Every four years, most Tennessee county officials face election. Having good qualified candidates and a high involvement by knowledgeable voters is an essential part of economic and community development. Here are some of the job descriptions for county elected officials, the rest can be found at http://www.ctas.utk.edu./
“A county mayor must be a qualified voter in the county, be at least 25 years old, have been a county resident for more than one year prior to filing the nominating petition for the office, and must not otherwise be disqualified from holding public office (by reason of criminal conviction or other legal disqualification). No educational or experience requirements apply to the office.”
“Any county resident who is at least 18 years old, and who is not otherwise disqualified from holding public office (by reason of certain criminal convictions or other legal disqualifications) may seek the office of county commissioner for the district in which the commissioner resides. No educational or experience requirements apply to the office.”
“Any county resident over the age of 18 who is not otherwise disqualified from holding public office (by virtue of certain criminal convictions or other legal disqualifications) may seek the office of county clerk. No educational or experience requirements apply to the office.”
“In order to qualify for the office of sheriff a person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 25 years old and a qualified voter of the county; have a high school diploma or its equivalent in educational training as recognized by the Tennessee state board of education; be fingerprinted and have the Tennessee bureau of investigation (TBI) search for any criminal record; be certified by a qualified professional to be free of all apparent mental disorders; and possess a current and valid peace officer certification as issued by the Tennessee POST commission. In addition, the candidate also must not have been convicted of or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a felony or certain other listed offenses, and must not have been discharged, released, or separated from the armed forces with a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge or as a consequence of conviction at court martial. Any person seeking the office of sheriff must, 14 days prior to the qualifying deadline, file an affidavit with the POST commission affirming that the candidate meets these requirements and a confirmation of psychological evaluation form certified by the professional who performed the evaluation before being eligible to be on the ballot for election. Under some circumstances, a candidate may be elected to the office of sheriff without possessing a current peace officer certification from the POST commission; however, this candidate would receive a reduced salary and must comply with training requirements after taking office or be subject to further penalties.”
