{"county":"hamilton","description":null,"district":"7","districtgroup":"county_commission","id":602,"key":"county_commission_district_7","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Lee Helton","next_election":null,"notes":null,"officegroup":null,"partisan":0,"party":null,"qualities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, intergovernmental \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law and the Shelby County Charter.\n- Budget literacy: the 13-member commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes bond issues that span decades.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; chairing or sitting on committees that pre-screen items.\n- Constituent relations in a single-member district of roughly 70,000 residents \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01","term_years":4,"terms":[{"current":1,"description":null,"electiondate":"2022-08-04","name":"Lee Helton","person":{"biography":"Lee Helton is a Republican candidate for Hamilton County Commission District 7 in Tennessee, running in the May 5, 2026 primary election [9]. He currently serves as the District 7 Commissioner and holds the title of Chairman Pro-Tempore on the Hamilton County Commission [3]. His official county profile lists his committee assignments, including membership on the Finance and Budget Committee, where he reviews budgets and fiscal policy, and Chairmanship of the Rules and Legislative Committee, which manages commission rules and local legislation [3]. He also serves on the Building and Economic Development Committee [3].\n\nHelton is a Chattanooga businessman who graduated from East Ridge High School and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in finance [11]. He has owned Lee Helton Construction, LLC for over a decade [11]. Prior to his current service, he served as treasurer for the Hamilton County Republican Party for two years [11].\n\nHelton first launched his campaign for District 7 in February 2022 to fill an open seat [11]. At that time, he was the only candidate to qualify for the position, resulting in an unopposed victory in both the primary and general elections [12]. He is now seeking re-election in 2026 [9]. His campaign website lists a mailing address in Chattanooga and identifies Taylor Weaver as the treasurer for the Committee to Elect Lee Helton [9].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Tennessee House of Representatives elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_House_of_Representatives_elections,_2026)\n- [2] [Tennessee elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_elections,_2026)\n- [3] [Lee Helton, Chairman Pro-TemporeDistrict 7 Commissioner, Hamilton County Government](https://www.hamiltontn.gov/District7.aspx)\n- [4] [sample ballot](https://elect.hamiltontn.gov/Portals/12/HTML/RepSample.html)\n- [6] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [7] [Hamilton County, Tennessee - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_County,_Tennessee)\n- [8] [2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Tennessee_gubernatorial_election)\n- [9] [lee helton for county commission](https://electleehelton.com/)\n- [10] [Contact - lee helton for county commission](https://www.electleehelton.com/contact.html)\n- [11] [Lee Helton Launches Campaign For District 7 County Commission - Chattanoogan.com](https://www.chattanoogan.com/2022/2/8/443050/Lee-Helton-Launches-Campaign-For.aspx)\n- [12] [Opinion: Helton rare Hamilton County Commission candidate for an open seat to get a free ride to election | Chattanooga Times Free Press](https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2022/feb/21/opinion-helton-rare-hamilton-county-commission-can/)","firstname":"Lee","lastname":"Helton","token":"wZOD5geVpj"},"term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"}],"title":"County Commission District 7","type":"legislative","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-26 19:41:43"}