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Partisan elections on tap for Sullivan County Commission

BLOUNTVILLE — Nonpartisan elections are a thing of the past for the Sullivan County Commission.

And that made Friday the first day would-be county commissioner candidates could pick up paperwork to try and get on the ballot in August.

Anytime either party places a particular race on their primary ballot, it changes the filing deadlines for all would-be candidates — for the party in question, for other parties, and for independents.

The Sullivan County GOP officially notified county election officials Friday morning of the party’s decision to hold a primary for all eligible races — including county commissioners.

Parties have until Dec. 20 to request primaries.

Bill Jones, chairman of the Sullivan County Democratic Party, said his party will not hold a primary for commissioner seats.

In most Tennessee counties, county commission seats are nonpartisan elections.

According to a list provided to the Times-News by the Tennessee County Commissioners Association (TCCA) earlier this week, Sullivan County until yesterday was one of 57 of the state’s 95 counties where neither party held 2006 primaries for commission seats.

Partisan county commission races are not uncommon, however, in Northeast Tennessee.

In neighboring Washington County, commission seats have not been partisan races.

But in Hawkins County, Carter County and Greene County, both the Democratic and Republican parties have held primaries for commission races.

And in Unicoi County, the GOP has held a primary for commission races.

The Sullivan County Commission includes 24 members representing 11 districts.

All 24 commissioners are up for election every four years.

Other county offices on the general election ballot in August include county mayor, sheriff, highway commissioner, county clerk, circuit court clerk, trustee, register of deeds, and county attorney.

Had neither party filed to hold a primary for County Commission seats, the first day to pick up qualifying paperwork would have been Jan. 1. And the deadline to return that paperwork and qualify for the August ballot would have been noon April 1, Sullivan County Administrator of Elections Jason Booher said.

Now, Booher said, the deadline to return completed paperwork and qualify is noon on Feb. 18 — whether or not you are a Republican hopeful. Party primaries will be May 4.

Tennessee state law prohibits school board races from being partisan and only allows partisan city election races when the particular city’s charter calls for it.

Jones said the Sullivan County Democratic Party’s executive committee met several times, most recently Thursday night, to discuss which races to primary.

“We decided it would be best to leave it the way it has been, to try and keep County Commission as nonpartisan as possible,” Jones said. “We feel like keeping County Commission nonpartisan, like school board, would be best for the people of Sullivan County.”

Jones said of course members of both parties have participated and served as county commissioners, but traditionally commissioners have served the residents of their districts rather than toeing a party line.

“We think (having partisan races for County Commission seats) will make a difference because nationally and statewide, everything is polarized between the two parties — or it seems to be — and we think that doesn’t have to come down to locally,” Jones said. “We think that shouldn’t be a part of, and has not been a part of, the local legislative body. We feel they all work better together if they’re not acting as Republicans or Democrats, but just all serving as citizens working to try to do the best they can for the voters and the taxpayers. That’s the theory behind it.

“We felt like partisanship has not meant that much on the local level, and we’d like to keep it that way and not make commissioners need to recognize party lines ... or the party line on this or that issue. Just vote your opinion, what people put you in office for.”

Joe Figueroa, executive assistant at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said shifting from a nonpartisan election to a partisan process can have a negative effect.

“If you start instituting a system where candidates for those types of seats have to declare a political party, oftentimes they do organize under the umbrella of local party organizations which are tied to county or state organizations,” Figueroa said. “Oftentimes there are issues that usually should be dealt with on a local level that get tied to a platform of a county or congressional district political organization, and it become polarized. The issues become polarized because of the Democratic or Republican name tied to them all of the sudden.”

Booher said traffic in his office was steady throughout the day Friday.

“It’s been very steady. Several people have picked up petitions.”

Booher said he’d had to turn away a couple of Democratic officeholders who wanted to pick up to run for re-election because the county Democratic Party had not yet notified the election office whether or not it would hold a primary for any races.

“I told (Jones) that until he gets me that letter I cannot issue petitions to anyone wanting to pick up a petition as a Democrat,” Booher said.

Jones told the Times-News he plans to submit a letter to Booher no later than Monday morning giving the Democratic Party’s intent to primary all county races on the August 2010 ballot except for county commissioners and constables.

Booher said he believes the move to a Republican primary for commissioner seats is the first time in county history that the races will be partisan.

Booher was chairman of the Sullivan County Republican Party until a newly minted GOP majority on the Sullivan County Election Commission appointed him to his current post.

But Booher said that has no connection to the switch to a party primary for commission seats.

“As administrator of elections I am dedicated to running a nonpartisan office,” Booher said. “The decision to conduct a primary or not rested in the hands of the executive committee for each party. I will follow the law and ensure that both parties receive equal service from this office. I’ll be fair. I’m going to treat everybody the same.”

Several would-be candidates picked up paperwork Friday to run in the Republican primary, including several incumbent officeholders.

