Dale Fair announces candidacy for County Executive

Staff Reports

   Dale Fair has announced his candidacy for County Executive of Carter County in the Aug. 1 general election.
   "Fair government is my platform, and that's more than a play on words. I stand for fair taxes, a fair budget, a fair approach to handling the challenges facing our county. I don't want the best interest of our citizens to be lost in the politics of policy making," Fair said.
   Fair is Executive Vice-president of Citizens Bank Tri-Cities, where he has been employed for the last 20 years. He is also the co-director of Carter County "Leadership Tomorrow," a program he founded in 1997 to build community leaders.
   "As a college football player, a high school teacher, and bank president I've learned a lot about leadership over the years," Fair said. One of my goals is to foster an environment of superior teamwork and common vision among our committed county commissioners and government staff."
   A graduate of Elizabethton High School, Fair played football at the University of Tennessee where he was named to the Academic All-SEC football team and earned a bachelors degree in science and a masters degree in education. He later graduated from the Tennessee School of Banking and the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.
   "My long-range vision is a county that's growing jobs and an educational system that's second-to-none," Fair said. "To accomplish this, I will focus on building a vibrant public-private partnership that helps fund education and economic development for Carter County. If you look around the United States, many examples of creative programs and win/win partnerships exist for both business and schools. You can also see the important role existing industry plays in attracting their major vendors or partner businesses to locate near them. As a long-time business man, I value these types of arrangements that can bring about the bright future our county residents deserve."
   Fair is a member of the Carter County Industrial Development Board. He has represented Carter County on the Regional Chamber Coalition and served on the Elizabethton/Carter County Economic Development Board. Fair is also past president of the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club and maintains his membership in those organizations. In 1997, he was named Carter County Citizen of the Year.
   Fair and his wife, the former Cindy Birchfield, attend the Elizabethton Church of Christ, where he is a deacon and teacher. They have three children: Julie, a senior at Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tenn.; Justin, a sophomore at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.; and Josh, a senior at Elizabethton High School. Fair lives in the Hunter Community. He is the son of L.D. and Peggy Merryman Fair and is the son-in-law of Marylyn Birchfield and the late Stan Birchfield.
   Voters may visit the candidate's online Web site, www.dalefair.com, for more information.