The polls closed for early voting for the county’s first primary at 4pm on Thursday afternoon, April 28. A total of 2048 citizens cast their vote during the early voting period from April 13-28.

Primary election day is set for Tuesday, May 3, and the polls will be open from 7am until 7pm. Citizens can cast their vote at their respective polling place. Below is a list of the polling places by district:

For the first time in Smith County history, a primary election is being held for county offices. This first-ever county primary will also determine two different races. On the evening of May 3, Smith County should know who the next County Mayor and Sheriff will be. How is this possible with the county general election not being until August?

These races will be determined during the May primaries since all candidates have chosen to run in a primary, the Republican primary in these cases, and no other candidates qualified for the Democratic primary or as an independent for the August general election. The winners of these primaries will be the only candidates listed on the general election ballot later this year for these offices, so the May primary effectively determines the winner of each race. We will know whether Jeff Mason or Art Shady will be the mayor or if Steve Hopper or Scott Moore will be the sheriff three months before the general election.

Only voters who participate in the Republican primary will be able to vote in these races since no candidates qualified for the Democratic primary. Voters must select one primary to vote in during the May primaries and are not allowed to vote in multiple primaries. Each voter must choose a Republican ballot or Democratic ballot. Voters who select the Republican ballot will only see Republican candidates, and voters who choose the Democratic ballot will only see the Democratic candidates.

Other contested primary races include the Republican nomination for trustee between Julie Wright and Jackie Gentry and the District 5 County Commission election with Danny Irizarry, Steven Lish, Linda L. Nixon, and Eddie Stout. The winners of these primaries will face opposition from independent candidates in the August elections.

Early voting is underway and runs through April 28th with Election Day on May 3rd.

For future local political and election news, keep an eye on Smith County Insider’s Politics Page!

Press Release: Conservative DeKalb County businessman and farmer Michael Hale officially filed his petition and will be a candidate in the Republican Primary for the Tennessee House of Representatives in House District 40. House District 40 consists of all of Cannon, DeKalb, Jackson, and Smith Counties, and a portion of Wilson County. The seat is currently represented by 14-year incumbent, and Smith County resident, Terri Lynn Weaver.

“As I have spoken to voters over the past few weeks, it has been clear to me that they want a fresh voice representing them in Nashville,” Hale said. “They want an America First, Christian, Conservative Republican, who will work hard to get things done for our communities. They are tired of career politicians. They want someone who is 100% Pro-Life and will work to cut taxes for hard working Tennesseans. They want someone who will fight for our schools, children, teachers, and parents. They want someone who has business experience to bring new jobs and improve our local economy. They want someone who will fight for better roads and infrastructure in our communities. They want someone who will carry their conservative Tennessee Values with them to Nashville. They want someone who will support our law enforcement and emergency personnel, and honor veterans and their families.”

“I started working at age 11, bagging groceries and working on farms in the area,” continued Hale. “I worked my way through school and built a rewarding career in service of others. I have built a business from the ground up and know what its like to meet a payroll and have difficult conversations with families. I have battled life threatening illnesses that confined me to a wheelchair. As the parent of a daughter in college and a son in high school, I know the challenges in our schools, and of raising a family. As a proud gun owner, I know that our rights are under attack. During this campaign, I look forward to sharing my experiences and ideas for how we can make Tennessee an even better place to live, work, raise a family, and retire.”

“The individuals in communities around this district have been incredibly good to me over the years,” concluded Hale, “and my family and I are excited about this opportunity to serve and earn your vote. I want to invite you and your family to our Campaign Kickoff Event on Saturday, April 16, from 5PM-7PM at the Smith County Ag Center. My family and I ask for your prayers over the coming months as we campaign and meet voters throughout the district.” 

Michael and Tara Hale are lifelong residents of the 40^th District and have been married for nearly 26 years. They are the proud parents of three children and three grandchildren. They have owned and operated DeKalb Funeral Chapel for over 20 years and also raise Simmental cattle at their family farm. They are active members of New Life UPC in Smithville. For more information, or to contact Michael Hale, call 615-464-0518, visit VoteMichaelHale.com, or go to Michael Hale for State Representative on Facebook.

On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, Smith County Insider held a Candidate Forum prior to the May 3 primary election. The event was held at the Rose Building in Carthage and was co-hosted by Smith County Insider and the Smith County Chamber of Commerce. The Waggoner Building and Bass Funeral Homes sponsored the event.

