The qualifying deadline passed on Thursday for candidates seeking to run in this year’s county election, officially setting the field for the upcoming ballot in May.
In Putnam County, Incumbent Randy Porter will face Ryan Dalton and Wayne Nabors in the race for county mayor. Incumbent Eddie Farris will face Darrin Stout in August for Sheriff. Jamie Hunter, Jordan M. Iwansyzn, and Kelley McNeal are running for Putnam County Trustee.
In White County, Incumbent Denny Wayne Robinson will challenge Joe Hallums, Kyle Goff, and Penny Whaley for county executive. Incumbent Steve Page and Daniel Trivette will run for County Sheriff.
Overton County had multiple candidates submit papers just before the noon deadline. Incumbent Steven Barlow, Austin Dodson, and Gregg Nivens will run for Overton County Executive. Overton County Sheriff John Garrett, will run uncontested. Three candidates will run for Overton County Trustee. Those candidates are Shawn Gray, Derek Masters, and Tiffany Smith.
Voters in both Putnam County and White County will see crowded ballots this election cycle, with multiple candidates vying for county commission seats and several contested local offices.
In Putnam County, every county commission district features competition. According to officials, an estimated 46 candidates are running for county commission seats.
Three candidates are running in District One, including incumbent Jonathan A.D. Williams, along with Terry C. Randolph and Morgan Franklin. District Two has four candidates, while District Three features five contenders. Districts Four, Seven, Nine, Ten, and Eleven also have crowded fields, each drawing four or more candidates. Several incumbents are seeking reelection across various districts.
Beyond the commission races, Putnam County will also see a contested race for Circuit Court Clerk, with Tim Nash and Jennifer Wilkerson running. Meanwhile, Kerry W. Ledbetter will run unopposed for County Clerk, John Sanders is unopposed for Register of Deeds, and Rick Adkins is unopposed for Road Supervisor. School Board races in Districts Two, Four, and Six will not be contested, with Jill Ramsey, David M. McCormick, and Chris Petty each running unopposed.
White County is also seeing strong interest in county commission seats. Districts One, Two, Three, Five, Six, and Seven all have multiple candidates running, while District Four will feature two candidates. Several county offices will be uncontested, including Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, Register of Deeds, and Road Superintendent.
For the White County School Board, the Fifth District race will be contested, while the Sixth and Seventh District seats will be decided by unopposed candidates. Kathryn Passons Adcock is also running unopposed for Trustee.
In Overton County, districts one and two had zero candidates qualify for county commission seats. District three will have two candidates, Steven Jordan and Gerald Windle. Gail Reed Arney and Scott Deatherage will run for district four commission seats, while Dewayne Harness will run uncontested for district five.
Overton also had zero candidates qualify for Circuit Court Clerk and school board districts one, two, three, and five. Ricky Dodson will run uncontested for the district four school board seat. Jimmy Conner will also run uncontested for Register of Deeds.
The deadline for candidates to qualify and run for all city elections is March 10 at 12pm.
