← Back to Cocke County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for County Mayor
general - Partisan - County Mayor
About this office
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.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Executive management of county government across departments such as roads, finance, planning, and emergency management.
- Ability to prepare and defend an annual budget before the county commission.
- Intergovernmental capacity: coordinating with the municipalities within the county, the State of Tennessee, and federal agencies.
- Working familiarity with Tennessee county-government law, the county charter where one exists, and open-meetings and procurement rules.
- Public-facing communication and, when needed, crisis-management skills.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Joe E. Shults brings thirty-eight years of business ownership and real estate appraisal experience, alongside leadership roles in nonprofit finance and audit committees, which align with executive management and budget oversight demands. He has no documented controversies or disciplinary records. Bio does not indicate experience with Tennessee county-government law or crisis-management skills.
Chad Burchette's biography shows long-term local residency, business ownership in landscaping and excavation, and teaching experience, which may support executive management and public communication for county mayor. The record notes he ran as an independent despite lifelong Republican affiliation and missed recent party primaries. Bio does not indicate experience with Tennessee county-government law or annual budget preparation before a county commission.
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