{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Harley Masters","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"Harley Miller Masters is a Republican member of the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners and is seeking re\u2011election to the board in the 2026 general election on November 3, 2026.  He currently serves as Chairman of the three\u2011member board, a role he held at the August 5, 2024 regular session where he called the meeting to order and presented the Employee of the Month award\u30106\u3011.  In the February 6, 2023 session he was listed as Vice\u2011Chairman, indicating his service on the board dates back at least to early 2023\u30108\u3011.\n\nPublicly available biographical details such as education or prior professional experience are not provided in the sources consulted.  The Ballotpedia entry notes that Masters was a Republican candidate for the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners in the 2024 election, appearing on the November 5, 2024 general\u2011election ballot\u30101\u3011.\n\nMasters\u2019 career on the board includes participation in regular legislative actions: adopting agendas, approving minutes, moving items for discussion, and recognizing county employees.  He has also taken steps to enhance his preparedness for county emergencies.  In May 2024 he completed the \"100 Counties Prepared\" Emergency Management training program at the State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, a course designed to equip elected officials with response knowledge for natural disasters and public\u2011health crises\u30102\u3011.\n\nDuring his tenure, Masters has been active in board governance, making motions on lease agreements and agenda changes, and supporting community recognitions such as the Governors Volunteer Award and employee honors\u30106\u3011.  His leadership role positions him to influence county policy, budgeting, and service delivery, as reflected in the board\u2019s regular proceedings.\n\nIn the upcoming 2026 race, Masters will again run as a Republican for one of the three seats on the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners.  The ballot will be held on November 3, 2026, and his prior experience as both Vice\u2011Chairman and Chairman is presented as part of his candidacy.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Harley Masters (Mitchell County Board of Commissioners, North Carolina, candidate 2024) - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Harley_Masters_(Mitchell_County_Board_of_Commissioners,_North_Carolina,_candidate_2024))\n- [2] [Commissioner Harley Masters Completes Emergency Management Training - Mitchell County, North Carolina](https://www.mitchellcountync.gov/commissioner-harley-masters-completes-emergency-management-training/)\n- [6] [MInutes of the August 5, 2024 County Commission Regular Session - Mitchell County, North Carolina](https://www.mitchellcountync.gov/minutes-of-the-august-5-2024-county-commission-regular-session/)\n- [8] [Minutes of the February 6, 2023 County Commission Regular Session - Mitchell County, North Carolina](https://www.mitchellcountync.gov/minutes-of-the-february-6-2023-county-commission-regular-session/)\n- [9] [Harley-Masters-2023 - Mitchell County, North Carolina](https://www.mitchellcountync.gov/departments/commissioners/harley-masters-2023/)","firstname":"Harley","lastname":"Masters","middlename":"Miller","suffix":null,"token":"213884bd680aa795"},"token":"KzyNsRL12DyX7vs6"},{"candidatename":"Jeremy Boston Wise","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"DEM","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Jeremy Boston Wise is a registered voter in Mitchell County, North Carolina, registered since 2019 (7 years), with party affiliation listed as Democratic [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Jeremy Boston Wise's year of birth as 1991; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 4 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Jeremy Boston Wise can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Jeremy","lastname":"Wise","middlename":"Boston","suffix":null,"token":"d7b78bf3df235a90"},"token":"wvcvm1eWtjhirjwv"},{"candidatename":"Steve Pitman","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Stephen Jerry Pitman is a registered voter in Mitchell County, North Carolina, registered since 1994 (32 years), with party affiliation listed as Republican [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Stephen Jerry Pitman's year of birth as 1975; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 10 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Stephen Jerry Pitman can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Stephen","lastname":"Pitman","middlename":"Jerry","suffix":null,"token":"b7c3932d7cd8be58"},"token":"2qHb65dHMeVLTx7w"},{"candidatename":"Vic Burleson","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"REP","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames Victor Burleson is a candidate for the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners in 2026.\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Board of Elections \u2013 Mitchell County, NC](https://www.mitchellcountync.gov/departments/elections-board/)","firstname":"James","lastname":"Burleson","middlename":"Victor","suffix":null,"token":"44a9e26226f74e3d"},"token":"Qsbe2e9rHN8heRFP"},{"candidatename":"Chelsea Wilson Thayer","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"UNA","person":{"biography":"According to the North Carolina voter file, Chelsea Wilson Thayer is a registered voter in Mitchell County, North Carolina, registered since 2002 (24 years), with party affiliation listed as Unaffiliated [1].\n\nThe voter file shows Chelsea Wilson Thayer's year of birth as 1984; NC publishes only the year of birth in its bulk voter export, so day and month are not part of the public record [1].\n\nThe voter history file shows 10 elections voted in since 2016, most recently the 2026-03-03 primary election [2].\n\nThis summary draws only from the public North Carolina voter registration and history records. No additional published biographical information was located. Voters with personal knowledge of Chelsea Wilson Thayer can reach ballotproject.org with corrections or additions.\n\n## Sources\n[1] [North Carolina State Board of Elections \u2014 Voter Search](https://vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup/)\n\n[2] North Carolina State Board of Elections voter history file (`ncvhis_Statewide`), published at [dl.ncsbe.gov](https://dl.ncsbe.gov/)","firstname":"Chelsea","lastname":"Thayer","middlename":"Wilson","suffix":null,"token":"7b05097ff93e9ccf"},"token":"kNMJeGgeEjYEzANa"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":"county_commission","office":"county_commission","officedescription":"A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":3,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Mitchell County Board Of Commissioners"}