In an upset, Incumbent Road Commissioner Glen Varner lost to his former second in command by almost a three to 1 margin.
With all 12 precincts in Rhea County reporting, Rick Wilkey carried the day with 4,101 to Mr. Varner’s 1,091.
Mr. Wilkey said after the election that he would like to thank all the voters of Rhea County for their vote and support and believing in him. “If I didn’t think I could do a good job for all of Rhea County, I wouldn’t have run. I am looking forward to going to work for the whole county in September."
Mr. Wilkey served seven years in the road department rising to the number two position before he went on to run for road supervisor.
Mr. Varner, the two-term commissioner said, "When I was running, I promised the people of Rhea County I would be honest, and I’ve kept my word."
Prior to becoming road commissioner, Mr. Varner was a local road building contractor, contributing significantly to the construction of numerous subdivision roads.
Mr. Varner also served in the U.S. Army draft in 1963, serving six years, followed by an additional 26 years in the National Guard, reaching the rank of chief warrant officer before retiring in 2004. He received various citations and awards during that time including a Bronze Star. Mr. Varner beat former road supervisor Tommy Snyder in 2016.
Incumbent Property Assessor Debbie Byrd breezed in for her fourth term in the office with no opposition. She garnered a 2,450 complimentary vote.
Incumbent school board member Harold “Bimbo” McCawley staved off a run by newcomer Heath Smith for the 4th District School Board seat, 358 to 266.
In the presidential primary, both Donald Trump and Joe Biden carried with Trump getting 4,336 votes while Biden managed to garner 203.
Some 5,604 people turned out to vote in the county. Early voting turnout was quite heavy in Rhea County. At one point, according to the State Election Commission, Rhea led the entire state in turnout.