M. David Adkins

Current office and 2026 campaign

M. David Adkins is the incumbent Campbell County Commissioner for District 1, running for re-election as an Independent in the August 6, 2026 county general election against Republicans Joshua A. Etters and David Greene, alongside fellow independent incumbent Zachary Marlow ¹.

Career

Adkins previously worked as a shop teacher at Campbell County High School ²³. While serving as commissioner, he became interim Campbell County Sanitation Director, and in May 2023 the county commission unanimously voted him into the permanent position — Adkins abstained from that vote — following a "blind review" selection process described by County Mayor Jack Lynch ³. His pay rose from $46,902 on a ten-month teacher contract to $67,147 annually in the sanitation director role ²³. County Attorney Joe Coker said Adkins could legally hold the position as a sitting commissioner, after consulting the UT County Technical Assistance Service, which found no conflict ².

Documented disputes and controversies

A WBIR 10Investigates review found that of six applicants for the sanitation director job, one had eight years' experience as public works director in Norris and another had 20 years as a district manager for Waste Connections, while Adkins's prior relevant experience was as a shop teacher ². Adkins was serving as interim sanitation director — having, in that role, fired the previous director, William Rutherford — at the time he applied for the permanent post ². Rutherford has filed a lawsuit alleging he was pushed out because he refused to allow county commissioners, their constituents, friends, and relatives to use the sanitation department's transfer station and convenience centers, and because he "complained about, and refused to participate in and/or remain silent about the illegal activities he observed during his employment," according to the suit; commissioners have said in response that Rutherford was fired for poor performance ².

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