{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"CHRISTINE MARIE MCNEMAR","chatgptsummary":"Christine Marie McNemar's biography highlights advocacy for roads, schools, and housing, alongside personal experience as a foster parent addressing youth crises. She has publicly criticized county bond debt and proposed halting non-essential projects to fund basic needs. The record contains no mention of prior executive management roles, budget preparation before a commission, or familiarity with Tennessee county law. Bio does not indicate government administration experience or intergovernmental coordination experience.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nChristine Marie McNemar is an independent candidate for Montgomery County Mayor in the Aug. 6, 2026 county general election, running against incumbent Republican Wes Golden and Democrat Isaac Greenwood [1][2]. She has said she is running a zero-fund campaign that refuses financial contributions, stating \"leadership shouldn't be for sale,\" and reported a single $40 contribution from herself [3]. On the issues, McNemar criticizes county bond debt and calls for halting non-essential capital projects until schools and roads are adequately funded; prioritizes basic needs such as safe roads, food security, child safety, and housing, including a 365-day homeless shelter over fairgrounds development; and links local flooding to deforestation, urging developer accountability and replanting [4]. She describes herself as a foster parent focused on youth crisis intervention through employment, recreation, and mental-health access [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Qualified Candidates \u2013 August 6, 2026 (Montgomery County Election Commission)](https://montgomerytn.gov/storage/departments/election/QualifiedCandidatesAUG26w_Indep.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Who\u2019s on ballot for Montgomery County mayor, sheriff, commission, School Board](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/whos-on-ballot-for-montgomery-county-mayor-sheriff-commission-school-board/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Wes Golden raises 26 times nearest opponent in mayor\u2019s race contributions](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/wes-golden-raises-26-times-nearest-opponent-in-montgomery-county-mayors-race-contributions/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[4] [County mayor candidates on the issues: school funding, quality-of-life, flooding](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/county-mayor-candidates-on-the-issues-school-funding-quality-of-life-projects-flooding/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"CHRISTINE","lastname":"MCNEW","middlename":"MARIE","suffix":null,"token":"ThVEHb4T5m"},"token":"christine_marie_mcnew"},{"candidatename":"WES GOLDEN","chatgptsummary":"Wes Golden's biography shows relevant executive experience managing safety for over 14,000 employees and overseeing programs across thirteen city departments as Health and Safety Manager. His background includes serving as a firefighter and EMT, plus current tenure as Montgomery County Mayor since August 2022. The record notes no controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience with Tennessee county-government law or formal budget defense before the county commission.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nWes Golden is the incumbent Montgomery County Mayor, first elected in August 2022, and is running as the Republican candidate for a second term in the Aug. 6, 2026 county general election [1][2]. His opponents are Democrat Isaac Greenwood and independent Christine Marie McNemar [2]. As of mid-July 2026 Golden led fundraising with more than $118,000 in reported contributions from mid-January to July 10, roughly 26 times the nearest opponent [3]. On the issues, Golden emphasizes opening four schools in four years, building schools near residential areas to reduce traffic and preserve farmland, job recruitment, an agricultural-education fairgrounds project, and new stormwater-management work for the Farmington area [4].\n\n## Background and education\nGolden was born and raised in Montgomery County, graduated from Clarksville High School, and studied computer science at Austin Peay State University [1].\n\n## Career\nGolden worked as an environmental health manager for a major automotive manufacturer, where the county biography states he managed the safety and health of more than 14,000 employees, and later as Health and Safety Manager for the City of Clarksville overseeing programs across 13 city departments [1]. He previously served as a firefighter and EMT for Montgomery County [1].\n\n## Office history\nGolden was elected Montgomery County Mayor in August 2022 [1]. During his first term he cites securing major private investment, creating a county fire department, and the arrival of new hospitals [2].\n\n## Family\nGolden is married to Sara and has three children, Nash, Lydia, and Mia; the family attends LifePoint Church [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [County Mayor Wes Golden \u2013 biography](https://montgomerytn.gov/mayor/bio) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Who\u2019s on ballot for Montgomery County mayor, sheriff, commission, School Board](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/whos-on-ballot-for-montgomery-county-mayor-sheriff-commission-school-board/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Wes Golden raises 26 times nearest opponent in mayor\u2019s race contributions](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/wes-golden-raises-26-times-nearest-opponent-in-montgomery-county-mayors-race-contributions/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[4] [County mayor candidates on the issues: school funding, quality-of-life, flooding](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/county-mayor-candidates-on-the-issues-school-funding-quality-of-life-projects-flooding/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"WES","lastname":"GOLDEN","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"0wFsJ70AbG"},"token":"wes_golden"},{"candidatename":"ISAAC GREENWOOD","chatgptsummary":"Isaac Greenwood's biography shows eight years leading teams in complex data systems and nonprofit involvement, relevant to executive management and intergovernmental coordination. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience with Tennessee county-government law or preparing a county budget before the commission.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nIsaac Greenwood is the Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Mayor in the Aug. 6, 2026 county general election, challenging incumbent Republican Wes Golden and independent Christine Marie McNemar [1][2]. His platform centers on chartering a countywide housing cooperative with rent-to-own options, lighting county roads, and a \"Farm to Cafeteria\" free-school-lunch program [1]. On school funding he proposes reprioritizing current spending by adjusting administrative pay relative to teachers and restructuring the adequate-facilities tax, and he emphasizes traffic flow, affordable housing, and natural-infrastructure flood solutions [3]. As of mid-July 2026 he reported more than $4,500 in contributions [4].\n\n## Background and education\nGreenwood is a Middle Tennessee native who attended Volunteer State Community College and Tennessee Tech University, working various jobs to pay for his education [1].\n\n## Career\nGreenwood has spent about eight years leading teams that design solutions for complex data systems [1]. He became active with local nonprofits, including the Clarksville-Montgomery Voting Alliance, after the birth of his daughter [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Isaac Greenwood joins race to become Montgomery County\u2019s next mayor](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/isaac-greenwood-joins-race-to-become-montgomery-countys-next-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Who\u2019s on ballot for Montgomery County mayor, sheriff, commission, School Board](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/whos-on-ballot-for-montgomery-county-mayor-sheriff-commission-school-board/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [County mayor candidates on the issues: school funding, quality-of-life, flooding](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/county-mayor-candidates-on-the-issues-school-funding-quality-of-life-projects-flooding/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[4] [Wes Golden raises 26 times nearest opponent in mayor\u2019s race contributions](https://clarksvillenow.com/local/wes-golden-raises-26-times-nearest-opponent-in-montgomery-county-mayors-race-contributions/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"ISAAC","lastname":"GREENWOOD","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"J66APKGIal"},"token":"isaac_greenwood"}],"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":"2026-07-19","title":"montgomery County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://montgomerytn.gov/storage/departments/election/Legal%20%233%20-%20Sample%20Ballot%20AUG%202026.pdf"},"title":"County Mayor"}