{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"JASON PETERSON","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"JASON","lastname":"PETERSON","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"acUaXVjVhE"},"token":"jason_peterson"},{"candidatename":"MICHAEL BRADY","chatgptsummary":"Michael Brady's biography shows relevant experience as an incumbent county mayor managing Grundy County government and representing the county on a regional development district board. He studied business management and pre-law, with prior work in property assessment and corporate administration. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate specific experience preparing annual budgets before a county commission or familiarity with Tennessee open-meetings and procurement rules.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMichael Brady is the incumbent County Mayor of Grundy County, Tennessee, and is the Republican Party nominee for the office on the August 6, 2026 county general election ballot [1][2]. He is opposed by independent candidate Jason Peterson [2].\n\n## Background and education\nBrady is from Beersheba Springs, Tennessee, and attended Grundy County High School [3]. He studied business management at Trevecca Nazarene University and government/pre-law at Motlow State Community College [3].\n\n## Career\nBefore holding county-wide office, Brady worked at Carrier Corporation and in the Grundy County Assessor of Property's office [3].\n\n## Office history\nBrady serves as Grundy County Mayor (the county executive), a role reflected in the University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service directory of county officials [1]. He represents Grundy County on the board of the Southeast Tennessee Development District, a regional council of governments serving counties in the Chattanooga area [4].\n\n## Family\nBrady is married to Lisa Brady, and the couple has four children [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Michael Brady, County Mayor \u2014 UT County Technical Assistance Service](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/official/michael-brady) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Official Ballot, Grundy County, Tennessee, August 6, 2026](https://www.grundycountytn.net/officials/pdfs/sample_ballot.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Meet Your Neighbor, Grundy County Herald](https://www.grundycountyherald.com/living/meet-your-neighbor/article_c19e341c-5bcf-5991-a58c-bb71984a688e.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Board of Directors, Southeast Tennessee Development District](https://www.sedev.org/board/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"MICHAEL","lastname":"BRADY","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"rGYTOGLO1c"},"token":"michael_brady"}],"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":"2026-07-21","title":"Grundy County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.grundycountytn.net/officials/pdfs/sample_ballot.pdf"},"title":"County Mayor"}