{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"ASHLEY CAVENDER","chatgptsummary":"Ashley Cavender's biography shows experience in local food systems, community planning, and nonprofit leadership relevant to constituent relations and land use policy. She has served on long-range planning committees and chaired a beautification organization. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience with county budgeting, tax rate setting, or Tennessee state continuing education requirements.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAshley Cavender is running as a Democrat for Washington County Commission District 3 in the August 6, 2026 general election, facing Republican nominee Jerome K. Fitzgerald [1]. Her campaign platform emphasizes \"smart land use, healthy waterways, local food, and civic engagement,\" and her campaign site states she is running because \"we deserve someone who will protect our land and put the citizens first\" [2].\n\n## Background and education\nCavender is a native of East Tennessee. She graduated from East Tennessee State University in 2015 and began her career with Jonesborough Locally Grown at Boone Street Market, according to her campaign biography [2].\n\n## Career\nPer her campaign site, Cavender currently serves as Director of Equitable Nutrition & Food Access with the Appalachian Resource Conservation & Development Council, focused on \"conservation, local agriculture, and community-based initiatives\" [2]. She has held roles as event coordinator at Visit Johnson City, director of the Meet the Mountains Festival, and volunteer and development coordinator for One Acre Cafe, and she serves on the Slow Food Tri-Cities team as Equitable Nutrition & Food Access Director, where she says she is \"elated ... to work on meaningful initiatives that focus on local food and dignified access\" [2][3]. She chairs Keep Jonesborough Beautiful, has contributed to the Johnson City Horizon 2045 long-range planning process, and has supported affordable-housing efforts with Unity Housing, per her campaign biography [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [LIST: Candidates file petitions to run for office in Washington County, TN](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/list-candidates-file-petitions-to-run-for-office-in-washington-county-tn/) - WJHL, accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [About Ashley](https://ashleycforcounty.com/about/) - Ashley Cavender campaign site, accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Meet the Team](https://slowfoodtricities.org/slow-food-tri-cities-meet-the-team) - Slow Food Tri-Cities, accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"ASHLEY","lastname":"CAVENDER","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"v4aclnRjHV"},"token":"ashley_cavender"},{"candidatename":"JEROME K FITZGERALD","chatgptsummary":"Jerome K. Fitzgerald's biography shows relevant experience as an incumbent Washington County Commissioner and former Jonesborough alderman, including committee service on public works and ethics matters. A 2006 report notes he missed over one-third of municipal meetings and resigned from a sewer task force after attending only one session. Bio does not indicate specific budget literacy or state-mandated continuing education experience.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJerome K. Fitzgerald is the Republican incumbent seeking reelection to Washington County Commission District 3 in the August 6, 2026 county general election; he is currently serving his second term on the commission [1][2].\n\n## Career\nBefore joining the county commission, Fitzgerald served as a Jonesborough alderman, first elected in 1996 [3]. He resigned from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen in February to run for the county commission seat; his successor, Adam Dickson, was appointed to complete the remainder of that alderman term, which ran through 2020 [4].\n\n## Office history\nFitzgerald won his county commission seat in a general election, defeating independent candidate Isaac Moore 1,087 votes to 472, according to Johnson City Press [5]. He currently serves on the commission's Ethics Committee (as Secretary), Public Safety Committee, Public Works Committee (as Vice Chair), and the Water Task Force [1].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nIn March 2026, Fitzgerald was one of five commissioners who voted against a rezoning request from BWX Technologies (BWXT) for its 55-acre Jonesborough property, which supported the company's roughly $1.5 billion federal contract to process high-purity depleted uranium. Because the county planning commission had recommended denial in January, the measure required a supermajority; it passed 10-5, with Fitzgerald, Josh Edens, Greg Matherly, Jodi Jones, and Ben Carder voting no [6][7].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nDuring his tenure as Jonesborough alderman, a Herald & Tribune op-ed reported that Fitzgerald had been absent from more than one-third of Board of Mayor and Aldermen meetings in 2006, had no record of committee service beyond an initial recreation committee assignment shortly after his 1996 election, and resigned a sewer task force appointment after attending only one meeting; the piece also reported he declined a cultural arts center liaison committee assignment, citing existing commitments [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Jerome Fitzgerald | Washington County, TN](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/211/Jerome-Fitzgerald) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [LIST: Candidates file petitions to run for office in Washington County, TN | WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/list-candidates-file-petitions-to-run-for-office-in-washington-county-tn/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Fitzgerald 'too busy' to serve? | Herald & Tribune](https://www.heraldandtribune.com/op-ed/fitzgerald-%C2%91too-busy%C2%92-to-serve/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Board taps Adam Dickson for vacant alderman seat | Herald & Tribune](https://www.heraldandtribune.com/news/local/board-taps-adam-dickson-for-vacant-alderman-seat/article_6bb0675f-4766-5ed2-9ca9-3efc3bc62c02.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [Voters decide contested races for County Commission | Johnson City Press](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/voters-decide-contested-races-for-county-commission/article_ba9c8a86-c4b2-5f42-9066-1228d5f91656.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[6] [Commission approves BWXT rezoning request | WJHL](https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/live-commission-hears-from-community-before-bwxt-rezoning-vote/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[7] [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":"JEROME","lastname":"FITZGERALD","middlename":"K","suffix":null,"token":"rrGXggoEl4"},"token":"jerome_k_fitzgerald"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_3","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 3"}