RUTHERFORD CO., Tenn. (WTVF) — A young Democrat elected to the Rutherford County Commission is making history, according to the Tennessee Young Democrats.
Brendan Doughtie, 22, won the District 13 County Commission race. The Tennessee Young Democrats celebrated his victory in an Instagram post, calling him the youngest commissioner in Rutherford County history.
Doughtie received 890 votes, or 55.94%, defeating Republican Brian Stoll, who received 698 votes, or 43.87%. The District 13 seat was open after Paul Johnson chose not to seek reelection.
Shortly after learning he had been elected, Doughtie posted, “We’ve proven what the people want and it’s to be heard and cared for.”
Doughtie said Rutherford County has been home to him since 2010. He graduated from Siegel High School and now works at his family’s small business, Boro Bagel. A renter in Murfreesboro, he said rising costs and rapid development helped motivate him to run.
Doughtie said he previously lived across from the Middle Point Landfill on Greenway Drive and remembers the smell and neighbors feeling like their concerns were going unheard. Blocking an expansion of the landfill became one of his priorities, along with affordable housing, protecting green space and wildlife habitats, managing growth and increasing transparency in county government. He also said he would propose a moratorium on data centers in Rutherford County.
Doughtie has also pointed to his animal advocacy as an influence. He started a petition to stop the sale of painted hermit crab shells and said being ignored or dismissed by lawmakers helped shape the message at the heart of his campaign: “Listen, Care, and Act.”
“I’m not a politician, I’m someone experiencing the same challenges as many of my neighbors,” Doughtie wrote in his biography, “and I believe our local government should listen to residents before making decisions that shape our lives.”
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