Flamboyance of flamingos involved in Sullivan County Commission race

KINGSPORT — Forget about receiving "dark money" political action committee support or opposition, and don't think twice about a PAC contribution. Instead, for a moment, put your focus on a flock of flamingos, pink ones to be exact, involved in a local political campaign. That's because for one local Northeast Tennessee county commission incumbent in a primary, this part of the 2026 campaign season is all about 100 almost neon pink flamingos. Technically, a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. If you don't believe it, do a 10-second internet search. But who is behind the flamingos, so to speak? THEY ARE A CARR CONSTRUCT Sullivan County Commissioner Joe Carr of Kingsport is seeking reelection to his District 9 commission seat, along with fellow incumbent Joe McMurray of Kingsport and commission newcomer and Kingsport school board member Todd Golden. Carr has put more than $1,000 of his campaign money into the flock of flamingos. They are on display at the Civic Auditorium, 1550 Fort Henry Drive, Kingsport, the site of early voting in the May 5 primaries in the Model City. Other polling places through the end of early voting Thursday, April 30, are the Sullivan County Election Commission, 3259 Highway 12, Suite 103, in Blountville, and the Slater Community Center, 325 McDowell St., Bristol. Saturday, April 25, is the last day of weekend early voting, from 9 a.m. to noon at all three locations. Early voting will close April 30, and after that voters must go to their assigned polling place or precinct on primary election day to vote. Interviewed Thursday, the first day of early voting in Kingsport, Carr said he used pink flamingos instead of bullet points in his campaign literature, including some mailers that began going out late the week of early voting with more to come. With all the controversy and attention on the PAC money flowing into the GOP county mayoral race between Zane Vanover and Angie Stanley, Carr said he thought pink flamingos were a way to bring a little levity to the elections and attention to his campaign, something he's banking on as one of three candidates seeking two seats in a district that includes the Ridgefields and Lynn Garden areas of Kingsport. All three candidates live in Ridgefields, and he said the flamingos tie into his mailers and hopefully will put his positive name recognition higher in the minds of voters. A judge in February dismissed charges of sexual battery and public intoxication against Carr following an agreement between the prosecutor and defense attorney, according to court records. The charges in Buncombe County, North Carolina, stemmed from an alleged incident involving a woman and Carr in a bar in Asheville. PRIMARY WINNERS SOMETIMES TAKE ALL Like many commission races and the race for mayor, the two primary winners for the District 9 commission seat will have no opposition in the Aug. 6 county general election, meaning the two winners will become de facto District 9 commissioners for 2026-30. Thursday, Vanover campaign workers were on the right side of the north-facing wall of the Civic Auditorium, near where a flock of flamingos resided because Vanover was at another early voting site. On the other side of the auditorium building, on the left side facing the voting entrance, was the campaign of Stanley, which also included the pink flamingos almost under her campaign tent. In both cases, pre-placed campaign signs of Vanover, Stanley and various candidates were in the ground, under and near tents campaigns placed. That explains why a Vanover sign was under Stanley's tent Thursday. Stanley said her campaign and others didn't want to disturb previously placed yard signs of any candidates. Following are campaign disclosure details from candidates for commission seats. These are on file with the Sullivan County Election Commission and viewable online at https://sullivancountytn.easyvotecampaignfinance.com/home/publicfilings. Below are disclosures filed in the Kingsport area commission Districts 6-11. Districts 1-5, covering the Blountville, Bristol, Bluff City, Piney Flats and eastern area of the county, are to appear in the Times News Tuesday, April 28. Candidates who received or spent less than $1,000 in their campaigns are not required to submit their financial disclosures. DISTRICT 11 In District 11, incumbents John Gardner, chairman of the current commission, and fellow Republican incumbents Hunter Locke and Archie Pierce in the three-seat district face GOP primary challenges from Kingsport school board member Phillip Marshall, a Kingsport dentist, and Zaiden Page. The three winners May 5 will face off in the Aug. 6 general election with independents Joshua French, Travis Sampson and Zac Thomas. As previously reported, Sampson and Thomas each received $1,900 from District 6 