{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"James \"Jimmy\" Jeffries","chatgptsummary":"James Jeffries brings twenty-eight years of Campbell County public service, including roles as police officer, detective, and Chief of Police, alongside experience as City Administrator for LaFollette. His tenure involved managing municipal operations and reporting misconduct that led to the indictment and removal of a former mayor. However, he was fired from his city administrator post in 2021 following disputes over alleged retaliation, though a subsequent investigation confirmed the former mayor's misuse of public resources. Bio does not indicate experience with county budget preparation or intergovernmental coordination with state agencies.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJames \"Jimmy\" Jeffries is the Republican candidate for Campbell County, Tennessee Mayor, challenging incumbent Independent Jack Lynch in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election [1]. His campaign priorities include job recruitment, infrastructure, education and county services [2].\n\n## Career\nJeffries has spent 28 years in public service in Campbell County: as a police officer for the City of LaFollette, a detective with the Campbell County Sheriff's Department, and then Chief of Police and City Administrator for LaFollette [1][2]. He currently works for the Tennessee Department of Safety [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nThe LaFollette City Council fired Jeffries from his post as city administrator in January 2021 [3]. Jeffries and animal-control officer Daniel Foster said the firings were retaliation for reporting wrongdoing to the Tennessee Comptroller's office and for filing discrimination complaints against then-Mayor Mike Stanfield [3]. A joint Tennessee Bureau of Investigation/Comptroller's office probe found Stanfield had used city employees and equipment for work on private property \u2014 including repairing personally owned lawnmowers and chainsaws at the city Public Works Department and paving a former councilman's driveway with city equipment in 2018 \u2014 and had directed a city employee to make false statements to state auditors [4][5]. On Sept. 2, 2020, a Campbell County grand jury indicted Stanfield on seven counts of official misconduct, one count of retaliating against Jeffries for his Comptroller report, and one count of misrepresenting information to a state auditor [4][5]. A circuit court judge ousted Stanfield from office in November 2021, finding \"clear and convincing evidence\" for removal after Stanfield acknowledged the underlying conduct [6]. The misconduct charges against Stanfield were later dropped by prosecutors in December 2021 [7]. The city's liability carrier separately paid Jeffries a $375,000 settlement (and Foster $400,000) over the firings [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Lynch, Jeffries running for Campbell County mayor in August, The Mountain Press](https://www.themountainpress.com/lafollette/news/lynch-jeffries-running-for-campbell-county-mayor-in-august/article_d5581405-b02e-505b-b2b7-cced0b03b010.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [County Mayor candidate Jimmy Jeffries invites you to his meet and greet, WLAF](https://1450wlaf.com/county-mayor-candidate-jimmy-jeffries-invites-you-to-his-meet-and-greet-3/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [City of LaFollette pays almost $800,000 to settle employee claims of wrongful termination, WBIR](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/lafollette-pays-to-settle-claims-of-wrongful-termination/51-2a62160f-5938-4f64-a253-1d7839e57b65) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [LaFollette mayor ousted from office after being indicted for using city services for personal benefit, WBIR](https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/lafollette-mayor-ousted-from-office-after-being-indicted-for-using-city-services-for-personal-benefit/51-32b92c01-7cbb-4cdb-9ae5-4cefa69321bb) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [Investigation Details Improper Activity by LaFollette Mayor, Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury](https://comptroller.tn.gov/news/2021/3/1/investigation-details-improper-activity-by-lafollette-mayor.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[6] [LaFollette Mayor ousted from office following petition, WYMT](https://www.wymt.com/2021/11/22/lafollette-mayor-ousted-office-following-petition/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[7] [Misconduct charges dropped against ousted LaFollette Mayor Mike Stanfield, WATE](https://www.wate.com/news/local-news/misconduct-charges-dropped-against-ousted-lafollette-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"James","lastname":"Jeffries","middlename":"\"Jimmy\"","suffix":null,"token":"BBkvQfByHz"},"token":"james_jimmy_jeffries"},{"candidatename":"Jack Lynch","chatgptsummary":"Jack Lynch's biography shows direct executive experience as Campbell County Mayor since 2022, involving intergovernmental coordination and budget management under Tennessee law. His background includes teaching economics and adult education to inmates for over a decade, demonstrating public communication skills. No controversies or disciplinary records appear in the provided text. Bio does not indicate prior experience managing county roads or emergency operations.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJack Lynch is the incumbent Campbell County, Tennessee Mayor, running as an Independent for re-election against Republican Jimmy Jeffries in the Aug. 6, 2026 general election [1]. Lynch was elected mayor in 2022, defeating incumbent E.L. Morton 43.97% to 29.26%, with third candidate Robert L. Higginbotham taking 26.77% \u2014 the first change in the office since Morton was first elected in 2014 [2].\n\n## Background and education\nLynch is a lifetime resident of Campbell County and works as a farmer [3]. He is a graduate of Lincoln Memorial University and earned a master's degree from the University of Tennessee [2][3].\n\n## Career\nBefore becoming mayor, Lynch was a Campbell County Schools economics instructor, teaching most of his career at Campbell County High School, and also taught GED/adult-education classes to inmates at the Campbell County Jail for more than a decade [2][3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Lynch, Jeffries running for Campbell County mayor in August, The Mountain Press](https://www.themountainpress.com/lafollette/news/lynch-jeffries-running-for-campbell-county-mayor-in-august/article_d5581405-b02e-505b-b2b7-cced0b03b010.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [New mayor elected in Campbell County, WATE](https://www.wate.com/news/campbell-county-news/new-mayor-elected-in-campbell-county/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [County Mayor, UT County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS)](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/official/jack-lynch) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"Jack","lastname":"Lynch","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"KEbkMyrbUM"},"token":"jack_lynch"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_mayor","o.office":null,"office":"county_mayor","officedescription":"The county mayor (county executive in some counties) is the county's chief executive and administrative officer. The mayor prepares the annual budget for the county commission, oversees the daily operation of county departments, and represents the county in intergovernmental dealings. It is an administrative office: the commission sets policy, the mayor runs the operation.","officequalities":"- Executive management of county government across departments such as roads, finance, planning, and emergency management.\n- Ability to prepare and defend an annual budget before the county commission.\n- Intergovernmental capacity: coordinating with the municipalities within the county, the State of Tennessee, and federal agencies.\n- Working familiarity with Tennessee county-government law, the county charter where one exists, and open-meetings and procurement rules.\n- Public-facing communication and, when needed, crisis-management skills.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Mayor","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-03","title":"Campbell County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.campbellelections.com/_files/ugd/953d91_eff903831c9d4315aed1730ccecaf83e.pdf"},"title":"County Mayor"}