Former Washington mayor vying for clerk of courts seat
A former Democratic mayor of Washington is mounting a bid for a county row office under a new party banner.
The Washington County Republican Committee announced last week that Brenda Davis, 46, is seeking the GOP nomination for the clerk of court’s office. Democrat Frank Scandale is seeking a second term.
The committee’s write-up quoted Davis, a real estate investor who still lives in the city, as saying she’s running because it’s “time to change leadership in that office.”
“This leadership position requires a person who has strong technical skills and the ability to pay special attention to detail when recording legal documents,” she added.
Davis also called herself a “conservative leader” of the city who never raised taxes, and promised to be a “full-time employee of the taxpayers of Washington County.”
Her decision to run as a Republican is a departure from previous races.
She was a Democrat when she was elected to a term as the city mayor in 2011. She was knocked out in the 2015 primary by Scott Putnam, the current mayor.
Early in 2018, Davis was among the Democrats who asked to represent the party in the 48th District special election to replace former state representative Brandon Neuman, who’d just been elected judge. The party instead picked attorney Clark Mitchell Jr., who ultimately lost to Republican Tim O’Neal.
In an interview, Davis said she switched her party registration about a year ago.
“After reflecting on my administration, I was a moderate Democrat; however, my fiscal responsibility and conservative values were more in line with the Republican Committee of Washington County,” she said.