← Back to Blount County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for County Commission District 2, Seat A
general - Partisan - County Commissioner
About this office
A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Policy judgment on countywide matters — budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues — within Tennessee county-government law.
- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.
- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.
- Constituent relations in the district — case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.
- Willingness to complete the state-required 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
Tracey Farr's biography shows experience as a business management professor and community volunteer, relevant to policy judgment and constituent relations. The record documents a 2022 election loss but no disciplinary history. Bio does not indicate prior budget approval experience or legislative drafting experience.
Mike Akard's biography shows relevant experience as an incumbent Blount County Commissioner serving on the Budget committee and participating in legislative efforts to manage county debt. He founded a business with forty-eight employees, indicating familiarity with economic matters. The record contains no mention of disciplinary actions or controversies. Bio does not indicate prior experience in land use policy or intergovernmental relations.
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