County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, of Chuckey, has filed a petition qualifying him to run for county mayor in the May 4, 2010, Greene County Republican primary election.

Administrator of Elections Donna Burgner said Morrison's petition was filed Thursday.

In addition, Circuit Court Clerk Gail Davis Jeffers has filed a petition qualifying her to run for re-election in the GOP primary.

Jeffers filed her petition Friday afternoon, according to the Administrator of Elections.

Candidates have until Feb. 18 to file qualifying petitions for the May 4 primaries, or to run as independents.

Morrison, 40, has served as a county commissioner since 2002. He was re-elected in November as chairman pro tempore of the Greene County Commission.

In that capacity, he has the responsibility of presiding at county commission meetings when the elected commission chairman, County Mayor Alan Broyles, is not present.

Morrison serves on eight County Commission committees: Roads, Insurance, Solid Waste, Purchasing, Records, Cable Franchise, Ethics and Redistricting.

Morrison said, "Primarily, the reason I'm running is, I just completely think that Greene County is on the wrong financial management path."

Asked to explain, he said that, for the past three years, county government spending has exceeded revenues and the county has used its fund balance to make up the difference.

"I'm running to make jobs and job creation my first priority, and to put Greene County back on a solid financial footing," Morrison said. He said he would concentrate on attracting jobs in industry, restaurants and retail.

Morrison, a hay farmer and a former sales representative for a pharmaceutical company, is a former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger captain, with service in South Korea and Panama, as well as in Georgia.

He is a 1991 graduate of East Tennessee State University with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice/military science.

Morrison and his wife, Stephanie, have four children. They are 11, 9, 6 and 3 years old.

He is the son of Richard Morrison, who is a former Greene County director of schools and is a current county school board member.

Jeffers, 53, was first elected to be Circuit Court Clerk in 1994, then re-elected in 1998, 2002, and 2006.

"It's been my pleasure to serve as the Circuit Court Clerk and I wish to continue to do so," Jeffers said in a short telephone interview Friday night.

She added, "I appreciate the support I've received while I've been serving, and I hope to continue to deserve it."

In Greene County, the Circuit Court Clerk is responsible for records for General Sessions, Juvenile, Criminal and Circuit courts.

According to the Tennessee County Government Handbook, the clerk (or one of her deputies) must attend all court sessions with all the papers for the cases on the docket; administer oaths to parties and witnesses who testify; keep the minutes of each court in a bound book or electronic media (or both); maintain dockets (elaborate schedules used by all parties) including records about all receipts and disbursements; maintain indexes for all records; and invest certain specified funds while those funds are held by the court.

The clerk is also responsible for retaining and storing voluminous amounts of documents related to cases.

Clerks also collect state and county litigation taxes, criminal injuries compensation tax, plus a variety of fees and court costs. They are also expected to make collection efforts when fees go unpaid.

A Chuckey-Doak High School graduate, Jeffers has attended numerous seminars and workshops related to her work and changes in the laws.

Jeffers served as treasurer of the East Tennessee Clerks Association in 2003-04.

She is married to Charles Jeffers, a retired Greeneville Police Department major.