{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"AURORA WELLS","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"AURORA","lastname":"WELLS","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"BTNIAu43Wy"},"token":"aurora_wells"},{"candidatename":"BRIAN LEE","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"BRIAN","lastname":"LEE","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"5h0XkbVabt"},"token":"brian_lee"},{"candidatename":"JIM MORGAN","chatgptsummary":"Jim Morgan's biography shows relevant executive experience as Jackson County Mayor since February 2025 and ten years on the county budget committee. His twenty-five-year career as an EMS director demonstrates crisis management skills and intergovernmental coordination with state legislators. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate prior elected municipal leadership experience or familiarity with Tennessee county-government law.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJim Morgan is the sitting County Mayor of Jackson County, Tennessee, and is a candidate for a full term in the August 6, 2026 county general election, appearing on the ballot as an independent candidate [3]. The Jackson County Commission elected Morgan county mayor in February 2025, when he received eight votes\u2014the majority needed\u2014over three other contenders (Jack Meadows, John Deane, and Douglas Stafford), succeeding interim mayor Joey Denson [1]. The University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service lists him as the county's current mayor [2].\n\n## Career\nBefore entering the mayor's office, Morgan spent 25 years as an emergency medical services (EMS) director, a role he described as \"twenty-four seven,\" and retired from that position in 2024 [1]. Through his EMS career he worked with state legislators in Nashville, and after retiring he worked part-time in the Overton County mayor's office [1].\n\n## Office history\nMorgan served on the Jackson County Commission representing the second district and spent ten years on the county's budget committee before the commission elected him mayor in February 2025; he vacated his commission seat upon becoming mayor [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Jim Morgan Elected As Jackson County Mayor - The UC Now](https://theucnow.com/2025/02/11/jim-morgan-elected-as-jackson-county-mayor/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Jackson County - UT County Technical Assistance Service](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/county/jackson) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Sample Ballot, Jackson County General Election, August 6, 2026](https://jacksoncountytn.gov/uploads/election-commission/pdf_embed/tnjacpg6-sampleinfballot.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"JIM","lastname":"MORGAN","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"tNIbg4iT4O"},"token":"jim_morgan"}],"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":"Jackson County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://jacksoncountytn.gov/uploads/election-commission/pdf_embed/tnjacpg6-sampleinfballot.pdf"},"title":"County Mayor"}