{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Gary D. Behler","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"Gary D. Behler is a Republican candidate running for re-election as Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk in Tennessee [7]. He first won the office in 2010, defeating incumbent Democrat Ron Swafford [11]. As of the May 2026 election cycle, Behler has formally announced his candidacy for another term [7].\n\nDuring his tenure, Behler has focused on modernizing the Juvenile Court Clerk\u2019s Office through technology. He oversaw a transition from paper-based processes to an electronic workflow system, becoming the first State Court Clerk\u2019s Office in Tennessee to be fully electronic according to the County Technical Assistance Services [7]. His office digitized over 9.7 million pages of court records [7]. In February 2018, the office was recognized as the first fully electronic state court clerk\u2019s office in the state, and an e-Filing system implemented in 2022 became one of the first to serve juvenile courts in Tennessee [8].\n\nBehler has also emphasized fiscal responsibility and efficiency. Campaign officials state that he has reduced the office operating budget each year for 15 years and achieved zero audit findings since taking office [7]. He was named the 2023 Tennessee State Court Clerk of the Year by the Tennessee Association of State Court Clerks [7].\n\nBeyond his elected role, Behler serves as Chairman of the Hamilton County Children\u2019s Advocacy Center and is a board member for the County Officials Association of Tennessee (COAT) [7]. He previously served as president and legislative chair of the Tennessee State Court Clerks Association [7]. He was appointed to the Tennessee Human Rights Commission by Governor Bill Haslam and reappointed by Governor Bill Lee [7].\n\nBehler holds a B.S. and M.S. in criminal justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), graduating Magna Cum Laude [7]. He has served as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at UTC for 36 years [7]. He is a Certified Public Administrator (CPA) and a Certified County Financial Officer (CCFO) [7].\n\nBehler resides in Georgetown with his wife, Jamie, and their dogs [7].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [United States Senate election in Tennessee, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Tennessee,_2026)\n- [3] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [4] [sample ballot](https://elect.hamiltontn.gov/Portals/12/HTML/RepSample.html)\n- [7] [Juvenile Court Clerk Gary Behler Announces Re-Election Campaign - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2026/2/5/514352/Juvenile-Court-Clerk-Gary-Behler.aspx)\n- [8] [Gary Behler Named County Officials Association State Court Clerk Of The Year - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2023/12/18/479893/Gary-Behler-Named-County-Officials.aspx)\n- [9] [Gary Behler To Seek Re-Election As Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2013/11/21/264025/Gary-Behler-To-Seek-Re-Election-As.aspx)\n- [10] [Record breaking: Hamilton County Juvenile Court leads the state in electronic conversion | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2020/jun/30/record-breaking-hamiltcounty-juvenile-court-l/)\n- [11] [Behler Picks Up For Juvenile Court Clerk; Boyd, Stiner Pick Up For Commission Seats - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2010/2/15/169004/Behler-Picks-Up-For-Juvenile-Court.aspx)","firstname":"Gary","lastname":"Behler","middlename":"D.","suffix":null,"token":"KnQ5wRDMNh"},"token":"gary_d_behler"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":"hamilton","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"}