Incumbent Sheriff Mike Neal will face his 2018 challenger Cary Taylor in the Republican Primary in Rhea County. Mike Neal has been sheriff since 2002 when he was first elected. No one qualified as a Democratic candidate.
Circuit Court Clerk Jamie Holloway, County Clerk Linda Shaver, Register of Deeds Teresa Hulgan, and Trustee Neva Webb face no opposition in the primaries or in the general election in August.
School Board members John Mincy, Perry Massengill and Henry Reid will not face any opposition.
In District 5, retired teacher Jane Scott Graham will be facing Anthony Roddy. Brenda Hill opted not to run this term. Seventh District incumbent Dale Harris will be facing Dennis Akin and Doug Colvin. Only the odd districts 1,3,7 and 9 are running this term while the even districts 2,4,6 and 8 will run in two years.
On the district level, 12th Judicial District Attorney General J. Michael Taylor, who is running as an independent, will be facing Republican Courtney Cunningham Lynch from Winchester in August. Attorney Lynch is currently an Assistant District Attorney and has been working for DA Taylor since 2012. DA Taylor has been with the 12th Judicial District Office since 1980 under the late William J. Pope. He was first elected as District Attorney in 1992 upon General Pope’s retirement.
There are six counties in the district which include Rhea, Bledsoe, Sequatchie, Marion, Grundy and Franklin.
Also there are three Judicial races in the District this year. Judge Justin Angel along with newcomer Bradley Sherman will be running unopposed for Part I and Part III while Dayton native Andrew Cunnyngham will be facing John Cameron from Jasper for Part 2. The two vacancies were due to the retiring of Judges Thomas “Rusty” Graham and J. Curtis Smith who were longtime judges in the district.
Another Dayton native, Republican Ted Engel, will be taking on incumbent Jeff Harmon for the Public Defender Office. Mr. Harmon, who is running as an independent, has been over the public defender’s office since 2011 when he was appointed to the position by Governor Phil Bredesen upon the retirement of Phil Condra. He had been an assistant since 1992.
Chancellor Missy Thomas-Willis will be running unopposed in both May and August. She was elected as Chancellor in 2018 upon the retirement of Judge Jeffrey Stewart. Judge Stewart’s father L.F, Stewart was chancellor prior to him.
The Rhea County Election Commission will meet on March 1 at 1 p.m. to finalize the May 4 Primary Ballot.