an early honor that highlighted his potential as a community leader. As president and CEO of the Downtown Memphis Commission, he helped drive downtown investment, including efforts that led to the announcement of the South Point grocery store, expanding access to food in the urban core. He is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Paul Young Family
Family Background and Lineage
Paul Andrew Young was raised in a deeply religious and service-oriented household in the Oakhaven neighborhood of Memphis. His father, Dr. William Young, was a Vietnam War veteran who became the first African-American chaplain of Methodist Hospital and later founded a church in Bolivar, Tennessee. His mother, Reverend Diane Young, co-founded the Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church in Oakhaven. William Young died of congestive heart failure at the age of 77 on October 5, 2022, five days after Paul launched his mayoral campaign. Paul has two siblings, an older sister, Dorcas Young Griffin, who serves as the Shelby County Government Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, and Reverend David Young, a pastor. He also has two half-siblings.
Personal Life
Paul Young is married to Jamila Smith-Young, a nurse practitioner and assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The couple has two children. Young is a fan of hip-hop and a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. The family resides in Memphis, Tennessee.