commission hopeful Bob Harshbarger Jr., husband of U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-1st and of Kingsport, and father of state Sen. Bobby Harshbarger, R-Kingsport, who represents Sullivan and Hawkins counties. Harshbarger also donated $1,900 to three other commission hopefuls and $1,000 to another hopeful for a total of $10,600, including $100 to his own campaign. • Gardner reported a balance on hand from the last reporting period of $505.13, no receipts during the period, disbursement of $154.37 for a hand-to-hand door piece from Vistaprint of Waltham, Massachusetts, and an ending balance for the first quarter of $360.76. • Locke reported $334.38 on hand from the last report, receipts of $1,200, no disbursements and an ending balance of $1,534.38. Contributors were the Jeff Cassidy Sheriff Campaign Fund for $200, Kingsport TriElite Holdings owner Stewart Taylor with $500, and Kingsport attorney Wayne Culbertson with $500. • Page reported a starting balance of $0, receipts of $1,060, expenditures of $908.30 and an ending balance of $151.70. Reported contributions included Page with two contributions of $360 total of his own money, Jerry Smith of Kingsport with $250, Wayne Culbertson, a Kingsport attorney, with $250, and former Kingsport Mayor Dennis Phillips with $100. Expenditures included $390 to Highly Dangerous Graphics for six large political signs and another $385 for 100 yard signs. • Sampson also reported $1 on hand from the last report, receipts of $3,000 during the first quarter, disbursements of $1,604 and an ending balance of $1,397. "J.A. Street," who owns and operates a Blountville-based contracting business of the same name, was among contributors with $500. Lyndsey Brundrit, who also gave money to Thomas, was listed as giving a $1,900 in-kind contribution for a website. Sampons's only expenditure was $1,604 for signs from Great White Graphics of Johnson City. • Thomas reported a $1 balance on hand as of the last report to start the first quarter, covering Jan. 16-March 31. He reported receipts of $11,655 and disbursements of $233.42 for an ending balance of $11,422.58 for the period. Among contributions was $2,200 of in-kind contributions. Among contributions was $500 and then another $750 from Republicans of Kingsport member Jo Zimmerman, $500 from Mary Hull, wife of former Mayor Pat Shull, a $300 in-kind contribution from Blue Ridge Properties, owned by Kingsport Alderwoman Colette George for a meet and greet event and $1,900 from Lyndsey Brundrit, owner of Emersyn Park Apartments. His only expense was $233.42 with UPrinting of Van Nuys, California for postcards. • Marshall did not report file any financial disclosures for the first quarter of his campaign. DISTRICT 9 • Carr reported a balance of $613.48 at the end of the last reported period, receipts of $2,650 for the first quarter, disbursements of $43.80 for business cards from Office Depot in Kingsport and a balance on hand of $3,218.68. He reported making a $2,400 contribution to his own campaign and a $250 contribution from Roger Thompson of Kingsport. The pink lawn flamingos were listed as an in-kind contribution to his campaign of $1,074. Carr said he may donate them to a charity after the election. • McMurray's report listed a balance on hand in the last reporting period's end of $2,254.30, with $250 receipts during the first quarter and total disbursements of $2,086.85 for a balance on hand at the end of the period of $417.45. Contributors and their contributions were listed as $50 from Kingsport alderman candidate Calvin Clilfton, $100 from William McMurrary of Blountville and $100 from Katherine Priester, listed as clerk and master of Sullivan County. His treasurer is fellow attorney Wayne Culbertson, with whom McMurray practices law. • Golden did not report any financial disclosures for the first quarter of his campaign. DISTRICT 10 The District 10 race for two seats is to be decided in the Republican primary with no Democrats or independents running. Incumbent Larry Crawford is running, as are newcomers Linda D. Buckles, also seeking reelection as Republican State Committeewoman for District 4 of Sullivan and Hawkins counties; Turning Point USA employee Lakie Derrick; and Dominick Kasmauskas. • Derrick reported starting the last reporting period with nothing, receiving $4,369.99 in the new reporting period, disbursement $719.18 during the quarter and having an ending balance of $3,656.81. Contributors included Bob Harshbarger Jr. with $1,900; Mark Easterly of Blountville, a commercial bank lender and emailer of conservative views and news, who gave $200; Gravelly Baptist Church pastor Stephen Keene with $10. She reported an in-kind contribution of $450 from Harold Derrick for six four-by-four-foot campaign signs. As for expenditures, she reported $199.18 for literature for doors from Uprint and $399 to