All candidates who qualified for either the May 3 primary or the August 4 county general election ballot were invited to speak at the Candidate Forum. 19 candidates came and participated. Below is a list of the candidates that attended:

Criminal Court Judge – Brody Kane

District Attorney – Jason Lawson

County Mayor – Arthur (Art) Shady and Jeff Mason

County Commission (District 1) – Helen Vose

County Commission (District 4) – Matthew J. Inyart

County Commission (District 5) – Danny Irizarry, Eddie Stout, and Blake Richmond

County Commission (District 6) – Justin Mauldin

County Commission (District 7) – Connor David McDonald

Trustee – Jackie Gentry, Craig Williams and Julie Wright

General Sessions Judge – Branden Bellar

Sheriff – Scott Moore and Steve Hopper

County Clerk – Clifa Norris

Road Superintendent – Mickey Barrett

Watch the full video of the forum below:

Early Voting began today, April 13, and continues until April 28.

Primary Election Day is May 3, 2022.

For more information about voting in Smith County, visit https://www.smithcountyelection.com

Studio audience tickets are now on sale for the Smith County Insider Candidate Forum that is set to take place on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. This event is co-hosted by Smith County Insider and the Smith County Chamber of Commerce.

The Candidate Forum will be live streamed on Smith County Insider’s Facebook page beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening April 12 and will be FREE to watch. The forum will not be open to the general public to attend in person, but there will be limited studio audience seating available. Tickets for the studio audience seating are available for purchase, proceeds will benefit the Smith County Chamber of Commerce with tourism projects in Smith County. Tickets are now available for purchase at this link. 

Below is a list of the candidates that have signed up to come and speak as of April 11, 2022:

Criminal Court Judge – Brody Kane

District Attorney – Jason Lawson

County Mayor – Arthur (Art) Shady and Jeff Mason

County Commission (District 1) – Helen Vose

County Commission (District 4) – Matthew J. Inyart

County Commission (District 5) – Danny Irizarry, Eddie Stout, and Blake Richmond

County Commission (District 6) – Justin Mauldin

County Commission (District 7) – Connor David McDonald

Trustee – Jackie Gentry, Craig Williams and Julie Wright

General Sessions Judge – Branden Bellar

Sheriff – Scott Moore and Steve Hopper

County Clerk – Clifa Norris

Road Superintendent – Mickey Barrett

School Board (District 3) – Stephanie Winfree

Each candidate will have the 3-5 minutes to speak (depending on the number of participants.)

If you or your business is interested in being a sponsor of the forum, please reach out to us at news@smithcountyinsider.com.

Early voting for the May 3rd primary election begins on April 13th and runs through April 28th. Voters will cast their votes for 15th District Circuit Court Judges, Chancellor 15th Judicial District, Criminal Court Judge 15th District, 15th District Attorney General, 15th District Public Defender, County Commissioner District 1-8, County Trustee, County Sheriff, General Sessions Judge, Circuit Court Clerk, County Clerk, Road Superintendent, Register of Deeds and School Board Members for Districts 3, 4, 6, & 8.

Early voting runs Mondays through Saturdays and ends April 26th Election Day is Tuesday, May 3rd. The voter registration deadline ahead of this election was April 4th

Early voting will be available at two locations: The Smith County Election Office and the Gordonsville Municipal Building.

Early voting at the Smith County Election office will be open from April 13th – 28th from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Late-night early voting will be available on April 19th and 26th from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Voters may vote early at the Gordonsville Municipal Building on Tuesday, April 19th 8am to 7pm, Thursday, April 21st 8am to 4pm, Friday, April 22nd 8am to 4pm, Saturday, April 23rd, 9am to 12pm, Tuesday, April 26th 8am to 7pm, Thursday, April 28th 8 am to 4pm.

Both early voting sites will be open to all Smith County voters, regardless of where in the county they live. On Election Day, the Gordonsville location will only be available for those voters who live in the Gordonsville district. The Smith County
Election Office is not a voting location on Election Day.

If you wait until Election Day (May 3) to vote, you must go to the polling location that is located in the precinct where you
live.

You can view a sample ballot at https://www.smithcountyelection.com/upload_sampleballot/sampleballot.pdf

U.S. Representative John Rose’s (TN-6) district staff will hold a series of local office hours for constituents to connect directly with caseworkers and receive assistance with federal agencies throughout the month of April.

During the local office hours, district staff will be available to answer questions and assist constituents with federal casework, such as social security and veterans’ benefits, steps for obtaining a passport, and more. Local office hours occur monthly. If you have questions, please contact one of Representative Rose’s offices so a staff member may help you.

“We are ready to assist constituents with federal casework and welcome anyone with questions to sit down with staff,” said Representative Rose. “My goal is to make the expertise of my staff and the resources of this office easily accessible to every person I represent.”

Details for local office hours can be found below and on Representative Rose’s website.

