← Back to Shelby County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-05-05
Contest for County Commissioner District 1
County Commission
1
primary - Partisan - County Commissioner District 1
About this office
Shelby County Commissioners are the 13 members of the county's legislative body. Each represents a single-member district, and together they pass resolutions and ordinances, approve the annual county budget, set the property-tax rate, and set countywide policy. They attend regular Monday commission meetings and Wednesday committee meetings and must complete at least seven hours of continuing education each year through the UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS).
Salary: $34,900/year (Action News 5, Dec 2021).
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Policy judgment on countywide matters — budget, taxes, land use, services, intergovernmental — within Tennessee county-government law and the Shelby County Charter.
- Budget literacy: the 13-member commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes bond issues that span decades.
- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; chairing or sitting on committees that pre-screen items.
- Constituent relations in a single-member district of roughly 70,000 residents — case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.
- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual continuing education through UT CTAS.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Democratic Primary
1 candidate
Republican Primary
1 candidate
Rhonda O'Dell
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For fourteen years, the candidate assisted commissioners with legislative research and constituent issues, providing direct exposure to policy judgment on countywide matters and the legislative process of drafting resolutions. Her stated priorities include opposing property tax increases and lowering taxes, addressing budget literacy concerns regarding revenue and debt. She also emphasizes economic growth and supporting small businesses, linking to land use and service considerations. As a long-term resident since the 1990s with military background in Millington, she offers deep community ties relevant to constituent relations in District 1.