← Back to Knox County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for County Commission At-Large, Seat 11
general - Partisan - County Commissioner
About this office
A county commissioner is a member of the county's legislative body. The commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, authorizes borrowing, and passes county resolutions and ordinances. Commissioners are elected from districts (or at-large seats) to represent constituents on countywide policy.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Policy judgment on countywide matters — budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues — within Tennessee county-government law.
- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.
- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.
- Constituent relations in the district — case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.
- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Shipe's thirty-five years as a union president and decades of nonprofit leadership demonstrate experience in constituent relations and community advocacy relevant to the role. Her work on mental-health initiatives shows policy judgment regarding social services. The biography contains no record of controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate experience with county budgeting, legislative drafting, or state-mandated continuing education.
Garrett Holt's background includes a degree in accounting, nine years in sales, and service on the Board of Zoning Appeals and Public Building Authority, demonstrating relevant budget literacy and legislative committee experience for county governance. He previously ran for city council and county commission, showing familiarity with local electoral processes. Bio does not indicate prior elected office experience or direct policy judgment experience on countywide budgets and taxes.
David Velarde's twenty-five-year medical practice in Knoxville demonstrates sustained local community engagement and constituent relations relevant to district representation. The biography contains no documented controversies or disciplinary records. Bio does not indicate experience with county budgeting, legislative drafting, or Tennessee county-government law.
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