County

County Commissioner, Jackson County

District 01

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A county commissioner is one of the members of the board that adopts the county budget, sets the property tax rate and oversees county government.

Residency district: every voter in the county votes for this seat (the district is where the member must live; State Board March 3, 2026 primary precinct results).

Candidates Compare by issue

Casey Walawender

Democratic

School mental health worker

The gist

Pledges to restore public use of library community rooms
Supports letting voters decide on a school bond
Supports the data center moratorium and stricter rules
Supports defunding the county's Flock cameras
Pledges transparency and long-term planning on the board

More about Casey

View sources (1)

Pledges to restore public use of library community rooms
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“Her first step if elected would be restoring public use of library community rooms.”
Supports letting voters decide on a school bond
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“Do I think it's reasonable to let voters in Jackson County decide where their money goes? 100%,”
Supports the data center moratorium and stricter rules
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“Walawender supports the data center moratorium and stricter rules afterward”
Supports defunding the county's Flock cameras
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“If I had to vote on this issue right now, I would vote to defund them.”
Pledges transparency and long-term planning on the board
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“she is campaigning on transparency, long-term planning and broader representation on the board”

Steven J. Sutton

Republican

Hospital police officer; retired law enforcement officer

The gist

Supports slowing county spending to hold down taxes
Supports defunding Flock cameras without stronger safeguards
Opposes data centers under current conditions
Supports annual step raises for county employees
Supported the county's exit from the regional library system

More about Steven

View sources (1)

Supports slowing county spending to hold down taxes
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“people have been hit hard enough with tax for the last what three four years, and we just got to slow it down”
Supports defunding Flock cameras without stronger safeguards
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“I'm not a big fan of mass surveillance by government,”
Opposes data centers under current conditions
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“I don't believe in just giving 1,000 acres (to) somebody and letting them take all the water”
Supports annual step raises for county employees
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“I'd rather get a 1% raise every year than a $2,000 or $3,000 bonus”
Supported the county's exit from the regional library system
Jackson Commission candidates discuss school bond, library, Flock, and more
News coverage · The Smoky Mountain News · Sep 23, 2026 · smokymountainnews.com
“He supported the county's exit from the FRL over content placement”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 5 issues covered in this race.