WHEN: Thursday, April 7, 2022

TIME: 2:00pm-3:00pm

LOCATION: Smith County Administrative Building, 122 Turner High Circle, Carthage, TN 37030

WHO: Representative Rose will be represented by District Director Rebecca Foster during this visit.

It is with great pleasure that I announce my candidacy for Smith County Mayor. As a proud member of this county I look forward to serving the citizens of our county as your mayor. I have 35 years of accounting and tax preparation experience. While in college I built a practice in Chattanooga of over 200 individual and business clients. I’ve been a comptroller and HR director for a multi-dollar construction company in Knoxville and an Assistant Branch Manager for a bank. I taught computer classes at Roane State Community College and have spent most of my life in some form of management. I feel well qualified for this office as I am the only candidate with a strong financial management background.

I live in the Riddleton community with my wife Sandra, we have seven children and three grandchildren so far. Formerly from the Nashville and Baxter areas we have lived in Smith County for the last five years and intend it to be our home. I would appreciate your vote for Mayor of Smith County and I promise to do the best job I can for the privilege. As Mayor I will maintain an open-door policy and strive to be as transparent as possible. It will be my primary goal to restore fiscal responsibility and accountability to the office of Mayor. You may contact me by email at art@artshady.com, or text or call my cell phone at 615-486-9308.

In my opinion the current administration has not handled the county funds responsibly. This has led to shortages that have put a burden on the citizens of this county. The sitting mayor miscalculated anticipated revenue and plunged the county into a million-dollar deficit. The mayor made wild projections based on unrealistic anticipation of revenue. You can read more about this on the “Why Me” menu item of my website at www.artshady.com, be sure to click on the “New Rules” menu item at the top also in the main menu.

There will be a Night of the Candidates forum at the Riverpoint Ranch, 46 Fox Run Lane, in Carthage on Tuesday, April 5 2022 at 7:00 PM. There will also be a candidate forum April 12 where you will have the opportunity to hear from each candidate that participates. The primary election will be May 3rd and early voting begins April 13th, one day after the forum. Check our website for updates from time to time. The forum will be broadcast so check with the Smith County Insider to find out when, it will probably livestream in real time.

God bless you and yours — Art Shady

I, Sheriff Steve Hopper would like to announce my candidacy for re-election. I am a 1978 graduate of Smith County High School. My wife Donna (Nesbitt) and I live in the Riddleton Community. My parents are Mary Lou and Dale Roberts and the late Charles Hopper. Donna’s parents are Jan and Roger Fisher and the late Philip Nesbitt. Together we have four children Michael, Stephanie and her husband Craig West, Charlie, Joel and Jessica Lafferty and five grandchildren.

My commitment to serving the citizens of Smith County began in the early 1980’s when I became a member of the Smith County Rescue Squad and served as treasurer for several years. I am also a member of the Central District Volunteer Fire Department and served as the Fire Chief until 2020. I also worked at the Smith County Ambulance Service as a paramedic.

I began my law enforcement career in 1995 with Carthage Police Department as a patrol officer. I graduated from the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy in 1996. During my career with Carthage P.D. I was promoted to Sergeant and in 2003 promoted to Chief of Police. While employed with Carthage P.D. I received numerous specialized certifications and served as Chief of Police until elected Sheriff in 2010.

I currently serve on the Finance committee for the Tennessee Sheriff’s Association and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the 15th Judicial District Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force. I am also a member of the Smith County Adult Leadership Class of 2014 and a retired member of the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

The years serving as your Sheriff has been an honor and a privilege. Along with an amazing staff, I have strived to promote honesty, integrity, and professionalism throughout all operations of this very important office while upholding the laws of the State of Tennessee and the Constitution of the United States. My staff and I work hard to stay within the budgets that the County commissioners set for the Sheriff’s Office. Looking back to the fiscal year 2015-2016 budget year up through fiscal year 2019-2020 more than one million dollars has been returned to the County general fund that we did not spend.

There are many duties that must be taken care on a daily basis while striving to make Smith County a better and safer place to live, work, and raise our families. If re-elected, I will continue to conduct the Office of Sheriff in a manner that serves all Smith County residents fairly and equally.

I will do my best to see as many of you as possible and if I happen to not see you personally, please let me take this opportunity to humbly ask for your vote and support in the May 3, 2022, Republican primary.

I am Jason Lawson, and I humbly ask for your vote to continue serving as your District Attorney General for the 15th Judicial District. I was appointed to this position last year, first by the judges of our district as interim DA, and then by Governor Lee to fill the remaining term of retiring General Tommy Thompson.