It takes only 25 signatures to qualify for any of the county offices in question.

Petitions issued by Booher’s office Friday included the following:

• County mayor — incumbent Steve Godsey.

• Commissioner of highways — incumbent Allan Pope.

• Sheriff — incumbent Wayne Anderson and David Steadman.

• Circuit court clerk — incumbent Tommy Kerns.

• County commissioner, District 2 — incumbents Cathy Armstrong and Mark Vance.

• County commissioner, District 3 — incumbent Bart Long.

• County commissioner, District 4 — Ed Marsh.

• County commissioner, District 5 — incumbent Dwight King.

• County commissioner, District 6 — incumbent Terry Harkleroad and Matthew J. Johnson.

• County commissioner, District 7 — Alan Bagley.

• County commissioner, District 10 — John Crawford, Gary R. Free and incumbent Bill Kilgore.

• County commissioner, District 11 — Mark Bowery and incumbent Joe Herron.

Times-News Staff Writer Kevin Castle contributed to this report.

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Pretty soon I guess you'll have to declare a party to run for dog catcher.

Charles Simpson | 11/23/2009 - 9:33 PM - (Suggest Removal )

It's time the voters elect some new commissioner for Sullivan County.

Gary Gibson | 11/22/2009 - 5:31 PM - (Suggest Removal )

Uncle Cleatis, you are the very one that was singing Dwight King's praises a couple of months back. What changed your mind? Did you finally figure out that he's like a lot of the other Commissioners and is just out for himself? We need a good house cleaning on this sorry Commission. I've said it before, is Buddy King and his first grade education the best his district has to offer? I could go on and on with many of the others. I think making the Commissioners choose a party is a great idea!

avid reader | 11/22/2009 - 12:43 AM - (Suggest Removal )

Wealth and power are the two vital tools for winning any public office. The citizens of Sullivan County have totally robbed themselves of any ability to dictate their own government representation. The leaders in place now will most likely stay there until they choose to quit or run for higher office. Its all one big web of good-old-boys now, led by the aspiring Lootenunt Gubner Ramsey. Ramsey, Lundberg, Shipley, Godsey, along with neighbor Mumpower and new Elections Administrator Booher have essentially a Royal Flush to play on the folks of this area. They have each others' backs...ya think they have yours?

Eric Taylor | 11/21/2009 - 10:56 PM - (Suggest Removal )

All you folks have the right idea. I would like to see a new mayor,highway commissioner and some new county commissioners elected to office.

But how can we get this done if nobody runs against them?

Skip Arnold | 11/21/2009 - 10:05 PM - (Suggest Removal )

I think you have the right idea, Mr. Gross, that if Godsey had an opponent, the irresistible urge to simply vote against him would be great.

The problem there is that Godsey is one of Ramsey's old-school supporters and friend. I'm sure the Ramsey and Mumpower PAC's would dump loads of funds into the Godsey campaign. For his opponent to have any chance, he or she would need a huge coffer, and name recognition would surely help. Though now we've got Jason Booher running the Sullivan County Elections, yet another old-school Ramsey ally.

Eric Taylor | 11/21/2009 - 9:47 PM - (Suggest Removal )

What we need to do is get off my behinds, get out and talk to people and see if we can get someone interested in being a candidate in their district to run for county commissioner.

There's numbers of citizens that are more than qualified to serve as a county commissioner.
WE need to seek them out, give them our support and get them interested.

I'm sure there is citizens in Sullivan County with much expertise in any given subject that would make this current group of commissioners look like fools. Some business people, school teachers, farmers and everyday people have forgotten more than some of these present commissioners ever knew.

Furthermore, Mayor Steve Godsey along with Highway Commissioner Allan Pope needs an opponent and perhaps they will get one. Any person that runs against them is a sure win...

Gary Gibson | 11/21/2009 - 7:59 PM - (Suggest Removal )

Eric Taylor---Uncle Cleatis----For the sake of me, I don't understand why the citizens in Sullivan County continue to vote the same people into office all the time. They put people like Buddy King, Bill Kilgore and some more commissioners right back in office term after term.

How long will the citizens have to put up with these people, the same old faces, the same old dry cods. Wouldn't it be a blessing to have some new faces representing the people, some new ideas, some new thoughts and some new blood.

Harris Gilmore | 11/21/2009 - 7:13 PM - (Suggest Removal )

Cleatis, I'm certain that the majority is in agreement with you. Finding someone competent to perform the duties of commissioner, somehow convince them it would be a "great opportunity", grovel for campaign contributions amidst the total burnout of elections and apathy of voters appear to be a few of the obstacles.

The average age of this bunch must hover somewhere around 70-75. Many more will probably pass away still holding their titles, mostly attributed to the county citizens' total inattentiveness.

Eric Taylor | 11/21/2009 - 5:46 PM - (Suggest Removal )

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