Tennessee Voter Guide: A look at candidates in the Cheatham County Aug. 1 general election

Editor's note: The Tennessean was unable to locate campaign information for candidates running in the alderman and councilman races.

Alderman, City Council member and mayor of the Town of Ashland City are all contested races in the Cheatham County general election scheduled on Aug. 1.

Here is a look at the candidates in those races.

More: 2024 Cheatham County Primary Election

Mayor

Town of Ashland City

• Gerald Greer
• Kody Knight
• J.T. Smith — incumbent

Gerald Greer aims to manage Ashland City's growth in a financially responsible way and make the city a safe for residents and the business community.

"Ashland City is growing," Greer said on Facebook on June 24. "As your mayor I will manage this growth in a financially responsible way, always with our taxpayers in mind. My goal is to make Ashland City a safe and attractive home for current and future residents, young and old, as well as for our growing business community."

For more information about this candidate, visit Greer For Mayor on Facebook at shorturl.at/bnEcA.

Kody Knight's campaign points to the elimination of pot holes and speed limits on city roads.

"Kody's on a mission to banish those tire-destroying craters and transform our streets into the ultimate autobahn experience," Knight said on Facebook on Feb. 13. "Imagine cruising through Ashland City with no speed limits, just smooth, pothole-free pavement ahead."

For more information about this candidate, visit Kody Knight for Ashland City Mayor on Facebook at shorturl.at/hauPg.

J.T. Smith, the incumbent, is a lifelong Ashland City resident and business owner.

Smith has spent 12 years as a volunteer firefighter, 10 years as a reserve police officer and two years as the city's mayor.

"I was voted in as a city council member, and was then voted to become vice Mayor," Smith said on Facebook on July 1. "I have served as your Mayor for approximately two years and would love your vote in the August 2024 election."

More: 3 Ashland City Council members sworn into office, exiting councilmen thanked for their years of service to the city

He was appointed as vice mayor in January 2022 and sworn in as Ashland City’s mayor in June 2022 after the previous mayor, Steve Allen, resigned following an misconduct investigation.

In November 2021, a Cheatham County Grand Jury indicted Allen on three counts of official misconduct, according to the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury.

More: Ashland City mayor indicted: Used town lawnmower for personal use, spent $3k on meals

For more information about Smith, visit JT for Mayor on Facebook at shorturl.at/NrwVy.

Council member

Town of Ashland City-1st Ward

• Floyd Beal
• Michael W. Smith — incumbent

Floyd Beal and Michael W. Smith did not provide any campaign information to the Cheatham County Election Commission, nor did the candidates have any campaign information available online via a candidate webpage or social media.

Alderman

Town of Pegram

• Christopher Crump
• Randy Fiedler
• Leah Louallen
• Miranda Montgomery
• Bob Sanders — incumbent
• Hope Tinsley

Leah Louallen hopes to serve the community with integrity, compassion and dedication, listening to residents' needs and working to address them.

"I love this community," Louallen said on Facebook on May 13. "Our family has lived in Pegram for 20 years, we raised our children here and plan to spend the rest of our lives being part of this little slice of heaven. I love Pegram because of the amazing people who live here and would be honored to serve each of you in this role. ... Let's work together to create a bright future for our special little town."

Miranda Montgomery chose to run for alderman because of her love for the town, her neighbors and her belief that she can continue to be of service to her community.

Constituents have been clear in asking for transparency, community engagement and development and good government, issues Montgomery plans to address as alderman.

"Over the last six months it has been my privilege to watch our community galvanize and to see how much we all love this very special place," Montgomery said on Facebook on July 3. "We love seeing the stars and hearing the crickets at night. We love wonderful meals from our gardens. We love our foxes and our woodpeckers and our bats. We love our traditions, like the Fish Fry and the Fourth of July. We love the small town feel and knowing all our neighbors — all reasons why we have chosen Pegram as our home.

"And yet, urgently encroaching real estate development has made us feel like a frog in boiling water. While we know that change is inevitable, we also believe that change can happen for us not just to us."

Bob Sanders is throwing his hat back in the ring for a fifth term as alderman.

"As I begin my 4th and final term as your alderman we will continue to work towards making Pegram a great place to raise a family," Sanders said on Facebook in August 2020. "I strongly encourage you to attend our BOMA meetings on the last Monday of each month and let us hear you."

The other candidates did not provide any campaign information to the Cheatham County Election Commission, nor did they have any campaign information available online via a candidate webpage or social media.

Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voter Guide: A look at candidates in the Cheatham County Aug. 1 general election