{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"RHEA \"SKIP\" TAYLOR","chatgptsummary":"Rhea \"Skip\" Taylor's twenty-four-year tenure as Fayette County Mayor and eight years on the County Commission demonstrate executive management of roads, finance, and emergency services alongside budget preparation before a commission. His background includes intergovernmental coordination and public communication for rural constituents. In 2024, he faced controversy over closing a community center, prompting new event-scheduling rules. Bio does not indicate experience with Tennessee county-government law or federal agency coordination.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n- County Mayor of Fayette County, Tennessee, since being elected in 2002. ([voteskip.com](https://voteskip.com/about-skip/))\n\n## Background and education\n- B.S. in Agriculture, University of Tennessee at Martin. ([voteskip.com](https://voteskip.com/about-skip/))\n\n## Career\n- Lifelong Fayette County native raised on his family's farm; pursued farming full-time after college and became active in civic life through church and agricultural organizations. ([voteskip.com](https://voteskip.com/about-skip/))\n- As mayor, has emphasized budgets that require no new property taxes and oversees the expansion of ambulance service, the establishment of a county-wide fire department, and the construction or renovation of county facilities including schools and Baptist-Fayette Hospital. ([voteskip.com](https://voteskip.com/about-skip/))\n\n- In 2024, Taylor was in the news over a decision to temporarily close the Bernard Community Center in Mason; the county commission subsequently approved new rules requiring public events to be scheduled through the mayor's office. ([Commercial Appeal via Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/news/mason-tn-residents-demand-restoration-100136262.html))\n\n## Office history\n- Eight years on the Fayette County Commission before becoming mayor. ([voteskip.com](https://voteskip.com/about-skip/))\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n- **2026** \u2014 [County Mayor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=TAYLOR&id=2072&f=197128&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Fayette County official/candidate\n- **2025** \u2014 [County Mayor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=TAYLOR&id=2072&f=183769&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Fayette County official/candidate\n- **2024** \u2014 [County Mayor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=TAYLOR&id=2072&f=178976&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Fayette County official/candidate\n\n*Source: [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm). Scraped 2026-04-23.*\n","firstname":"Rhea","lastname":"Taylor","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"dMutw033nZ"},"token":"rhea_skip_taylor"},{"candidatename":"BRANDON ECHOLS","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"BRANDON","lastname":"ECHOLS","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"PpuK6PMk55"},"token":"brandon_echols"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"fayette","districtgroup":"county","districtgroupname":"County","districtname":null,"job_type":"county_mayor","o.office":"county_mayor","office":"county_mayor","officedescription":"The Fayette County Mayor is the county's chief executive and administrative officer. Duties include preparing the annual budget for the County Commission, overseeing daily operations of county departments (roads, finance, planning, emergency management, etc.), and representing Fayette County in intergovernmental dealings. The Mayor chairs the County Commission but does not vote except to break ties. Fayette's mayor serves a county of roughly 40,000 residents across 14 commission districts.","officequalities":"- Executive management of a small-county government (roads, finance, planning, emergency management) with a modest central staff.\n- Ability to prepare and defend an annual budget before a 14-member County Commission.\n- Intergovernmental capacity: coordinating with Somerville, Rossville, and other municipalities, the state, and federal agencies.\n- Working familiarity with Tennessee county-government law, including open-meetings and procurement rules.\n- Public-facing communication skills for a rural constituency of roughly 40,000 residents.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Mayor","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-22","title":"Fayette County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://fayettetn.us/departments/election/sample-ballots-8-6-26/"},"title":"County Mayor"}