Qualifying reopens
Clinton/Andersonville constable seats added to Nov. 3 election
An Anderson County constable escorts a group of Operation Angel Wing walkers across Norris Dam. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Those two constable seats were supposed to be on the ballot for the Aug. 3 county election, but no candidates filed or qualified to run. The incumbents are Shannon Gray and Jason Stokes, but neither one of them chose to run for re-election.
Gray instead ran for and won a District 3 seat on the County Commission in the county election, where he replaced Commissioner Joshua Anderson.
Anderson ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for county mayor against Mayor Terry Frank in the May 5 primary.
Therefore, the Election Commission decided to try again, and chose to put the two seats on the Nov. 3 ballot – pending receipt of qualifying petitions from candidates.
In an announcement Monday, the Election Commission set the qualifying period for the District 2 constable seats for Sept. 1 through noon, Sept. 8. The candidates will run as independents; constable is a non-partisan position in Anderson County.
There are four constable districts in Anderson County, but only one – District 2 – has two positions. The others each have one constable.
Frank said District 2 gets two constables because it represents the county seat, which is Clinton.
In Tennessee, a constable is an elected, constitutional peace officer who acts as an officer of the judicial system. Constables have full powers of arrest and may enforce state and local laws, typically serving to supplement local sheriffs and police departments.
Constable is an unpaid position, however, and each elected constable provides his or her own vehicle and equipment, and also must post a $4,000 surety bond. They earn fees from serving civil processes and criminal warrants, and are not supervised by anyone.
To be elected constable, candidates must:
n Be at least 21.
n Be a qualified voter of the district and a resident of the county for one year prior to the date of the qualifying deadline for running.
n Be able to read and write.
n Possess at least a high school diploma or general educational development certificate.
n Not have been convicted in any federal or state court of a felony.
n And must not have been separated or discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States with other than an honorable discharge.
In addition, a constable must have completed the state’s minimum training requirements for law enforcement officers, and pass a psychological exam, Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said.