Rick Carver

Current office and 2026 campaign

Rick Carver is the incumbent Blount County commissioner for District 5, Seat B ¹². He filed for re-election as a Republican, drew no primary opponent, and faces Democrat Jenny Jordan in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election ¹³.

Background and education

Carver has been open about a serious health event: in August 2020, while serving as commissioner, he received a kidney transplant at Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta after his kidney function declined to about 10% following an undiagnosed blood clot in his renal vein in the early 1990s. The donor, Alcoa Police Officer Joey Beasley, gave a kidney through a paired-donation exchange despite not being a direct match. Carver, then 53, called it "a new lease on life" ⁴.

Career

Carver works as a respiratory therapist at Blount Memorial Hospital ⁴.

Office history

Carver is the incumbent for District 5, Seat B, term running Sept. 1, 2022 – Aug. 31, 2026 ⁵. He won re-election in the May 2022 Republican primary, defeating Thomas Antkow 794–182 ⁶. He serves on the county's Animal Center Advisory Board, Beer Board, Blount 250 Committee, Commission Rules Committee, Commission Workshop Committee, Human Resources Committee, Insurance Committee, and I.T. Committee ².

Legislative record and accomplishments

Carver abstained on a split (11-6-1) commission vote in March 2023 nominating Amber Krupacs to the Blount Memorial Hospital board, part of a broader hospital-governance dispute ⁷. He also abstained on the commission's May 2023 final-reading vote (17-2-1-1) amending the 1945 act governing Blount Memorial Hospital, which gave the county explicit authority to contract with and remove hospital managers ⁸.

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