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My name is Brent Clark, and I am running for Claiborne County Mayor.

Firstly, I am a Christian. I know that without God, I can do nothing. I am the son of Ed and Rose Ann (Roro) Clark. I am happily married to Karyn Poore Clark,

daughter of Alvie and Betty Poore. She spent 32 years in the county school system

as a teacher at Cumberland Gap High School and as a teacher and then principal of

H.Y. Livesay Middle School.

Karyn and I have four wonderful daughters: Kyla, Ashlyn, Raylee, and Britney. I have lived and served in Claiborne County my entire life. I served the residents of Claiborne County as a police officer for 22 years. During that time, I saw the county at some of its highest and lowest points.

My heart has always been connected to helping others. I continued the drive to

help my community and ran for and was elected to the Claiborne County

Commission in 2018.

My time as a county commissioner has enlightened me on

the needs we, as a county, have and on ways to meet those needs.

As the only candidate who has been a county commissioner, I have seen firsthand what harm a divided government can cause. My tenure as a commissioner has

educated me in the workings of county government and in the fiscal management

of county funds. I was actively against the jail expansion and the charter

government issue. I have a reputation for being professional, honest, and

trustworthy as a public servant. I want the chance to prove that the knowledge I

have makes me the best candidate to represent the people of Claiborne County.

The most pressing issue in our county is that the county is not united. From a

divided county government to a river divide that needs to end, nothing can truly be

accomplished until unity is formed. We have several issues such as needing a

facility to help those affected by drugs and helping those families affected by

drugs. We need sewer and water problems addressed, higher end jobs, workforce

training, and more retail establishments. We also need revitalization projects and

grants for our cities with downtowns. We need help for our industries to be able to

fill job vacancies and for those involved in agriculture to be able to get the

assistance they need to be successful. None of this is possible until we ALL work

TOGETHER.

I believe in uniting the county for the common good of ALL its people.

Discord among our residents and government has run rampant for the last few

years. I want to include people from all parts of the county and give them a voice

in the mayor’s office. I would hold regularly scheduled meetings at various places

in the county to hear those voices and concerns. I will work with the county

commission, city mayors, other elected officials, and with the many hardworking

non-profit organizations to bring unity to our county. Once this is accomplished,

we will be able to address the other issues from helping those affected by drug

problems to lessening the financial burden of our residents by bringing in more

revenue to our county through tourism opportunities, additional retail

establishments, affordable housing, and higher end jobs.

My heart is centered in Claiborne County. I truly believe we live in the

absolute best place in the world. We are blessed with amazing beauty from our

mountains, lake, rivers, and farmland. Our rich history is one to be proud of and to

showcase to others. We have more industry than many large counties in East

Tennessee. Educational opportunities abound. However, we have one more

resource that is far better than all of that: our people. I have personally witnessed

what can happen when the good, hardworking residents of Claiborne County come

together for a common cause. I want to help that happen on a much larger scale. I

want us to come together and unite to make this county the place where we can all

succeed.