August election brings new faces to South Cheatham government

Thursday’s election brought a mix of new and returning faces to local government across South Cheatham, with contested races in Pegram and Kingston Springs producing several narrow victories and setting up a number of November showdowns.

In Pegram, Sherri Martin and Landon Lyon won four-year terms as aldermen in a five-way race for two seats. Both candidates won by substantial margins and will replace outgoing Aldermen Randy Howington and Michael Paszek.

“I would like to thank everyone that voted and had the confidence in me,” Martin said. “I’m excited to serve the community and look forward working with everyone.”

Lyon said he was grateful to voters and looking forward to serving the community.

“I appreciate everyone who took the time to vote, and I look forward to engaging with the community and serving Pegram to the best of my ability,” he said.

The election also brought a change to Cheatham County’s District 5 commission seat, where Republican Jody Vann defeated incumbent Republican Commissioner Eugene Evans. Vann will be sworn in next month.

“I vow to represent the 5th District and all of Cheatham County with honesty and integrity,” Vann said.

Incumbent Diana Pike-Lovell, an independent, retained the other District 5 commission seat.

“I’d like to thank everyone for their trust in me,” Pike-Lovell said. “It’s an honor to serve my community in this capacity.”

Ginger Rose Vann, a Republican, also won the District 5 School Board seat, replacing outgoing board member Robert Epps.

Kingston Springs sees new county commissioner

Kingston Springs will also have a new representative on the Cheatham County Commission.

Republican Clint Biggers defeated Democrat Jan Morrison by just a few dozen votes in the District 6 commission race. Biggers will replace Commissioner Mike Breedlove, who did not seek reelection.

Incumbent Republican Commissioner Jimmy Hedgepath retained his District 6 seat.

The District 6 race drew particular attention locally as the debate surrounding the proposed rural resort zoning ordinance continued to linger over the campaign. The proposed development has been the subject of months of discussion and public opposition as county officials considered changes to the zoning regulations that would govern large-scale resort developments.

County mayor changes hands

The county's top elected office will also have a new face.

Bill Anderson officially won the county mayor's race Thursday after defeating longtime Mayor Kerry McCarver in the Republican primary in May. Anderson will take office next month.

Following his May primary victory, Anderson described the campaign as a team effort.

“It was a tremendous win. It was a team effort,” he told the Gazette. “I had a really great team of people who were supporting me, and we all worked together to achieve a goal.”

November races take shape

Thursday’s results also finalized several races that will appear on the November ballot.

In Tennessee House District 78, Republican Perry Keenan and Democrat Hillary Capes-Gwinn will face off for the seat currently held by Rep. Mary Littleton. District 78 includes all of Cheatham County and the western portion of Dickson County.

Former Pegram Mayor John Louallen ran for the Republican nomination but finished behind Keenan, coming up short by fewer than 600 votes.

“Thank you to everyone who supported me, voted for me, volunteered, donated, prayed for us, put up a sign, made a phone call, or simply offered a word of encouragement along the way,” Louallen said of his loss on Aug. 6 “While we weren’t successful tonight, I consider myself truly blessed.”

At the federal level, Democrat Darden Copeland and Republican incumbent Matt Van Epps will compete in November for Tennessee's 7th Congressional District, which includes all of Cheatham County.

Pegram resident Josh Sales also sought the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat, running a grassroots campaign but ultimately falling short.

The November ballot will also include the race for governor between Republican Marsha Blackburn and Democrat Jerri Green, as well as the U.S. Senate race between Republican incumbent Bill Hagerty and Democrat Marquita Bradshaw.

With Thursday's results settled, local officials and candidates will now turn their attention to the November general election, while the newly elected local officials prepare to take office.