Republican candidates for the March 6 primary elections campaigned before the Greene County Republican Party on Monday evening.

Two of the three candidates for Property Assessor, Eugene Broyles and Chuck Jeffers, addressed the party, followed by Bill Darden, a representative for U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, R-1st, of Johnson City.

Darden announced that Roe filed the necessary paperwork on Monday morning to run for re-election to the 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Johnson City Attorney Alan Woodruff has announced that he will be running as a Democrat against Roe.

Darden said that there has not yet been word of any opposing candidates within the Republican Party.

In addition, he assured local GOP members that the 1st Congressional District was the least affected of the districts by the state's recent redistricting. None of the changes to this district affected Greene County.

"Thank you for your friendship to Congressman Roe," Darden concluded.

Before turning attention to the Property Assessor's office, Chairman Wayne Bettis announced that candidate Paul Laughlin was unable to attend the meeting due to a family illness.

The remaining two candidates each spoke, sharing much the same information as during the party's January meeting.

Each highlighted his background and experience in the office, as well as what things he would change, or make his primary focus.

Jeffers, 47, of 215 Dogwood Drive, was the first to speak.

He is the current Geographic Information Systems (GIS) director in the Property Assessor's Office.

He also handles commercial and industrial property assessments.

Jeffers has 22 years of experience in the office.

He emphasized his experience and that, as GIS director, he oversees a separate budget for the system.

In an interview following the meeting, Jeffers said he does not believe it would be difficult to transition from being a peer within the office to an authority figure, although there are some things that he would want to change.

"We get along really well; we respect each other," he said.

Broyles, 55, of 5344 Asheville Hwy., currently teaches at Nolachuckey Elementary School.

A teacher for the last 18 years, Broyles worked for almost five years in Greene County's Property Assessor Office.

He has a bachelor of business administration degree from East Tennessee State University, where he was a finance major with a real estate emphasis.

He said he also holds a master's degree from Union University in supervision and administration.

Broyles is confident that his time in the office and his educational experience would be sufficient to serve and lead from day one, he said in an interview.

"I'm such a people person," he said, explaining why he would not anticipate any issues settling into the office.

In other business, member Maybrey Gfellers addressed the party about her concerns over the implementation of Agenda 21, which relates to international sustainable development.

She announced that Don Casey, of Alabama, will be at the Olde Towne Family Restaurant on March 15 to discuss his concerns with the practice.