Dozens competing in Blount's August elections

This summer could prove an eventful time for election watchers in Blount County. Twenty-five county residents met the April 4 deadline to be on the ballot Aug. 1 for state and local offices.

Voters will cast their primary ballots this summer to choose representatives for all three of Blount’s seats in the Tennessee General Assembly, and Maryville and Alcoa voters will have primary ballots for seats on their school boards. The general election for all of those will be in November.

Four county offices, as well as two seats each on the Townsend and Friendsville city commissions, will be up for a general vote in August. The county’s primary was held in March, while both Townsend and Friendsville hold nonpartisan general elections scheduled for Aug. 1.

Write-in candidates for office have until 12 p.m. June 12 to file a petition.

State races

Two of the three Blount delegates to the state legislature aren’t running for re-election this year.

Tennessee state Senate District 2 and House District 20 are both contested by four candidates, three Republicans and one Democrat each. State House District 8 is contested by two Democrats and its Republican incumbent.

State Sen. Art Swann, R-Maryville, is retiring, leaving his District 2 seat open. As of April 4, the GOP candidates to succeed him were Tom Hatcher, who’s worked as the Blount County circuit court clerk since the 1990s; current state Rep. Bryan Richey, of Maryville; and John G. Pulias.

The winner of the August primary for the Senate seat will face Patti Young, a Democrat, in November.

Republican Blount County commissioners Tom Stinnett and Nick Bright are contesting the Republican election to state House District 20, which Richey is vacating to seek a seat in the legislature’s upper chamber. Fellow Republican Jason Emert also has qualified as a candidate for the District 20 seat.

The winner of the August primary for that House seat will face Democrat Karen Gertz in the November general election.

Incumbent state Rep. Jerome Moon, R-Maryville, is currently running unopposed in the August primary for his seat representing state House District 8. Blount County Commissioner Steve Mikels announced a run for the office last year but did not return a petition by the April 4 deadline.

Moon will face either Sue DuBois, currently the Blount County Democratic Party chair, or Mac Pickle, also a Democrat, in November.

School boards

While Aug. 1 is the primary for five seats on the city school boards, only five incumbents — no challengers in either party — filed to be on the ballot for those seats.

On the Maryville Board of Education incumbent Republicans Nick Black and Candy Morgan are seeking re-election. On the Alcoa Board of Education, incumbent Republicans Steve Marsh, Jim Kirk and Mike Brown will be on the ballot. One Democrat, Michelle Vineyard, picked up a petition for the Alcoa school board race, but she did not return it to qualify by the April 4 deadline.

This summer is also the general election for three seats on the Blount County Board of Education. Incumbent Phil Porter is unopposed in District 6. The District 2 race has Republican John Lowe and Democrat Don Jones, and District 4 has Republican Chris Pass Sr. and Democrat Rob Spirko on the August ballot.

City business

August also will be a general election for candidates on the Friendsville and Townsend city commissions, both of which are nonpartisan. Two people — Margaret Maze and Friendsville Mayor Steven Cardwell, both current city commissioners — filed to run for the two seats on the Friendsville commission up for election.

Five candidates qualified to run for two available spots on the Townsend commission. The candidates are Becky Headrick and Ted Godfrey, both incumbent commissioners; Pat Jenkins, formerly a commissioner and mayor of the city; Dave Hoque, who’s worked in business development; and Houston Oldham, who works with Townsend-bases Oldham Hospitality.

Maryville, Alcoa and Louisville will hold their general municipal elections in November. Candidates for those general elections cannot yet pick up petitions to run for office. They’ll have until noon on Aug. 15 to return any petitions for the general election.

County concerns

Republican Todd Orr, the incumbent property assessor, faces Democrat Melissa McCrossen in August. Both candidates also ran in the 2022 election, when McCrossen lost to Orr by about 6,600 votes.

To represent Blount, Polk, Monroe and part of Bradley County within the state’s Republican Party, incumbent State Executive Committeeman Bill Russell, a Reliance resident, is facing current Blount County Planning Commission Chairman Darrell Tipton and Brandon M. Leitch, of Greenback for the District 2 seat.

Congress too

Rep. Tim Burchett, Blount’s delegate to the U.S. House, has no primary opponent. He’ll compete with Democrat Jane George in November.

July 2 is the last day to register to vote for the August election, and early voting begins July 12. Tennesseans can register to vote by visiting or mailing their local election commission or by registering online at the Tennessee secretary of state’s website.

Education reporter Amy Beth Miller contributed to this story.