EARLY VOTING:
FRIDAY, JULY 17 – SATURDAY, AUG. 1, 2026
Election Day Thursday, August 6, 2026
EARLY VOTING:
FRIDAY, JULY 17 – SATURDAY, AUG. 1, 2026
Election Day Thursday, August 6, 2026
Lincoln County Needs Strong Leadership
Lincoln County is growing and so are the challenges we must prepare for. As a County Commissioner, business leader, and community builder, Daniel Eldridge has developed real-world solutions that reflect our values and serve our future. From preserving farmland to modernizing county operations, Daniel is ready to lead with purpose and integrity.
Growth
Like it or not, growth is coming to Lincoln County. In fact, it has already started. With the recent announcement that the U.S. Army’s Space Command will relocate to Huntsville, along with additional positions from the FBI and other agencies, thousands of new jobs are expected to bring extensive growth to our entire region, including our County. Growth is both an opportunity and a challenge. Preserving our agricultural land and our tradition of farming and cattle production is important to our way of life. At the same time, increasing our tax base through residential development, commercial opportunity, and expanded retail offerings adds to our quality of life. In addition, there is a significant potential to increase both manufacturing and professional job opportunities. The key is balance and planning.
Daniel understands that these types of long-term, high-impact issues must be approached strategically with input from all Lincoln Countians. As a County Commissioner and Chairman of the Planning Commission, Daniel was instrumental in the development of Lincoln County’s Comprehensive Plan. Because he believes in the importance of giving all voices an opportunity to be heard, Daniel conducted nine “town hall” style meetings, one in each of the County’s eight districts and another that was County-wide, to gather feedback for the Plan.
He assembled a Steering Committee of elected officials, department heads, and a large number of community representatives who guided the process, incorporating the citizen input into actionable strategies and milestones. In a related project, he also worked with officials from the cities of Fayetteville, Petersburg, and Ardmore to coordinate an amendment to the Lincoln County Growth Plan. Both the Growth Plan and the Comprehensive Plan will provide important guidance in the coming years, allowing Lincoln County to manage growth in a purposeful, efficient, and citizen-driven manner.
Daniel understands the value of listening, and is always open to good ideas. Recently, others have advocated for the use of a retail recruiting firm to help identify regional and national retail partners to build in our community. In principle, this idea makes a lot of sense, and Daniel will advocate for these types of high-impact strategies. Another highly promising strategy is to employ a full-time grant writer to help our County capture freely available funds for a vast array of projects that will enhance our quality of life and make our County safer, more beautiful, and more attractive to visitors who spend money with our local businesses. These and many other strategies are examples of the out-of-the-box thinking that our next County Mayor can leverage to improve the quality of life for all our citizens.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the backbone of Lincoln County. A recent University of Tennessee study estimated that agriculture accounts for a total annual economic impact of $775 million for the County and provides over 3,700 jobs for our citizens. Lincoln County ranks number one in beef production in the state of Tennessee and number two in hay production. Our farmers are important!
As Lincoln County Mayor, Daniel will ensure that we protect our County’s farmland by continuing to enforce our zoning protections and by following the development guidelines outlined in the County’s Comprehensive Plan and Growth Plan. By partnering with UT Extension and the Center for Profitable Agriculture to promote producer training and other important outreach programs, Daniel will help ensure our local farmers get valuable resources to promote their production. As a long-time member of the Farm Bureau, Daniel will leverage the valuable perspective of this organization to ensure farmers’ voices are heard on important issues.
Process Improvement
No matter how hard you work or how well you are doing, you can always improve. This is true in all elements of our lives, and it is also true for local Government. In fact, local officials have a special responsibility to be good stewards of the people’s tax dollars. Daniel understands that data-driven decisions result in better outcomes. For this reason, we must leverage the resources from the County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS), UT Extension, Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Agency (MTIDA), Tennessee’s Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD), and many other sources to develop data-driven, quantifiable metrics that can be tracked over time. Results should be easily accessible to the public so we can collectively track the effectiveness of our policies and programs. We should work to build stronger collaboration between all stakeholders.
By implementing a more effective process to enhance long-term financial planning, critical needs can be pre-programmed to reduce “emergency” requirements. Ten- to twenty-year planning calendars should be used to forecast major capital requirements and force accountability for the corresponding required revenue. This responsible fiscal planning ensures that we are planning in advance for how to meet our needs so the taxpayers are not asked to fund an unanticipated bill.
Perhaps the most impactful innovation that we can anticipate will be from the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to automate routine tasks, and provide efficiencies across all County offices. While far from being a “technology guy,” Daniel has overseen several corporate initiatives that leveraged AI in innovative ways, resulting in significant savings in both time and money. This technology is viable, and it can make a substantial difference. As the technology continues to develop, the opportunities to modernize and automate processes will only increase. Daniel is the candidate who has the experience to understand the realistic applications for AI and who can make our County a leader in innovation and efficiency.
Transparency & Communication
One of the biggest challenges in any organization – whether a family, a church, a business, or a county government – is communication. The better we communicate, the more effective we become. Daniel believes that openly sharing ideas will lead to better decisions and greater innovation. As County Mayor, Daniel will host regular public forums on a variety of topics to solicit input and exchange ideas. Depending on the subject matter, guest speakers may be invited to provide expertise to frame the discussion. Other sessions may be more “brainstorming” to arrive at out-of-the-box solutions. County Commissioners and other officials will be invited so they can hear and engage with our citizens. Good ideas can come from anywhere, and Daniel is ready to listen!
A lot of activity goes on each day throughout the various offices of Lincoln County government. The office of the Mayor is the hub for a lot of important action and information. As Mayor, Daniel will post his weekly “Top Five” priority list on his webpage so that important and impactful projects can be highlighted and the progress tracked. Citizens can more easily stay informed about major issues and request more information as necessary.
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