Fentress County Fills Commission Seat

The Fentress County Commission appointed the widow of the late Wade Matthews to fill the next three months of his term.

Julie Matthews will hold the District 5 Commission Seat until the November election. County Executive Jimmy Johnson said she is eligible to run for the remaining 2-years of the seats term in that election.

“It passed unanimously that she will sit in the seat for three months,” Johnson said. “Everyone else that wants to be on the ballot can get their papers in order and to the election commission in Fentress County. The citizens of the 5th District will elect someone in the November election.”

Commissioner Wade Matthews passed away June 24 in his second-term as a Fentress County Commissioner. The winner of November’s contest will hold the seat until the 2022 election.

Johnson said Wade Matthews’ death caused a huge void on the Commission.

“He did this for 6-years,” Johnson said. “He is sadly missed. He was a spoke in the wheel that turns Fentress County and he will be missed.”