{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"DAVID TOMITA","chatgptsummary":"David Tomita's biography shows relevant experience as a Washington County Commissioner for three terms and former Johnson City mayor, demonstrating familiarity with local legislative processes and constituent relations. His career as a financial advisor suggests budget literacy, while his 2026 vote to rezone industrial land reflects policy judgment on land use. Bio does not indicate experience in state-mandated continuing education or multi-year bond authorization.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDavid Tomita is the Washington County Commissioner for District 10, serving his third term [1]. He filed to run for re-election as the Republican candidate for the District 10 seat on December 23, 2025, and faces Democrat Lori Sukel in the August 6, 2026 Washington County general election [2]. He has also served since 2019 as the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission's representative for East Tennessee, appointed by Gov. Bill Lee, and was reappointed in 2023 [3][4].\n\n## Career\nTomita works as a Vice President and financial advisor at Regions Investment Solutions; per his campaign website, he previously worked as a financial advisor at UBS Financial Services, as a vice president and investment officer at FTB Advisors, and as an account executive at Widener Insurance Agency [5].\n\n## Office history\nTomita was elected to the Washington County Commission in 2013 while also serving on the Johnson City Commission \u2014 becoming, according to Johnson City Press and WJHL, the first person to hold both seats simultaneously [6][7]. He represented the county's 4th Commission District until his fellow city commissioners elected him mayor of Johnson City in December 2016, at which point he stepped down from his county seat to avoid a conflict of interest [7][8][9]. In the 2018 Washington County Republican primary for county mayor, Tomita finished third with 3,176 votes (25.08%), behind winner Joe Grandy and former commissioner Mark Ferguson [10]. He did not seek re-election as Johnson City mayor, with his city term expiring in late 2018 [11]. He returned to the Washington County Commission via the August 2022 election and now represents District 10 [12][1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nTomita was one of ten Washington County commissioners who voted in favor of rezoning 56 acres of BWXT property near Jonesborough from agricultural to high-impact industrial use on March 23, 2026, clearing the way for a federally contracted depleted-uranium refining facility; the measure passed 10-5 over opposition from area residents, with five commissioners \u2014 Ben Carder, Josh Edens, Jerome Fitzgerald, Jodi Jones, and Greg Matherly \u2014 voting against it [13][14].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [David Tomita \u2013 Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/218/David-Tomita) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Washington County Election Commission candidate filings](https://www.wcecoffice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/MAY-02172026.pdf) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Gov. Bill Lee Announces Appointees to Key Boards and Commissions](https://www.tn.gov/governor/news/2019/6/28/gov--bill-lee-announces-appointees-to-key-boards-and-commissions-.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Get to Know Your County Commissioner - District 10](https://washingtoncountytn.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=149&ARC=236) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [David Tomita for County Commission](https://davidtomita.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[6] [Former Johnson City mayor could vie for county commission seat, WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/former-johnson-city-mayor-could-vie-for-county-commission-seat-two-in-running-for-open-clerk-post/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[7] [Tomita elected Johnson City mayor, Brock vice mayor, Johnson City Press](https://johnsoncitypress.com/news/279679/tomita-elected-johnson-city-mayor-brock-vice-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[8] [David Tomita named Johnson City's new mayor, WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/david-tomita-named-johnson-citys-new-mayor-jenny-brock-citys-vice-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[9] [Jones seeks District 4 Washington County Commission seat, Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/local-news/jones-seeks-district-4-washington-county-commission-seat/article_b5b1c181-69a5-50e1-a144-d84a1eb1d016.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[10] [Grandy defeats Ferguson, Tomita in the Washington County Republican mayoral primary, Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/grandy-defeats-ferguson-tomita-in-the-washington-county-republican-mayoral-primary/article_0756b03f-706b-5dce-96d1-27251aecb5af.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[11] [Johnson City Mayor David Tomita will not seek re-election, WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/johnson-city-mayor-david-tomita-will-not-seek-re-election/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[12] [Johnson, Malone and Tomita win Washington County Commissioner elections, Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/local-news/johnson-malone-and-tomita-win-washington-county-commissioner-elections/article_acadff00-1466-11ed-9550-7fe0e7285d0f.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[13] [Washington County Commission approves BWXT's rezoning request, Kingsport Times News](https://timesnews.net/news/366024/washington-county-commission-approves-bwxts-rezoning-request/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[14] [Depleted uranium company gains approval in rural East Tennessee, Tennessee Lookout](https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/03/24/depleted-uranium-company-gains-approval-in-rural-east-tennessee/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"DAVID","lastname":"TOMITA","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"uPqPYdiYeQ"},"token":"david_tomita"},{"candidatename":"LORI SUKEL","chatgptsummary":"Lori Sukel's background in geography and stated focus on land-use planning aligns with policy judgment regarding county land use. Her education at East Tennessee State University provides a foundation for understanding regional development issues. The biography contains no record of controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate experience in budget literacy, legislative drafting, constituent case-work, or state-mandated continuing education.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nLori Sukel is the Democratic candidate for Washington County Commission, District 10, on the August 6, 2026 general-election ballot, facing Republican incumbent David Tomita [1]. The Washington County Democratic Party's candidate listing describes her as an East Tennessee State University graduate with a background in geography, with a stated focus on land-use planning [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [One Vote Election Project \u2014 Washington County, Tennessee Democracy Network](https://www.tndemocracynetwork.org/onevotewashington) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Candidates \u2013 Washington County Democratic Party](https://wctndp.org/candidates/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"LORI","lastname":"SUKEL","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"J7vwDe3qbx"},"token":"lori_sukel"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_10","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":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-02","title":"Washington County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"http://www.wcecoffice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Full-Sample-Ballots.pdf"},"title":"County Commissioner District 10"}