06/08/2026
Candidate interviews: Jeff Barger
Jeff Barger (I) is running for reelection to the Sequatchie County Commission, District 5. In the Aug. 6 General Election, he will run against fellow-incumbent Paul D. Powell (I) and challenger Shaun Hughes ( R ). Each district is represented by two commissioners.
District 5 is located in the southeast corner of the county, extending from Hwy. 28 to the foot of Lewis Chapel Mountain, and from the county line adjoining Marion County up East Valley to Henson Gap.
Barger is in his 16th year on the County Commission, and at one time served as chairman of the Sequatchie County Republican Party.
“When the county had a Republican Party, I was the chairman,” Barger said in a recent interview. “The state party removed their sanction for the local Republican Party. Sequatchie County never really had primaries for local elections. Four years ago, the state stepped in, to force the local party to do primaries.
“Nobody really wanted primaries, so I sent a letter to them. They stepped in, suspended the local party, and called for local primaries.”
That was in 2022. Barger found out he had been discharged from his duties and the local party disbanded when the county elections administrator let him know.
“They suspended me the day I sent my letter in,” Barger explained, “and they called for local primaries.”
The state party at the same time imposed fees on any candidate that wants to run as a Republican in local races, on a sliding scale, with the lowest being $50 for county commissioners. Barger objected, and along with a number of other local candidates, chose instead to run Independent.
Originally, Barger represented District 6, which encompasses Daus and Cartwright, but after the 2010 Census, the district lines were redrawn, and he found himself the only commissioner drawn out of his district. Running in that election – now for District 5 – he said he “campaigned hard,” and ended up getting the most votes of anyone running that year.
Barger is a graduate from Bledsoe County High School, but has lived in Sequatchie County since marrying his wife in 1992. He and his wife have two adult daughters.
Barger has a business degree, with a marketing concentration, from UTC. He worked for High Country Archery, then Dupont for 20 years, and Volkswagen for six years, before going to work with Mann+Hummel seven years ago, where he now serves as Quality Project Engineer.
On the County Commission, Barger has chaired the Budget Committee for about 12 years. When he first took on that position, the county was having to borrow from the school system near the end of the year to make payroll, and County Executive Keith Cartwright asked him to take on the job of making the county more fiscally responsible.
“We had to learn how to say no,” Barger explained. “The first year, our goal was not to borrow money from the school system. The second year, our goal was to build a fund balance. Now, we have a $2.5-3 million fund balance. But it’s taken time to build that.”
Among other accomplishments while he’s been on the Commission, Barger cites the Erlanger-Sequatchie Emergency Department.
“That building where the ER sits, that was empty when I came to the County Commission,” he said. “There was no ER, no Erlanger then. We were able to convince Erlanger to come in.”
The Mann+Hummel plant where he now works is another.
“The building where Mann+Hummel is sitting at was standing empty,” Barger said. “The Industrial Development Board (IDB), the city, and the county bought the building and got them to come in. Now we have about 300 employees there.”
The decision to go with Erlanger over Parkridge in the hospital decision last year “was one I really listened over,” he said. “It was a difficult choice. But I think we made a solid decision, a good decision.”
Issues that Barger sees for the Commission in the future include:
• Dealing with rapid population growth.
• Saving farmland from projects like solar farms.
• Not raising taxes.
“I’m doing this to serve my community, serve my family, serve my friends, and serve the citizens of Sequatchie County,” he said. “I trust people to make their choice. God has not steered me wrong yet. That’s where my trust is.”
Candidate interviews for the 2026 Sequatchie County elections are sponsored by Contract Flooring-Chattanooga. Thank you for your support!