Serving as your DA is one of the great honors of my life. I believe that our criminal justice system is only as strong as our prosecutors. Our job is to assess each situation, each crime, each defendant. We have to know how to be fair, when to extend a second chance, and when to remove a person from our community. That is why we become prosecutors—we want to come to a situation, invest ourselves, make things better and see justice done. Each case is an opportunity to get it right, to stand up for victims and show the public that we are the prosecutors they want to see. Our service is vitally important.

Since becoming DA I have sought and obtained more resources so we can give more individual attention to each case. I added our first Spanish speaking employee to better communicate with victims and witnesses. I added a third DA’s office in Carthage to make services more accessible to people in all five counties.

To share about myself, I was raised in Watertown, the son of Javin and Cindy (Fuston) Lawson. Our family business was logging, teaching me valuable experiences that built my work ethic. I attended MTSU on academic scholarship where I was elected student body president. I graduated with honors from UT law school where I won Outstanding Courtroom Argument my final year and Outstanding Written Argument each of my last two years. After graduation, I moved to Mt. Juliet and married my wonderful wife Christy, a pre-school teacher. We are blessed with two sons, Avery and Everett. Our faith is a central part of our life. We are active in our church, where Christy teaches the children’s program and I teach the teen program.

Professionally, I joined the DA’s office right out of law school in 2002. I worked alongside General Thompson for the last twenty years and learned first-hand his approach to criminal justice. Over my career, I have earned a reputation as a tough prosecutor who has tried many jury trials involving nearly every crime, even including the conviction of a serial killer. In 2020 alone, I won murder trials in Macon, Smith, Wilson, and Jackson Counties. I have even been recognized as one of Tennessee’s top prosecutors by the state-wide prosecutor’s conference. Although my experience is vast, it is my passion for this service that makes me the right person for this office. I will never forget that I work for you, and I will always be available to you. I humbly ask for your vote on May 3 and your continued support and prayers as I serve as your District Attorney.

Mrs. Shelley T. Gardner is announcing her candidacy in seeking re-election as Public Defender for the 15th Judicial District. Mrs. Gardner is a Wilson County, Tennessee, native. She graduated from Cumberland University in 1997 with her BBA and then from the Nashville School of Law in 2001 with her Doctorate of Jurisprudence. She has been with the 15th Judicial District Public Defender’s office since 2002, starting as an Assistant Public Defender and was later appointed by Governor Haslam in 2018 as the District Public Defender. In her 20 years at the Public Defender’s Office, she has handled well over 15,000 criminal cases in all five counties and courts in the 15th District. The five counties include: Jackson, Macon, Smith, Trousdale and Wilson. She has also been a member of the 15th Judicial Drug Court team since 2002. “The Drug Court program is an amazing program. To be able to work with such a great team while helping individuals get back on their feet and lead the lives they should be living, is very rewarding.” In 2020, Mrs. Gardner ran in the Republican Primary and was elected as District Public Defender. Mrs. Gardner is again running in the 2022 Republican Primary and August general election seeking re-election as District Public Defender.
Mrs. Gardner is very active and involved with her office and throughout her community. She currently serves as Vice President and President Elect for the District Public Defender’s Conference for the state of Tennessee. She sits on the Board for the Wilson County Fair, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), and is President Elect 2023 for the Lebanon Breakfast Rotary. She was a 2017 graduate of Leadership Wilson and is also a Past President of Wilson ONE and of CASA. Being involved in her community has awarded Mrs. Gardner several special recognitions. In 2015, she was named Woman of Wilson. She received the Judge J.O. Bond Memorial Achievement Award in 2018, the CASA Community Champion Award in 2019, the Woman of Excellence Award in 2019 and the Cedar Tree Award in 2021 for the newly built Public Defender’s Office in Wilson County.
Shelley Gardner and her family are members of the Lebanon First United Methodist Church. Her husband, Joe, is the head football coach at Walter J. Baird Middle School. Their two teenage sons, 16 years old and 13 years old, both play football for Lebanon High School Blue Devils.
“I am your current Public Defender for the 15th Judicial District. With my experience and values, I know I can continue to run this office and keep my community happy. I would appreciate your vote to re-elect me as Public Defender.” Early Voting is April 13th through April 28th. TheCounty Primary is May 3rd. General Election is August 4th.

The Carthage City Council held its monthly meeting on Thursday, February 4th, 2022, at 6:00 pm.

Several items were discussed. Watch the full meeting below.

