Stewart, Hatfield re-elected; six Council seats change
Six of nine regular Metro Council seats change hands; District 5 sends three new members to the table
9:13 p.m. Aug. 6, 2026
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
Moore County voters returned Mayor Sloan Stewart and Sheriff Tyler Hatfield to office Thursday, Aug. 6, while six of nine regular Metro Council seats on the ballot changed hands in a General Election that will bring a markedly different lineup to the Metro Council.
Unofficial election-night totals showed Stewart defeating Keith Moses 1,218-741.
Hatfield secured a third term as sheriff with a commanding 1,570-417 victory over William Raline, collecting nearly four out of every five votes cast in the race. Raline won the Republican primary in May, but Hatfield won the General Election decisively.
County Clerk Lacy Ivey also won another term, defeating challenger Kelly Woods Harrison 1,172-819.
Three other countywide officeholders ran without opposition. County Trustee Lynn Harrison received 1,830 votes, Circuit Court Clerk Linda Wolaver received 1,805, and Register of Deeds Pam Wells received 1,875.
The results remain unofficial until certified by the Moore County Election Commission.
Moore County entered Election Day with much of its voting already done. A total of 1,273 ballots were cast during early voting, meaning nearly 23% of the county’s registered voters had already voted before polls opened Thursday. That ranked 10th among Tennessee’s 95 counties. The early-vote total was also up 9.4% from the comparable August 2022 election.
Six regular council seats change hands
The next Metro Council will look considerably different.
Six of the nine regular seats decided Thursday in Districts 2, 3, and 5 will have new occupants. Five incumbents chose not to seek re-election. One – District 3 Councilman Houston Lindsey – was defeated.
In District 2, Payton Keller led the field with 201 votes, followed by incumbent Douglas Carson with 188 and incumbent Robert Bracewell with 142.
Bracewell claimed the district’s third and final seat by just six votes over Jenny Jo Gold Saddler, who finished with 136.
Keller will fill the seat being vacated by John Taylor, who did not seek re-election. Carson and Bracewell return to the council.
Lindsey loses District 3 seat
District 3 produced the only defeat of a sitting council member Thursday.
John Oosting led the five-candidate field with 234 votes, followed by incumbent Dexter Golden with 220 and Jayson Estfon with 208. Those three won the district’s council seats.
Lindsey finished fourth with 162 votes, 46 behind Estfon for the final seat. Chris Benson received 155.
Oosting and Estfon will replace two current council members. Marty Cashion did not seek re-election. Voters denied Lindsey another term. Golden returns to the council.
District 5 gets an entirely new delegation
District 5 was guaranteed a new delegation before the first Election Day ballot was cast.
Incumbents Gerald Burnett, Greg Guinn, and Jimmy Hammond all chose not to seek re-election, leaving all three seats open.
Brady Goodwin led the five-candidate field with 241 votes. Brandon Ross finished second with 145.
Regina Adcock took the third and final seat with 136 votes, edging Cody Lanier by eight. Lanier received 128, while Whitney Ross finished with 123.
Goodwin, Ross, and Adcock will hold District 5’s three seats on the Metro Council.
Moorehead wins District 1 unexpired term
Voters also settled a special election in District 1, where Sunny Rae Moorehead defeated Jerry Burks Jr. 193-149 for an unexpired Metro Council term.
Thursday left familiar faces at the top of Moore County government. Stewart remains mayor. Hatfield begins a third term as sheriff. Ivey remains county clerk.
Around the Metro Council table, however, change is coming. Six of nine regular seats on Thursday’s ballot will have new occupants – the most visible shift in a General Election that otherwise kept Moore County’s top officeholders in place.
The newly elected officials take office Sept. 1.
2026 General Election
MAYOR
Sloan Stewart – 1,218
Keith Moses – 741
SHERIFF
Tyler Hatfield – 1,570
William Raline – 417
COUNTY CLERK
Lacy Ivey – 1,172
Kelly Harrison – 819
COUNTY TRUSTEE
Lynn Harrison – 1,830
CIRCUIT COURT CLERK
Linda Wolaver – 1,805
REGISTER OF DEEDS
Pam Wells – 1,875
METRO COUNCIL
DISTRICT 1
Sunny Rae Moorehead – 193
Jerry Burks Jr. – 149
DISTRICT 2
Payton Keller – 201
Douglas Carson – 188
Robert Bracewell – 142
Jenny Jo Gold Saddler – 136
Michelle Riddle – 120
Hampton Hoffman – 62
DISTRICT 3
John Oosting – 234
Dexter Golden – 220
Jayson Estfon – 208
Houston Lindsey – 162
Chris Benson – 155
DISTRICT 5
Brady Goodwin – 241
Brandon Ross – 145
Regina Adcock – 136
Cody Lanier – 128
Whitney Ross – 123
Italics – new to Metro Council