{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"LEWIS WEXLER JR.","chatgptsummary":"Lewis Wexler Jr.'s biography shows relevant experience for Washington County Commissioner through his current service on four county committees and his decade as a corporate vice president managing multi-state expansion. His MBA and long tenure leading a family business suggest familiarity with budget oversight and legislative processes, though the record does not explicitly confirm completion of state-required continuing education. Bio does not indicate prior experience in land use policy or intergovernmental relations.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nLewis Wexler Jr. is the Washington County Commissioner for District 12, serving his first term [1]. He is the Republican candidate on the ballot for the seat in Washington County's August 6, 2026 county general election, opposed by Democrat Daniel Cutshall [5].\n\n## Background and education\nWexler has lived in Washington County for most of his life [1]. He earned undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Tennessee [4].\n\n## Career\nFollowing his father's path, Wexler worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. before joining Free Service Tire Company, the Johnson City-based tire retailer founded by his grandfather, Dan Wexler, in 1919 [3][4]. He returned to Free Service Tire as manager of a Knoxville store, then spent roughly a decade as vice president of the company's wholesale tire division, during which it expanded from one location to four distribution centers across three states [3][4]. In 2006 he became the company's third-generation president, succeeding in that role while his father, Lewis Wexler Sr., remained chairman and CEO [3].\n\n## Office history\nWexler serves on the Washington County Commission's Commerce, Industry & Agriculture; Employee Compensation & Benefits; Health, Education & Welfare; and Public Records committees [1][2].\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\nIn 2019, just shy of Free Service Tire's 100th anniversary, Wexler helped lead the sale of the company's retail, commercial, and wholesale tire operations to Monro Inc. [4]. Following the sale, the Wexler family shifted toward managing its real estate holdings rather than continuing to operate the tire business, citing increasing competition from big-box retailers and e-commerce [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Lewis Wexler | Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/220/Lewis-Wexler) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [County Commission | Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/208/County-Commission) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Third-generation Wexler takes over as president of Free Service Tire, Modern Tire Dealer, 2006-01-13](https://moderntiredealer.com/articles/27156-third-generation-wexler-takes-over-as-president-of-free-service-tire) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Free Service Tire Co.: Secrets to 99 Years of Success, Modern Tire Dealer, 2019-10-16](https://www.moderntiredealer.com/industry-news/service/article/11529539/free-service-tire-co-secrets-to-99-years-of-success-2019-10-16) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [One Vote Election Project \u2014 Washington County, Tennessee Democracy Network](https://www.tndemocracynetwork.org/onevotewashington) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"LEWIS","lastname":"JR.","middlename":"WEXLER","suffix":null,"token":"lR5N6FaV9p"},"token":"lewis_wexler_jr"},{"candidatename":"DANIEL CUTSHALL","chatgptsummary":"Daniel Cutshall's background as an engineering professor demonstrates analytical skills relevant to budget literacy and policy judgment on technical county matters. His work with international infrastructure projects suggests experience in complex problem-solving and constituent relations through community service. The biography contains no record of controversy or disciplinary action. Bio does not indicate prior experience in Tennessee county-government law or legislative process within the Washington County Commission.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDaniel Cutshall is the Democratic candidate for Washington County Commission District 12, on the ballot in the county's August 6, 2026 general election against Republican incumbent Lewis Wexler Jr. [1][2]. District 12 covers the county's far-east side, including Cherokee Road, Cherokee Elementary School, South Roan Street, and the I-26 corridor toward Unicoi County [1]. Per his campaign site, Cutshall says he wants to reconnect elected officials with constituents, stating a concern that \"politicians can enrich themselves in exchange for giving more power to large corporations that do not have our best interest at heart\" [1].\n\n## Background and education\nCutshall earned a B.S. in electrical engineering, summa cum laude, from Clemson University in 2012 and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Clemson in 2019 [3].\n\n## Career\nCutshall is an associate professor of electrical engineering at Milligan University \u2014 his employer as disclosed on his own campaign site [1][3] \u2014 where he teaches engineering coursework and focuses on electronics and renewable-energy technologies [3]. His work has included adapting mobility devices for children with disabilities through the Go Baby Go program, building water-purification infrastructure for displaced populations in Mexico, and engineering a solar-powered well system for communities in Kenya, per Milligan University's faculty profile [3]. He has authored two first-author peer-reviewed journal articles and contributed to several collaborative publications [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Daniel Cutshall for Washington County Commissioner](https://www.cutshall4all.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [One Vote Election Project \u2014 Washington County, Tennessee Democracy Network](https://www.tndemocracynetwork.org/onevotewashington) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Daniel Cutshall \u2014 Milligan University faculty profile](https://milligan.edu/team/daniel-cutshall/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"DANIEL","lastname":"CUTSHALL","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"nzbTVHRyim"},"token":"daniel_cutshall"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_12","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 12"}