James "Jimmy" Jeffries

Current office and 2026 campaign

James "Jimmy" Jeffries is the Republican candidate for Campbell County, Tennessee Mayor, challenging incumbent Independent Jack Lynch in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election ¹. His campaign priorities include job recruitment, infrastructure, education and county services ².

Career

Jeffries has spent 28 years in public service in Campbell County: as a police officer for the City of LaFollette, a detective with the Campbell County Sheriff's Department, and then Chief of Police and City Administrator for LaFollette ¹². He currently works for the Tennessee Department of Safety ¹.

Documented disputes and controversies

The LaFollette City Council fired Jeffries from his post as city administrator in January 2021 ³. Jeffries and animal-control officer Daniel Foster said the firings were retaliation for reporting wrongdoing to the Tennessee Comptroller's office and for filing discrimination complaints against then-Mayor Mike Stanfield ³. A joint Tennessee Bureau of Investigation/Comptroller's office probe found Stanfield had used city employees and equipment for work on private property — including repairing personally owned lawnmowers and chainsaws at the city Public Works Department and paving a former councilman's driveway with city equipment in 2018 — and had directed a city employee to make false statements to state auditors ⁴⁵. On Sept. 2, 2020, a Campbell County grand jury indicted Stanfield on seven counts of official misconduct, one count of retaliating against Jeffries for his Comptroller report, and one count of misrepresenting information to a state auditor ⁴⁵. A circuit court judge ousted Stanfield from office in November 2021, finding "clear and convincing evidence" for removal after Stanfield acknowledged the underlying conduct ⁶. The misconduct charges against Stanfield were later dropped by prosecutors in December 2021 ⁷. The city's liability carrier separately paid Jeffries a $375,000 settlement (and Foster $400,000) over the firings ³.

Sources