I’m very happy to announce my candidacy for the office of County Commissioner on the Smith County Commission for the Fifth District as a Republican. I live on a farm with my wife Kerri in Hickman. In my opinion, Smith County is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and is definitely where we plan on spending the rest of our lives. My hobbies include spending time with family on our farm and in the great Outdoors with boating, camping, fishing, and hunting. I’m a first time political candidate for public office. Over the years, I never thought I would ever be interested in running for any public office as I’m not the typical “politician” type. Many of my family, friends, and neighbors along with myself have very strong Christian conservative beliefs, morals, and values. At this time, as every strand of the soul of our nation is being tested, I feel called to run and I intend to represent these interests of the people to the best of my God given ability if elected by the people of District 5. Here is a brief background summary about myself.

I grew up in rural America working on dairy farms. When I was a young boy, I decided that I wanted to be a police officer when I grew up so I could help serve and protect the people. I aspired toward that goal for many years and wanted to start my career in law enforcement as soon as possible. I took college level Criminal Justice courses while I was still in high school to get a head start on my required college credits. After graduating high school, I was accepted to and enrolled in a small private college on a Presidential scholarship. I wanted to start taking civil service exams for police departments as soon as I was eligible and old enough to take them. Shortly after I turned 18 years old when I was a freshman in college, I took my first civil service exam and scored high enough to get called for hiring. After going through all the very extensive and lengthy processing, I made the critical and difficult decision to withdraw early from college with my Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and then accepted the offer to attend the police academy at only 20 years old. I graduated the police academy with honors and served for over 5 years as a state police officer outside of New York City. After 5 years of service as a state police officer, my wife and I were ready for a life change and decided to make a career change while moving closer to my parents.

My grandfather was a highly decorated Army combat veteran in World War II. Both of my parents were in the Air Force and is actually where they met. I wanted to carry on the family tradition of military service and decided to enlist in the Army Infantry when I was 25 right before I got out of law enforcement. I graduated from the Army Infantry Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning as Expert Marksman Qualified. I served in the Army Infantry for 6 years. I qualified for a secondary MOS (Military Occupation Specialty) of Military Police (MP) and received the Top Gun Award for the highest pistol qualification scores in my Army MP School. I also utilized the Army tuition assistance education program in order to finish my Bachelor of Science Degree in Community & Human Services with a concentration in criminology and public administration. I graduated from the Army Basic Leader Course (BLC) as a Corporal (CPL). I was Honorably discharged from the Army as a Non Commissioned Officer.

Over the years, I have also developed experience as an entrepreneur and freelance independent business owner in different areas that have involved marketing and audio-video production. These various business ventures have involved interacting and networking with many People in different capacities. I have also worked in the financial sector as an independent contractor for companies such as Northwestern Mutual and US Health Advisors to assist clients with their financial planning and insurance needs. I’m currently employed by Southwest Airlines and work in Customer Service.

My service in law enforcement and the military instilled a level of dedication, determination, discipline, drive, focus, organization, and respect that will serve as a solid foundation for me to carry out and complete the duty and responsibility of this office if elected by the People of District 5. Furthermore, my background in business, finance, and interacting with people in these many different capacities will allow me to be a fundamental asset for the local community while serving on the Smith County Commission. Therefore, I am hopeful to have the honor, opportunity, and privilege to represent and serve the People of Smith County. Here is the link where you can connect and follow me on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/people/Danny-Irizarry/100078313961592/

I want to thank the wonderful people of Smith County for all of your kindness and support to us while announcing and initiating my candidacy and campaign for this office. I’m asking for your continued prayers, your support, and your vote in the County Primary Election on May 3, 2022, and in the County General Election on August 4, 2022.

I, Mickey Barrett, would like to formally announce my candidacy for the position of Smith County Road Superintendent. 

Smith County has been my home for most of my life. I have resided in Brush Creek for a little over 35 years. My wife, Alicia, is an educator and we are blessed with two children, Shawn (wife Ashley) and Kailee. 

I have dedicated the last 25 years to the Smith County Highway Department where I served as a foreman under the former Superintendent, Steve Coble. After his resignation and untimely passing, I decided to enter Adult High School and earned my GED so I could meet the qualifications for the Superintendent. I was named interim Superintendent in November 2021 and appointed Superintendent by the county commissioners in February 2022. 

SInce holding the position, my crew and I have  worked tirelessly on road improvements and maintenance in several areas throughout the county. Not only have we worked to maintain and complete typical road repairs, we have also dealt with tornados, winter storms and had some flooding issues. The Highway Department is operating with a total of 16 employees that are working hard for the citizens of Smith County. 

When elected, I will continue to use the manpower, equipment and budget to maintain and improve as many miles of county roads as possible. I have an open door policy so please do not hesitate to reach out to me regarding any questions or concerns about the Smith County Highway Department. I would greatly appreciate your support and vote.