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Gary Kuehn

born 1958-12-18 (Age 67)
Gary Kuehn

Office history

Hamilton County Schools Board District 9 β€” Hamilton, TN
2026
R primary
2026-05-05
2022
held office
2022-09-01 β†’ 2026-09-01

Gary Kuehn is a Republican member of the Hamilton County Board of Education in Tennessee, representing District 9 [1]. He assumed office on September 1, 2022, and his current term ends on September 1, 2026 [1]. Kuehn is running for re-election to this seat in the Republican primary scheduled for May 5, 2026 [1]. In that primary, he faces incumbent challenger James Walker [1]. The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Jordan Hammond in the general election on August 6, 2026 [1].

Kuehn, who is 67 years old and resides in Ooltewah, spent nearly 40 years as a teacher and administrator in Hamilton County Schools before retiring [4]. He has lived in District 9 for 49 years and has four children [4]. His administrative career included serving as an assistant principal and instructional leader at Central High School, principal of Hunter Middle School, principal of Harrison Bay Vocational School, and principal of the Hamilton County Adult High School [7]. Prior to his election to the board, he was a science teacher at Central High School [8].

Kuehn was first elected to the school board in 2022 after defeating incumbent James Walker and Tate Smith in the Republican primary with 46.8% of the vote [1]. He subsequently won the general election on August 4, 2022, receiving all votes cast in that contest [1]. During his tenure, he has served as Vice Chair of the board and Chairman of the Facility Committee for the past two years [4]. His campaign highlights include bringing the Aviation Academy to the Harrison Bay Future Ready Center, supporting turf fields and updated lighting for sports facilities, voting to reduce benchmark testing, and leading efforts to paint Central High School [7].

Kuehn’s 2026 campaign priorities include creating balanced budgets without raising taxpayer dollars, expanding Future Ready opportunities and centers, reducing student testing time, and finding non-monetary ways to show teachers they are valued [4]. He identifies the high number of private schools in the area as the largest challenge facing Hamilton County Schools, arguing that his focus on school choice options like Future Ready centers and magnet schools helps retain students [4].

In October 2022, Kuehn was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure related to an incident at a doctor's office in August 2017 [8]. The charges were dismissed in January 2023 because the arrest warrant had expired [6].

Sources

Public filings

Candidates and officeholders are required by law to file campaign finance reports and statements of economic interest. The sites below don't support direct links to an individual record β€” search by last name on each.

Tennessee β€” Hamilton County campaign finance (County School Board Dist. 9)

Tennessee β€” Hamilton County campaign finance (County School Board Dist. 9)

Tennessee β€” campaign finance (search)

Tennessee β€” statement of interest

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