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

Contest for County Commissioner District 3 Position 1

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primary - Partisan - County Commissioner District 3 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 1 candidate
Elizabeth (Betsy) Rice

Elizabeth (Betsy) Rice

👍 👎 🤡 😡 🤷
Incumbent Fayette County Commissioner, District 3 (Gallaway/Braden/Garnett/Mason), with county email brice@fayettetn.us. Has served as Public Safety Chairman of the commission and appears in commission meeting records going back to at least 2017. Also a member of the Fayette County Planning Commission — her 2024, 2025, and 2026 Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest filings are all in the Planning Commission capacity, giving her land-use policy exposure alongside her county-legislative role. Bio does not indicate career outside county government or formal education.