{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"KATHY CARR","chatgptsummary":"Kathy Carr's thirty-year career as a teacher and principal demonstrates budget management and team leadership relevant to county governance. She has attended commission meetings since moving to the county and opposed specific rezoning decisions, showing engagement with land use issues. Bio does not indicate experience in drafting ordinances or completing state-mandated continuing education through UT CTAS.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nKathy Carr is the Democratic candidate for Washington County Commissioner, District 1, on the ballot in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1]. Her campaign describes its focus as \"Trust \u2022 Civility \u2022 Transparency,\" aiming to restore confidence in county government [1].\n\n## Background and education\nPer her campaign site, Carr brings more than 30 years of experience as a teacher and school principal, during which she \"managed budgets, led diverse teams, and made decisions with students, families, and staff in mind\" [1].\n\n## Career\nCarr's campaign site states she has attended Washington County Commission meetings and related board and committee sessions since moving to the county, citing that experience as the basis for her positions on land use, growth management, and coordination between the Commission, schools, and libraries [1][2]. She says she opposed the county's rezoning of the BWX Technologies (BWXT) site in Jonesborough and \"vocally defended\" residents' position on the issue, per her campaign site [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Kathy Carr for County Commissioner](https://kathyforcounty.com/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Candidates \u2013 Washington County Democratic Party](https://wctndp.org/candidates/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"KATHY","lastname":"CARR","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"lE1ipfbz7T"},"token":"kathy_carr"},{"candidatename":"RICHARD TUCKER","chatgptsummary":"Richard Tucker's biography shows relevant experience as an incumbent Washington County Commissioner serving on budget and property committees, alongside business ownership and farming that may inform local economic judgment. In February 2026, a resident reported a threat by Tucker during a zoning dispute; the county ethics committee reviewed the sheriff's report but took no action, citing jurisdictional limits. Bio does not indicate experience with state-mandated continuing education or detailed legislative drafting beyond committee service.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nRichard Tucker is the Republican incumbent Washington County Commissioner for District 1, serving his first term [1][2]. He is running for reelection in the county general election on August 6, 2026.\n\n## Background and education\nTucker is a 1979 graduate of Daniel Boone High School [1][2].\n\n## Career\nTucker owns Tucker Drywall Corporation, Inc. and Tucker Home Builders, LLC, and operates a 150-head Black Angus cattle farm in Bowmantown, according to his official Washington County Commission biography [1][2].\n\n## Office history\nAs commissioner, Tucker serves on the Budget Committee, the Commerce, Industry & Agriculture committee, the County Owned Property committee, and the Water Task Force, and serves as secretary of the Public Works committee [1][2]. He has said his goal as commissioner \"is for everybody in the county to have public water and faster internet\" [1].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nIn February 2026, Washington County resident Kevin Hendricks of Jonesborough reported to the Washington County Sheriff's Office that Tucker threatened him after Hendricks spoke against a rezoning request from BWX Technologies at a commission meeting; a deputy's report quotes Tucker telling Hendricks, \"One of these days I'm going to get you,\" and three witnesses reportedly corroborated hearing the threat [3][4]. Hendricks filed an ethics complaint against Tucker; the county ethics committee reviewed the sheriff's report and took no action, with the committee chair saying he didn't doubt the threat occurred but that it fell outside the committee's jurisdiction, which is limited to conflicts of interest, improper gifts, and misuse of government resources [4][5]. County officials said Hendricks could separately seek a criminal summons against Tucker [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Richard Tucker | Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/209/Richard-Tucker) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Get to Know Your County Commissioner: Richard Tucker \u2013 Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=128&ARC=209) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Washington County Tennessee Commissioner Accused of Threat Against Resident \u2013 Tri-Cities Local News](https://www.hvbcgroup.com/news/?p=166984) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Ethics committee takes no action on complaint about commissioner confrontation \u2013 WCYB](https://wcyb.com/newsletter-daily/ethics-committee-takes-no-action-on-complaint-about-commissioner-confrontation) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [Washington County TN ethics committee reviews complaint against commissioner, takes no action \u2013 Electric 94.9](https://www.electric949.com/washington-county-tn-ethics-committee-reviews-complaint-against-commissioner-takes-no-action/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n","firstname":"RICHARD","lastname":"TUCKER","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"ofOiz6dbDm"},"token":"richard_tucker"},{"candidatename":"JOSH WALSH","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"JOSH","lastname":"WALSH","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"8qBU0IS1c9"},"token":"josh_walsh"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_1","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 1"}