Garrett Jobes
Garrett Jobes, a rising sophomore at Farragut High School, has created a website to help Knox County voters sort through the candidates on the August 6, 2026, ballot.
“This is fantastic!” said Chris Davis, an attorney and administrator of elections for Knox County. He reviewed the website at our request.
VoteKnox.org has a short shelf-life. The information will expire in 15 days. But this site is such a great idea and is so well done that I suspect Garrett Jobes already has Plan B. At an age when most enterprising youngsters are mowing yards, Garrett is designing websites for his mother and “a few clients.” His mother’s site is newmorninghome.com/.
At Farragut, Garrett is an officer in Mock Trial and Youth in Government. He’s also a member of Model UN. And if this sounds like a lawyer-in-the-making, just read the disclaimer on his website. He’s got everything but the degree.
First sentence: “For you to trust us, we must be completely transparent in how we obtain the information presented to you. This page has details about our processes and sources. …”
He says candidate profiles are never written by VoteKnox.org/. “We source candidates’ pictures and descriptions in the following priority order, moving down the list when a source is unavailable or does not exist:”
- Direct Responses: Any candidate may submit their own picture and description at any time via the Submit Info page. In addition, the website reaches out via email to make candidates aware of the site.
- Campaign Website: VoteKnox takes a selection of text from their website. This is where most profiles come from.
- Campaign Social Media: If a candidate does not have a campaign website, we will take a blurb from their social media bio or pinned post, where available.
- Third-Party Sources: As a last resort, candidates’ responses to journalist questions or similar verified third-party profiles will be used.
“Candidate profiles are always cited with the data source.”
We encourage candidates to contact VoteKnox as soon as possible to update their profile, if necessary. And we encourage voters to check it out. After all, it’s free, it’s fair and it’s our future.
Knox school board will change
Look for at least three new faces on the Knox County Board of Education come September 1, 2026, and two incumbents have foes in the August 6, 2026, general election.
- District 1: Charles Frazier (R) vs. Breyauna Holloway (D)
- District 4: Ashley Sartelle (R) vs. incumbent Katherine Bike (D)
- District 6: Lee Ann Eaves (R) vs. Cadence Collins (D)
- District 7: incumbent Steve Triplett (R) vs. Amy Fenner (D)
- District 9: Bill Sofield (R) vs. Brandy Jenkins (D)
It’s open season on incumbents, making reelection for Kat Bike and Steve Triplett a challenge. Bike anticipates a close race, having won by just 139 votes over Will Edwards in 2022. Interestingly, District 4 in the Bearden/ West Hills/ Cedar Bluff area generated over 10,000 total votes, nearly doubling the vote count in other districts. School board elections in 2022 were non-partisan, as they had been forever. The Republican supermajority in Nashville decided partisan would be better and changed the law. We’ll see how that goes.
Board chair Kristi Kristy (District 9) was upset in the May Republican primary by Bill Sofield, who brands himself as more conservative. Nobody had complained about Kristy being a democratic socialist, that I heard. Of course, I live in Powell.
The Rev. Dr. John Butler (District 1) was defeated by Breyauna Holloway in the May Democratic primary. Butler was a strong voice for equity and inclusion, both as a board member and before he was elected. Interestingly, in 2022 when the race was nonpartisan, Butler beat Holloway with 72.9 percent to her 12 percent in a three-way race. This year, Holloway beat Butler with 48 percent to his 34. Turnout was terrible, with only 1,332 votes cast in the three-way race.
Betsy Henderson (District 6) opted not to run for reelection, running for county mayor instead.
School board members are not term-limited, for some reason, but it’s a grueling job and few stay for more than eight years.
In memoriam
Ruth Henderson
Ruth Connor Henderson, a resident of Oak Ridge for generations, passed on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at the age of 100. Her career in education was with Sevier County Schools and later Anderson County Schools.
She was a longtime devoted member of Robertsville Baptist Church. Ruth was a fan of the University of Tennessee Volunteers, especially the Lady Vols, and enjoyed reading and gardening.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Hugh Francis Henderson, along with her siblings, Jack and Jean Conner. She is survived by four children, eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Burial is today, July 22, 2026, at 11:30 a.m. at Oak Ridge Memorial Park. The obituary is here.
Notes & Quotes
Back-to-school is sooner than you think: Monday, August 3, is the first day for Knox County teachers; Friday, August 7, is orientation for sixth and nineth graders; Monday, August 10, is first day for students (half day). 2026-27 calendar here.
Cades Cove is vehicle free on Wednesdays. Bike or walk the 11.1-mile loop with nothing to worry about but butterflies and bears.
Outdoor Knoxville lists hundred of activities. It’s free online at Legacy Parks Foundation.
Thursday, Aug. 6, is Election Day in Knox County. It’s the general election for county offices – mayor, trustee, sheriff, etc., at-large county commissioners and some district commissioners and school board members. The Republican and Democratic state and federal primaries will also occur – pick one to select nominees for the November general election. Town of Farragut will be electing a new mayor and two members of the board of aldermen. Early voting is underway and ends Saturday, August 1. Info: knoxvotes.org/.
Quote: Can teachers successfully educate children to think for themselves if teachers are not treated as professionals who think for themselves? – Diane Ravitch, author of “The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education,” 2016.
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Sandra Clark is a daily contributor to KnoxTNToday, where she writes the Let’s Talk series, including topics of Law, Neighbors, Schools, Leaders and Outdoors.
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