herself for yard signs. $95 for big yard stakes and $10 for bank service charges. • Crawford, Buckles and Kasmauskas did not report any financial disclosures for the first quarter of their campaigns. DISTRICT 8 In District 8, incumbent Republicans Darlene Calton and Mark Ireson face competition from newcomer Republicans Stanley Hodges and Bill Sumner. • Calton reported a beginning balance on hand of zero, receipts of $50.13 and a balance of hand at the end of the period of $50.31 with total outstanding loans of $1,950. Her sole contribution was $50 from Sullivan County Circuit Court Clerk Bobby Russell for $50, and the 13 cents was interest received. • Hodges reported a beginning balance on hand of $1,801.63, receipts of 25 cents in the form of a loan, disbursements of $1,500 and an ending balance of $301.88. Contributions were $37 unitemized in-kind contributions and $1,000 in itemized contributions. The $1,000 was for website creation and domain name with one-year hosting, worth $1,000, from Emersyn Park Apartments President Lyndsey Brundrit. • Ireson reported a balance on hand from the last report of $4,561.50, receipts in the first quarter of $2,850, disbursements of $2,928.91 and an ending balance of $4,482.59. Contributors included District 1 GOP Commission hopeful Don Thompson of the Bristol area, who gave $500, and entrepreneur Tilman Ward of the Kingsport area, who gave $750. Expenditures included $1,308.90 with Mail Works Inc. of Johnson City for a mailer, $439 to Foster signs of Jonesborough for signs and $410.63 to The Picture Perfect for signs. • Sumner reported a balance on hand from the last report of $3,966.67, receipts of $900 during the period, disbursements of $462.77 and an ending balance on hand of $4,403.90. Contributions included $800 from vehicle dealer and Friendship Enterprises owner Mitch Walters and an in-kind contribution of $925 from Dustin Campbell, a Lexus dealership manager, for food and drinks for an event. Expenditures were all to Able Printers of Kingsport for printing. DISTRICT 7 In District 7, incumbent Sam Jones and three newcomers, Jimmy Bowser, Stacy Vaughan and Travis Ward, are seeking two seats with no independent or write-in on the ballot Aug. 6. • Jones began the period with nothing on hand, had no receipts or disbursements but reported a total outstanding loan from himself of $4,000. • Vaughan started the first quarter with $1,000 on hand, received $2,520.19 and spent $1,451.06 for an ending balance of $2,069.13. Vaughan's reported contributions included $1,900 from Bob Harshbarger. His expenditures include $1,389 total on campaign signs from Great White Graphics in Johnson City, $19.20 for Anedot in New Orleans, Louisiana, $42 for sign posts from the Kingsport Rural King. • Ward began the reporting period with nothing on hand, received $1,300 and spent $341.50 for an ending balance of $958.50. Ward's reported contributions include $200 from Sullivan County Sheriff Jeff Cassidy, and his expenditures include $35 for a District 7 voters list from the Sullivan County Election Commission, $256.50 for rack cards from Mail Works in Johnson City and $50 to the Republican Party in Nashville for candidate registration. • Bowser did not report any financial disclosures for the first quarter of his campaign. DISTRICT 6 The District 6 race has three Republicans: Bob Harshbarger Jr., Sullivan County Republican Party Chairman and county archives and tourism head Matthew Johnson, a former commissioner, and Tom Pullon seeking three seats in a three-seat race. However, the three in August will face independents Ken Osborne and Jason Walden. • Harshbarger, who gave $10,600 to six other commission hopefuls, reported starting the first quarter with nothing, receipts of $100 from himself and no expenditures, with an ending balance of $100. • Johnson started and ended the first quarter with no money on hand, per his first quarter report. • Osborne started the period with no money, received $1,255 and spent nothing for an ending balance of $1,255. Contributions were $905 from the candidate, $250 from the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council Committee on Political Education and Joan Zimmerman of Kingsport for $100. • Pullon started the reporting period with $3,000 on hand, receiving nothing during the first quarter, spending $2,138.87 with himself for signs for an ending balance of $861.13. • Walden began the period with a balance of negative $24, had receipts of $550 and an ending balance of $526. Among contributors was former Sullivan County school board member Randall Jones and contractor/veterinarian Rodney Padgett, both with $100 contributions. Times News reporter Allison Winters contributed to this report. Watch for a Times News article in print and online, planned for Tuesday, April 28, for financial disclosures on commission candidates in district 1-5.