{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Missy Smith Phillips","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"Missy","lastname":"Phillips","middlename":"Smith","suffix":null,"token":"XLnKaXDjFl"},"token":"missy_smith_phillips"},{"candidatename":"Steven Burford","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"Steven","lastname":"Burford","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"lDY0qEjjKS"},"token":"steven_burford"},{"candidatename":"Andreas Eastep","chatgptsummary":"Andreas Eastep's biography shows community engagement through pollinator garden work and Rotary Club membership, yet it lacks evidence of county budget management, legislative drafting, or constituent case-work experience. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate prior elected office experience or formal policy judgment experience on land use and intergovernmental issues.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAndreas Eastep is an independent candidate for District 8 on the Maury County Commission in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1].\n\n## Background and education\nEastep is a Master Beekeeper and a member of Columbia's Breakfast Rotary Club [2]. In April 2026 he took part in the groundbreaking of a new pollinator garden at Yanahli Park in Columbia, helping install honeybee hives and providing instruction to attendees during the event [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Aug 2026 Petitions and Party Nominations | Maury County, TN](https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/685/Aug-2026-Petitions-and-Party-Nominations) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Say Bees! Yanahli Park's new pollinator garden](https://mainstreetmediatn.com/articles/e-newsletter-mainstreetmaury/say-bees-yanahli-parks-new-pollinator-garden/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"Andreas","lastname":"Eastep","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"GHIuOuCKPS"},"token":"andreas_eastep"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_8","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":2,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-19","title":"maury County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.maurycounty-tn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/7240/Aug2026General"},"title":"County Commissioner District 8"}