Russell Johnson is a candidate to fill the vacancy in the 8th Greene County Commission District.

Johnson, 60, of 604 Forest St., Greeneville, has a daughter, Kim Wiley, and two sons, Brandon and Weston.

He graduated from Greeneville High School and from the Tennessee Center for Technology in Morristown in Industrial Maintenance.

Johnson worked for 28 years as a senior lead technician at Phillips Consumer Electronics, which became Five Rivers Electronic Innovations, LLC.

He spent several years serving as a resource officer for the Greene County School System at West Greene High School.

He is currently a farmer and an auxiliary officer for the Greene County Sheriff's Department.

Johnson has not previously held public office.

He has been a volunteer with the Greeneville Emergency & Rescue Squad for the past 10 years and has also been a member of the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads during that time.

He provided the following answers to these questions asked of all the county commission candidates by The Greeneville Sun:

Sun: Why are you interested in holding this office?

Johnson: To help my community.

Sun: How do you believe the county should address the overcrowding at the Greene County Detention Center?

Johnson: I know this is a serious problem. At this point I don't feel I have enough information to be able to suggest a specific solution.

Sun: Other than the jail overcrowding problem addressed above, what three issues do you believe are most pressing for the county government at this time? Please summarize your position on these issues.

Johnson: I think one of the most important things that the county government can do is try to bring in more jobs.

Sun: Do you support the County Commission's recent decision to increase property taxes? Why or why not? Under what circumstances, if any, do you believe you would support another property tax increase in the next two years?

Johnson: I would have supported some level of tax increase for the schools, but I did not support the large tax increase that was passed.

As afar as the next two years, I would have to judge the circumstances at that time.

Sun: Do you have confidence in the effectiveness and ethics of the current County Commission? How do you believe the public's level of confidence in the County Commission can be increased?

Johnson: I simply would not know how to answer those questions. I do know that many citizens are concerned.

Sun: What are three goals you would hope to accomplish during your time in office?

Johnson: I would like to be able to do something to help make this a good community for the next generations to grow up in.

Sun: Would you be open to questions and concerns from the public? How would you make yourself available to the public for questions, complaints, etc.?

Johnson: I would always be glad to get suggestions, opinions, complaints, and so forth, from the public. If an informal group meeting was needed, that would be fine.

Sun: What qualities make you a good candidate for this position?

Johnson: I believe that I have common sense, and I think that is important in public office.

Brief final comment, if you wish.

Johnson: I would appreciate your vote.