CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Five applicants, all of them Army veterans, have stepped up to fill the District 18 Montgomery County Commission seat left vacant with the resignation of Jason Knight.
According to county records obtained by Clarksville Now, the candidates are:
Kenneth Baker, an Army veteran, who manages the Army Command Language Program for the 101st Airborne Division. He is pursuing a degree in security management from American Military University.
Monroe Gildersleeve Jr., who previously served as the District 18 commissioner, from 2014 to 2018. An Army veteran, he has a bachelor’s degree in public management from Austin Peay State University, a master’s degree in career and technical education from Murray State College, and three other degrees.
Gregory Hopkins, an Army veteran, who is the director of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Fort Campbell and director of Outdoor Recreation. He has a bachelor’s degree in business from Troy University.
Jorge Padro, an Army veteran, who previously was a health administrator for the U.S. Army Reserve at Fort Knox and was a tax examiner for the IRS. He has a master’s degree in general administration from Central Michigan University and a bachelor’s in biology from InterAmerican University.
Robert Sigler, who is a service-disabled Army veteran and is the lead contracting officer at Land Between the Lakes for the U.S. Forest Service. He has a master’s degree in QSM from National Graduate School and a bachelor’s degree in social science education from Georgia Southern University.
District 18 runs along the Kentucky state line and straddles Big West Fork Creek.
Knight resigned from both the commission seat and the Clarksville City Council in July after damage to his home and harassment forced him and his family to move. He was elected to the County Commission in 2018.
The county required a mandatory application period before voting on an interim commissioner, and that vote will take place Monday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m. at the County Courthouse.