{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJerome K. Fitzgerald is the Republican incumbent seeking reelection to Washington County Commission District 3 in the August 6, 2026 county general election; he is currently serving his second term on the commission [1][2].\n\n## Career\nBefore joining the county commission, Fitzgerald served as a Jonesborough alderman, first elected in 1996 [3]. He resigned from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in February to run for the county commission seat; his successor, Adam Dickson, was appointed to complete the remainder of that alderman term, which ran through 2020 [4].\n\n## Office history\nFitzgerald won his county commission seat in a general election, defeating independent candidate Isaac Moore 1,087 votes to 472, according to Johnson City Press [5]. He currently serves on the commission's Ethics Committee (as Secretary), Public Safety Committee, Public Works Committee (as Vice Chair), and the Water Task Force [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nIn March 2026, Fitzgerald was one of five commissioners who voted against a rezoning request from BWX Technologies (BWXT) for its 55-acre Jonesborough property, which supported the company's roughly $1.5 billion federal contract to process high-purity depleted uranium. Because the county planning commission had recommended denial in January, the measure required a supermajority; it passed 10-5, with Fitzgerald, Josh Edens, Greg Matherly, Jodi Jones, and Ben Carder voting no [6][7].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nDuring his tenure as Jonesborough alderman, a Herald & Tribune op-ed reported that Fitzgerald had been absent from more than one-third of Board of Mayor and Aldermen meetings in 2006, had no record of committee service beyond an initial recreation committee assignment shortly after his 1996 election, and resigned a sewer task force appointment after attending only one meeting; the piece also reported he declined a cultural arts center liaison committee assignment, citing existing commitments [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Jerome Fitzgerald | Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/211/Jerome-Fitzgerald) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [LIST: Candidates file petitions to run for office in Washington County, TN | WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/list-candidates-file-petitions-to-run-for-office-in-washington-county-tn/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Fitzgerald 'too busy' to serve? | Herald & Tribune](https://www.heraldandtribune.com/op-ed/fitzgerald-%C2%91too-busy%C2%92-to-serve/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Board taps Adam Dickson for vacant alderman seat | Herald & Tribune](https://www.heraldandtribune.com/news/local/board-taps-adam-dickson-for-vacant-alderman-seat/article_6bb0675f-4766-5ed2-9ca9-3efc3bc62c02.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [Voters decide contested races for County Commission | Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/voters-decide-contested-races-for-county-commission/article_ba9c8a86-c4b2-5f42-9066-1228d5f91656.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[6] [Commission approves BWXT rezoning request | WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/live-commission-hears-from-community-before-bwxt-rezoning-vote/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[7] [Depleted uranium company gains approval in rural East Tennessee | Tennessee Lookout](https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/03/24/depleted-uranium-company-gains-approval-in-rural-east-tennessee/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","county":"Washington","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Commissioner District 3"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"JEROME","fullname":"JEROME K FITZGERALD","lastname":"FITZGERALD","middlename":"K","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 3","county":"Washington","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission_district_3","contest_title":"County Commissioner District 3","county":"Washington","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission_district_3","office_title":"County Commissioner District 3","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Jerome Fitzgerald, the second-term Republican Washington County commissioner for District 3, is seeking reelection after previously serving as a Jonesborough alderman.","terms":[],"token":"rrGXggoEl4"}