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← Back to Fayette County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-05-05

Contest for County Commissioner District 1 Position 1

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primary - Partisan - County Commissioner District 1 Position 1

About this office

Fayette County Commissioners are members of the county's legislative body. Fayette has 14 single-member districts; some districts elect two commissioners at-large within the district (the second position is noted). The County Commission passes resolutions and ordinances, approves the annual county budget, sets the property-tax rate, and enacts countywide policy. Each commissioner represents roughly 2,000 residents — a much smaller constituency than in urban counties, where retail relationship-based politics has more weight. Members must complete at least seven hours of continuing education annually through the UT County Technical Assistance Service.

Term length: 4 years.

This role calls for

  • Policy judgment on countywide matters — budget, taxes, land use, services — within Tennessee county-government law.
  • Budget literacy: commissioners set the property-tax rate and approve the county budget.
  • Legislative process: drafting, amending, and voting on resolutions and ordinances.
  • Constituent relations in a district of roughly 2,000 residents — retail, relationship-based politics.
  • Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual continuing education through UT CTAS.

Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.

Campaigns

Republican Primary 2 candidates
Matt Rhea

Matt Rhea
👍 👎 🤡 😡 🤷
Incumbent Fayette County Commissioner representing District 1 (Somerville area); county email mrhea@fayettetn.us. Direct experience with the county's legislative process — budget votes, ordinances, resolutions — on the 14-member commission that meets monthly at the Bill G. Kelley Criminal Justice Center. Has filed 2024, 2025, and 2026 Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest forms in the County Commission capacity. Bio does not indicate career background, education, or public service outside the commission; no additional biographical information was located in Ballotpedia, local news, or Facebook.
Dean Clouse

Dean Clouse
👍 👎 🤡 😡 🤷
A Ballotpedia profile exists for a 'Dean Clouse' who ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 Republican primary for Tennessee's 8th Congressional District, but that entry does not clearly identify the subject as a Fayette County resident and cannot be confirmed as the same person. Bio does not indicate prior Fayette county-budget experience, legislative-process experience, or documented public-service history in the county. No additional biographical information was located in Fayette County commission records or local news. He has not filed a Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest.