{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"JIM SHANKS","chatgptsummary":"Jim Shanks brings over twenty years of law enforcement background and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting to the Hawkins County Trustee role. His biography documents eight years as the incumbent trustee, during which he expanded online tax-payment options and received the 2020 Trustee of the Year award for the Eastern District. Bio does not indicate specific experience with Tennessee property-tax law or investment management strategies.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJim Shanks is the incumbent Hawkins County Trustee and the Republican nominee for Trustee on the August 6, 2026 ballot, running unopposed after clearing the May 2026 GOP primary with 7,240 votes (about 99.6% of votes cast) [1][2][3].\n\n## Background and education\nShanks grew up in Hawkins County and graduated from Cherokee High School. He earned an Associate of Applied Science in Criminology and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from East Tennessee State University [2].\n\n## Career\nBefore taking office, Shanks spent more than twenty years in law enforcement [2].\n\n## Office history\nShanks was first elected Hawkins County Trustee in 2014 [2]. As trustee, he has expanded online tax-payment options for residents, including e-check and card payments through hawkinscountytn.gov/trustee.html [4].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nShanks received the Trustee of the Year award for the Eastern District of Tennessee in 2020 [2]. He holds membership in the Tennessee Trustee's Association, the East Tennessee Trustee's Association, and the County Officials Association of Tennessee, and has served as president and vice-president of the East Tennessee Trustee's Association and represented trustees statewide on the County Officials Association board [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [No excuses: Stewart wins primary, Linkous unseats DeWitte (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/news/article_f3f7b9f3-e7c6-4839-9584-7f87024cae4a.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[2] [Hawkins County Trustee \u2014 Jim Shanks (official county site)](https://www.hawkinscountytn.gov/trustee.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[3] [Official ballot, Hawkins County, August 6, 2026](https://hawkinscountytn.gov/pdfs/elections/sample_ballot.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18\n[4] [Trustee offering online tax payment for those concerned about being exposed to COVID (Rogersville Review)](https://www.therogersvillereview.com/rogersville/article_f146bf7e-ffcc-5962-a73b-32f69db701da.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-18","firstname":"JIM","lastname":"SHANKS","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"vyW52nUw67"},"token":"jim_shanks"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"trustee","o.office":null,"office":"trustee","officedescription":"The trustee is the county's banker \u2014 collecting county property taxes, keeping and investing county funds, and disbursing money on the county's authority. It handles large sums of public money and is a fiduciary role.","officequalities":"- Financial trustworthiness: the trustee is the county's banker and custodian of tax revenue, handling the county's property-tax collections.\n- Working knowledge of Tennessee property-tax law, including tax-relief programs for seniors, disabled residents, and veterans.\n- Investment and cash-management competence for county funds under state-law constraints.\n- Monthly settlement and reporting discipline.\n- Accessible customer service for taxpayers paying bills, disputing assessments, or seeking relief, and the ability to administer a partly-online operation.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Trustee","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-18","title":"Hawkins County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.hawkinscountytn.gov/pdfs/elections/sample_ballot.pdf"},"title":"County Trustee"}