{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"SCOTT KEITH HOLLY","chatgptsummary":"Scott Keith Holly's biography shows prior campaign experience for the Washington County Commission and public statements on budget oversight, tax rates, and service consolidation relevant to county policy judgment. The record notes a 2022 election loss but contains no documented controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate legislative drafting experience or specific continuing education completion.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nScott Keith Holly is an independent candidate for the Washington County Commission's 8th District seat in the county general election on August 6, 2026, again facing Republican incumbent Freddie Malone [1].\n\n## Office history\nHolly and Malone previously faced off for the same seat in 2022; Malone won, 438 votes to Holly's 258, in the district covering much of northeast Johnson City [2].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nIn a 2022 Johnson City Press Q&A ahead of that race, Holly said a county commissioner should be \"a voice for the people,\" listening to taxpayers and taking their concerns seriously, and pledged to be a \"watchdog\" for tax dollars and for honesty in government. He said property taxes should never be raised, called for an outside group to evaluate the county's total expenses, and said he saw \"wasted tax dollars\" and believed services needed to be consolidated [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [One Vote Election Project Washington County](https://www.tndemocracynetwork.org/onevotewashington) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [Freddie Malone wins contentious Washington County Commission race](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/freddie-malone-wins-contentious-washington-county-commission-race/) \u2014 WJHL, accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Q&A with 8th District candidates for Washington County Commission](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/business/q-a-with-8th-district-candidates-for-washington-county-commission/article_e6c69dfe-0472-11ed-bc20-2ffc4b153174.html) \u2014 Johnson City Press, accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"SCOTT","lastname":"HOLLY","middlename":"KEITH","suffix":null,"token":"W63v2U0cBC"},"token":"scott_keith_holly"},{"candidatename":"FREDDIE MALONE","chatgptsummary":"Freddie Malone's background as a banker with a finance degree and graduate banking training aligns with the budget literacy demands of Washington County Commissioner. His eight-year tenure includes chairing audit and rules committees, managing balanced budgets without tax hikes, and overseeing land use initiatives like water expansion. The biography contains no record of disciplinary action or controversy. Bio does not indicate experience in state-level intergovernmental negotiations or specific continuing education completion through UT CTAS.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nFreddie Malone is the Republican incumbent representing Washington County Commission's 8th District, seeking re-election on August 6, 2026 against Democrat Billy L. Briggs and independent Scott Keith Holly [1][2].\n\n## Background and education\nMalone is a graduate of David Crockett High School, a product of the Washington County school system. He earned a BBA in finance, with minors in real estate and management, from East Tennessee State University, and is a graduate of Louisiana State University's Graduate School of Banking [1][3].\n\n## Career\nMalone works at HomeTrust Bank [4].\n\n## Office history\nMalone was elected to his first term on the commission's 8th District seat in the 2018 county general election and was re-elected in 2022, defeating independent Scott Keith Holly 438 votes to 258 [3][5].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\nThe county's official commission bio credits Malone's goals as managing the county's ongoing growth \"in a reasonable and responsible way,\" facilitating efficient and fiscally responsible county operations, continuing the \"methodical expansion of public water in the county,\" and improving communication and transparency between county government and citizens [1]. During his first term, the county balanced its budget without a tax increase [5]. Malone chairs the Audit, Beer Board, and Rules committees, serves as secretary of the Commerce, Industry & Agriculture and Investment committees, vice chair of Purchasing, and a member of the JCDA, Regional Planning, and WCEDC committees [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Freddie Malone](https://www.washingtoncountytn.org/216/Freddie-Malone) \u2014 Washington County, TN, accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [One Vote Election Project Washington County](https://www.tndemocracynetwork.org/onevotewashington) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[3] [Q&A with 8th District candidates for Washington County Commission](https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/news/business/q-a-with-8th-district-candidates-for-washington-county-commission/article_e6c69dfe-0472-11ed-bc20-2ffc4b153174.html) \u2014 Johnson City Press, accessed 2026-07-06\n[4] [Freddie Malone](https://htb.com/banker/freddie-malone/) \u2014 HomeTrust Bank, accessed 2026-07-06\n[5] [Freddie Malone wins contentious Washington County Commission race](https://www.wjhl.com/news/your-local-election-hq/freddie-malone-wins-contentious-washington-county-commission-race/) \u2014 WJHL, accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"FREDDIE","lastname":"MALONE","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"HzhPjPxijN"},"token":"freddie_malone"},{"candidatename":"BILLY L. BRIGGS","chatgptsummary":"Billy L. Briggs identifies as a Democratic candidate emphasizing fiscal responsibility and reduced county spending for the Washington County Commission. The biography contains no record of prior elected office, budget approval authority, legislative drafting experience, or constituent case-work history. Bio does not indicate policy judgment on county budgets or land use experience.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nBilly L. Briggs is a Democratic candidate for the Washington County Commission's 8th District seat in the county general election on August 6, 2026, running against Republican incumbent Freddie Malone and independent Scott Keith Holly [1][2]. Per the Washington County Democratic Party's candidate listing, his campaign \"emphasizes fiscal responsibility, public safety coordination, and reduced county spending\" [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Candidates \u2013 Washington County Democratic Party](https://wctndp.org/candidates/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06\n[2] [One Vote Election Project Washington County](https://www.tndemocracynetwork.org/onevotewashington) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-06","firstname":"BILLY","lastname":"BRIGGS","middlename":"L.","suffix":null,"token":"GxO7FK36WO"},"token":"billy_l_briggs"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_commissioner","o.office":null,"office":"county_commission_district_8","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 8"}