{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"SUE ANN CHAMBERS-FORD","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"SUE","lastname":"CHAMBERS-FORD","middlename":"ANN","suffix":null,"token":"D8nG2L27Nx"},"token":"sue_ann_chambers_ford"},{"candidatename":"PATTY WOODBY","chatgptsummary":"Patty Woodby's biography shows executive management of Carter County government, including pandemic response and Hurricane Helene recovery, alongside budget priorities for FEMA funds and infrastructure. She previously chaired the county commission and served as mayor since 2020. In January 2025, a removal petition followed her firing of an emergency director amid disputes over planning documents; the petition failed. Bio does not indicate experience with state-level intergovernmental coordination or familiarity with Tennessee county-government law.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nPatty Woodby is the incumbent mayor of Carter County and is seeking re-election in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1][3]. She won the May 5, 2026 Republican primary and faces three independent candidates in the general election [3][5]. Gov. Bill Lee endorsed her re-election bid [5].\n\n## Background and education\nWoodby served on the Carter County Commission, where she was the commission's first chairwoman, holding that role for two years before her appointment as mayor [1]. She is the first woman to serve as mayor of Carter County [1].\n\n## Office history\nFollowing the death of Mayor Rusty Barnett in 2020, Woodby was appointed to complete his term [1][3]. She was elected to a full term in August 2022 [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nAs mayor, Woodby has cited managing the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on county services, championing a new Carter County Higher Education Center, supporting a regional treatment center serving nine Northeast Tennessee counties, and leading Hurricane Helene recovery efforts [1]. She has made recovering FEMA funds owed to the county a priority, saying it is needed to avoid tax increases and to fund road and bridge reconstruction [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nIn January 2025, county resident James Byrd submitted a petition seeking Woodby's removal from office at a county commission meeting, the first meeting after Woodby fired county emergency management director Billy Harrell [4]. The petition followed a dispute over Hurricane Helene emergency planning: Woodby had said Harrell had no emergency plan when Helene struck, but the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency indicated a plan existed and had been signed by Woodby [4]. At the time, Harrell was pursuing a settlement and a potential lawsuit over his firing [4]. The removal petition was ultimately unsuccessful [6]. During the 2026 Republican primary, Woodby was the target of political attack mailers, prompting a request for a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation inquiry into their origin [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Meet the Mayoral Candidates: Patty Woodby \u2014 Elizabethton Star](https://elizabethton.com/2026/04/07/meet-the-mayoral-candidates-patty-woodby/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [County Mayor - Patty Woodby \u2014 Carter County TN](https://cartercountytn.gov/government/elected_officials/county_mayor.php) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Woodby wins Carter County mayor Republican primary \u2014 WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/woodby-wins-carter-county-mayor-republican-primary/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Man files petition to remove Carter County mayor from office \u2014 WCYB](https://wcyb.com/news/local/man-files-petition-to-remove-carter-county-mayor-from-office) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[5] [This year is shaping up to be busy political year \u2014 Elizabethton Star](https://elizabethton.com/2026/03/10/this-year-is-shaping-up-to-be-busy-political-year/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[6] [Amendment limiting public comment fails; petition to oust Woodby unsuccessful \u2014 Yahoo/WJHL](https://www.yahoo.com/news/amendment-limiting-public-fails-pass-042139531.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"PATTY","lastname":"WOODBY","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"Nb8ZVTcq0I"},"token":"patty_woodby"},{"candidatename":"H. CHRIS LITTLE","chatgptsummary":"H. Chris Little's thirty-year career securing over $4 million in grants for local projects demonstrates intergovernmental coordination and resource acquisition relevant to county management. His background includes no documented controversy or disciplinary record. Bio does not indicate experience in executive budget defense before a county commission or familiarity with Tennessee county-government law and procurement rules.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nH. Chris Little is an independent candidate for Carter County mayor in the August 6, 2026 general election, challenging Republican incumbent Patty Woodby [1][3]. He says he is running \"because I care deeply about Carter County and the people who call it home\" [1]. His stated priorities include preparing students for trade and AI-driven careers in partnership with the school board, strengthening regional economic partnerships, recruiting defense-industry jobs, re-establishing a flight school at Elizabethton Municipal Airport, and developing a business incubator [1].\n\n## Background and education\nLittle is a graduate of Elizabethton High School [1]. He earned a Bachelor of Science from East Tennessee State University, a Master of Science in sports medicine from Illinois State University, and a Physician Associate degree from Trevecca University [1].\n\n## Career\nLittle worked more than 30 years as a physician associate before retiring in January 2025 [1]. Early in his career he worked with collegiate and professional teams, including the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs [2]. He spent five years in the Emergency Department at Johnson City Medical Center and 25 years as a senior physician associate at Arthritis Associates in Kingsport, specializing in rheumatologic and autoimmune diseases [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nLittle has secured grant funding for local projects over more than three decades, including a boat ramp at Rat Branch (1992), a fire truck for the Hampton Volunteer Fire Department (2011), Green Bridge Landing development (2018), and a Watauga River ramp through the GO BETSY program (2020) [1]. He has cited roughly $4 million raised for county projects [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [H. Chris Little announces independent candidacy for Carter County Mayor \u2014 Elizabethton Star](https://elizabethton.com/2026/04/30/h-chris-little-announces-independent-candidacy-for-carter-county-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [About Chris Little \u2014 mayorchris.com](https://mayorchris.com/about.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [This year is shaping up to be busy political year \u2014 Elizabethton Star](https://elizabethton.com/2026/03/10/this-year-is-shaping-up-to-be-busy-political-year/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"H.","lastname":"LITTLE","middlename":"CHRIS","suffix":null,"token":"gnurgWriNN"},"token":"h_chris_little"},{"candidatename":"JEFF WILLIAMS","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"JEFF","lastname":"WILLIAMS","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"FuMKTJGJrK"},"token":"jeff_williams"}],"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":"2026-07-19","title":"carter County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://cms3.revize.com/revize/cartercounty/AUG%202026%20SAMPLE%20BALLOT.pdf"},"title":"County Mayor"}