{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Lonnell Matthews","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nLonnell Matthews Jr. is the Davidson County Juvenile Court Clerk [1], an office he has held since 2018 [7]. He won re-election in the August 4, 2022 general election [3], and ran unopposed for another term in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary [2]. In early 2026 he was named co-chair of a new Community Safety Task Force bringing together civic leaders from across Nashville [8].\n\n## Background and education\nMatthews is a Nashville native who grew up in the Bordeaux neighborhood of North Nashville [4][5]. He graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. Magnet High School and attended Tennessee State University, where he studied accounting and business law [4][5].\n\n## Career\nBefore entering elected office, Matthews spent roughly 14 to 15 years at the YMCA of Middle Tennessee (sources vary on the exact start year, with one placing it at 2001), leading youth-development programs and eventually rising to district executive director of youth outreach [4][5][6][7]. After his council service, he served in Mayor Megan Barry's administration as director of the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods and Community Engagement, and later as the mayor's senior advisor on public safety and criminal justice policy [5][6]. He has also co-chaired the My Brother's Keeper Nashville steering committee [7]; his advocacy for youth and public-safety programs is rooted in the 2006 killing of his younger brother [4][7][8].\n\n## Office history\nMatthews represented District 1 on the Metro Nashville Council from 2007 to 2015. Elected at age 27 in 2007, he was described as the youngest African American ever elected to the council, and won re-election in 2011 [4][5]. During his tenure he served as Speaker Pro Tempore and president of the council's Black Caucus, and chaired the Budget & Finance, Education, and Parks & Recreation committees [4][5]. He was first elected Juvenile Court Clerk in 2018 [7], re-elected in 2022 [3], and ran unopposed for a third term in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary [2].\n\n## Family\nMatthews has been married to his wife, Johari, since 2012; the couple have two children, a son, Ari, and a daughter, Pilar [7].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Lonnell Matthews](https://www.tncourts.gov/courts/state-court-clerks/clerks/lonnell-matthews) - Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts\n[2] [Nashville's May 5 primary will be decisive without Republicans on the ballot](https://wpln.org/post/nashvilles-may-5-primary-will-be-decisive-without-republicans-on-the-ballot/) - WPLN News\n[3] [August 4, 2022 Certified Election Results](https://www.nashville.gov/departments/elections/election-results-and-statistics/election-results/220804) - Nashville.gov\n[4] [Former Councilman Matthews Running for Juvenile Court Clerk](https://tntribune.com/former-councilman-matthews-running-juvenile-court-clerk/) - Tennessee Tribune, 2018\n[5] [Lonnell Matthews wants your vote for Juvenile Court Clerk](https://pridepublishinggroup.com/2018/03/08/33736/) - Nashville PRIDE, 2018\n[6] [Q&A with Lonnell Matthews](https://thecontributor.org/qa-with-lonnell-matthews/) - The Contributor\n[7] [Meet Lonnell Matthews](https://nashvillevoyager.com/interview/meet-lonnell-matthews-of-music-row-downtown/) - NashvilleVoyager Magazine\n[8] [Lonnell Matthews Jr.: Juvenile Court Clerk](https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/02/08/lonnell-matthews-jr-juvenile-court-clerk/) - Nashville Banner, Feb 8, 2026\n","firstname":"Lonnell","lastname":"Matthews","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"dvTNz618rV"},"token":"lonnell_matthews"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"davidson","districtgroup":"county","districtgroupname":"County","districtname":null,"job_type":"juvenile_court_clerk","o.office":"juvenile_court_clerk","office":"juvenile_court_clerk","officedescription":"The juvenile court clerk keeps the records of the juvenile court, which involve minors and are frequently confidential \u2014 managing sensitive case files and serving families under the court's rules.","officequalities":"- Maintains records of the Juvenile Court \u2014 which handles delinquency, dependency-and-neglect, and child-custody/support matters. Records are partially confidential under state law.\n- Records management for the court served by this clerk's office, in conformity with Tennessee Rules of Civil/Criminal Procedure and the orders of the assigned judges.\n- Working knowledge of the relevant court's docket, fee schedule, and pleading requirements.\n- Financial controls for collecting and disbursing court costs, fines, restitution, bonds, and trust funds \u2014 with public accountability.\n- Supervision of a clerical staff handling high case volume and frequent statutory deadlines.\n- Administrative reliability \u2014 the office's filings are legally binding and its records are evidence.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"Juvenile Court Clerk","partisan":1,"pgr":"primary","quantity":null,"referendum":null,"source":null,"title":"Juvenile Court Clerk"}