{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Tracey Farr","chatgptsummary":"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.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nTracey Farr is the Democratic nominee for Blount County Commission District 2, Seat A, running unopposed in the Democratic primary and facing Republican incumbent Mike Akard in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election [1][2] \u2014 a rematch of the 2022 general election, which Akard won 793 votes (62.44%) to Farr's 477 (37.50%) [3].\n\n## Career\nFarr works as an associate professor of Business Management at Pellissippi State Community College [4].\n\n## Family\nShe is raising three children with her husband and is described as devoting significant time to community volunteer work [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [August 6, 2026 Official Ballot for Blount County](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30077/August-6-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [May 5, 2026 Official Ballot for Blount County](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29846/May-5-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [FetchYourNews \u2014 Blount County General Election Results (2022)](https://fetchyournews.com/featured-stories/blount-county-general-election-results/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [BlountViews \u2014 Tracey Farr, Candidate for Blount County Commission District 2, Seat A](https://www.blountviews.com/node/1635) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"Tracey","lastname":"Farr","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"et5YDAE8Zt"},"token":"tracey_farr"},{"candidatename":"Mike Akard","chatgptsummary":"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.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMike Akard is the incumbent Republican Blount County Commissioner for District 2, Seat A, and the Republican nominee on the Aug. 6, 2026 general-election ballot, facing Democrat Tracey Farr [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nAkard is a native Blount Countian. His parents are Wayne Akard and Susie (Myers) Bowman, and Jack Bowman, DDS; his grandparents are Herbert (of Cades Cove) and Kathryn Myers. He graduated from Alcoa High School in 1983, attended the University of Tennessee-Knoxville from 1983\u20131988, and earned a B.B.A. from East Tennessee State University in 1989 [3].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\nPer his Daily Times candidate profile, Akard founded a company called \"ACT\" in 1993, which he describes as having 48 employees [3].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nAkard says he serves on the Commission's Budget committee and was involved in a 2021 push to maintain the county's tax rate in order to pay down roughly $200 million in debt the county had taken on; per his account, the county has since repaid more than $100 million of that debt [3].\n\n## Family\nAkard married his wife, Donna, in 1996 [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [August 6, 2026 Official Ballot for Blount County](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30077/August-6-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [May 5, 2026 Official Ballot for Blount County](https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/29846/May-5-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [The Daily Times \u2014 Hats in the Ring: County Board of Commissioners Seat 2-A](https://www.thedailytimes.com/news/blount-county-board-of-commissioners-seat-2-a/pdf_2af57410-34d8-46a8-9803-d4f0365887b3.html) (Marcus Fitzsimmons, Apr. 20, 2026) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"Mike","lastname":"Akard","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"XPMNhvKMTg"},"token":"mike_akard"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_2","officedescription":"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.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-02","title":"Blount County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.blounttn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/30077/August-6-2026-Sample-Ballot-PDF"},"title":"County Commission District 2, Seat A"}