{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Mark Mitchell","chatgptsummary":"Mark Mitchell's biography shows four years of service on the Lincoln County Commission, demonstrating familiarity with legislative processes and constituent relations within Tennessee county law. He received the highest vote total in his district during the 2022 election. The record contains no mention of disciplinary actions or controversies. Bio does not indicate experience with budget literacy or state-mandated continuing education through UT CTAS.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMark Mitchell is an independent candidate for re-election to the Lincoln County Commission, District 3, on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot. District 3 is a single \"vote for three\" contest [1][2]. (He is a different person from Machale Mitchell, an independent candidate in District 2.)\n\n## Office history\nMitchell won a Lincoln County Commission District 3 seat in the August 2022 county general election, receiving 479 votes -- the highest total in the district's vote-for-three field -- and has served as a District 3 commissioner since [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [List of Candidates, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/LIST%20OF%20CANDIDATES%205-18-2026.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [General Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/GENERAL%20SAMPLE%20BALLOT.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Election 2022: Lincoln County's Unofficial Election Results - Elk Valley Times](https://www.elkvalleytimes.com/news/election-2022-lincoln-county-s-unofficial-election-results/article_cd1e0cc0-1444-11ed-9e7b-7786c8f1c885.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Mark","lastname":"Mitchell","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"xmckpnD8Ed"},"token":"mark_mitchell"},{"candidatename":"Kate Guin","chatgptsummary":"Kate Guin's biography shows four years of service on the Lincoln County Commission, demonstrating familiarity with local legislative processes and constituent relations required for the role. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience in budget literacy or state-mandated continuing education through UT CTAS.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nKate Guin is an independent candidate for re-election to the Lincoln County Commission, District 3, on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot. District 3 is a single \"vote for three\" contest [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nGuin won a Lincoln County Commission District 3 seat in the August 2022 county general election, receiving 405 votes in the district's vote-for-three field, and has served as a District 3 commissioner since [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [List of Candidates, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/LIST%20OF%20CANDIDATES%205-18-2026.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [General Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/GENERAL%20SAMPLE%20BALLOT.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Election 2022: Lincoln County's Unofficial Election Results - Elk Valley Times](https://www.elkvalleytimes.com/news/election-2022-lincoln-county-s-unofficial-election-results/article_cd1e0cc0-1444-11ed-9e7b-7786c8f1c885.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Kate","lastname":"Guin","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"D9noW9Us4z"},"token":"kate_guin"},{"candidatename":"Jack Atchley","chatgptsummary":"Jack Atchley's biography shows two years of service on the Lincoln County Commission, demonstrating familiarity with local legislative processes and constituent relations. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience in budget literacy or state-mandated continuing education through UT CTAS.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJack Atchley is an independent candidate for re-election to the Lincoln County Commission, District 3, on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot. District 3 is a single \"vote for three\" contest [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nAtchley won a Lincoln County Commission District 3 seat in the August 2022 county general election, receiving 461 votes in the district's vote-for-three field, and has served as a District 3 commissioner since [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [List of Candidates, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/LIST%20OF%20CANDIDATES%205-18-2026.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [General Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/GENERAL%20SAMPLE%20BALLOT.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Election 2022: Lincoln County's Unofficial Election Results - Elk Valley Times](https://www.elkvalleytimes.com/news/election-2022-lincoln-county-s-unofficial-election-results/article_cd1e0cc0-1444-11ed-9e7b-7786c8f1c885.html) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Jack","lastname":"Atchley","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"EjBvFWgD1y"},"token":"jack_atchley"},{"candidatename":"Justin Bates","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"Justin","lastname":"Bates","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"a0olMgg7nW"},"token":"justin_bates"},{"candidatename":"Joannie Burnett","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"Joannie","lastname":"Burnett","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"DDKUR4EGYf"},"token":"joannie_burnett"},{"candidatename":"Rod Grubbs","chatgptsummary":"Rod Grubbs brings thirty-five years of infrastructure project management at NASA and small-business consulting, alongside party leadership and community volunteering, to a role requiring budget literacy and constituent relations. His biography documents no controversy or disciplinary record. Bio does not indicate experience with Tennessee county-government law or state-mandated continuing education through UT CTAS.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRod Grubbs is a Republican candidate for the Lincoln County Commission, District 3, on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot. District 3 is a single \"vote for three\" contest [1][2]. Grubbs says he decided to run after a 2023 county property-tax increase that he felt was enacted without clear justification, and that he received \"silence\" when he asked commissioners to explain it [3][4]. His stated platform emphasizes transparent leadership and explaining the reasoning behind votes, fiscal responsibility -- his position is that \"government should function like a household budget,\" prioritizing budget cuts and deferrals before new taxes -- managed growth tied to infrastructure such as schools, water, and emergency services, and a \"data-driven\" approach to decisions [3].\n\n## Background and education\nOutside his career, Grubbs serves as vice-chair of the Lincoln County Republican Party, volunteers with the Camp Blount Historic Site Association, mentors youth at local high-school career days, and teaches Bible classes at West Fayetteville Church of Christ [3].\n\n## Career\nGrubbs says he spent 35 years at NASA, where he managed infrastructure projects including NASA Television and the images.nasa.gov site, and now works as a small-business consultant specializing in aerospace imaging [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [List of Candidates, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/LIST%20OF%20CANDIDATES%205-18-2026.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [General Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026 (Lincoln County Election Commission)](https://cms2.revize.com/revize/lincolncountynew/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/GENERAL%20SAMPLE%20BALLOT.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Rod Grubbs for District 3 County Commissioner - campaign website](https://sites.google.com/view/rodgrubbs) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [Rod Grubbs for District 3 County Commissioner - Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/p/Rod-Grubbs-for-District-3-County-Commissioner-61584985604020/) - accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Rod","lastname":"Grubbs","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"h7SYDDP3yi"},"token":"rod_grubbs"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_3","officedescription":"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.","officequalities":"- Policy judgment on countywide matters \u2014 budget, taxes, land use, services, and intergovernmental issues \u2014 within Tennessee county-government law.\n- Budget literacy: the commission approves the county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and authorizes multi-year bond issues.\n- Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances; committee work that pre-screens items.\n- Constituent relations in the district \u2014 case-work and community issues flow through the commissioner's office.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required annual continuing education through UT CTAS.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Commissioner","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":3,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-20","title":"lincoln County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.lincolncountytn.gov/Documents/Election%20Commission/2026%20Election/GENERAL%20SAMPLE%20BALLOT.pdf"},"title":"County Commissioner District 3"}