Brock jumps back into JC commission race

With less than two days until the filing deadline, Johnson City Vice Mayor Jenny Brock — who previously said she would not run for reelection — has thrown her hat back in the ring for the city commission race. Brock picked up a candidate packet Tuesday, according to the latest petition pickup report from the Washington County elections office. Despite an initial decision to retire from her post at the end of her third term, Brock said she's not finished with the job yet. "I've given it a lot of thought. Of course, previously, it was said that I didn't think I was going to run again," Brock said Tuesday afternoon. "But I've had a lot of people get in touch with me and encourage me to change my mind." If Brock files her petition packet with 25 signatures by noon Thursday, she'll be the seventh person poised to be on the city commission ballot in November. "There are a lot of people running," Brock said. "One of my goals I've had in the whole time I have been on the commission is to be able to demonstrate good governance." Brock said there wasn't a particular issue over the past few months that led her to change her mind, but she wants the commission to engage with citizens more effectively. "I just feel like we need to look at how we engage our citizens more," Brock said. "I still have a lot of ideas and energy and I think goodwill in this city, to be able to serve the people very well." The vice mayor said she feels her institutional knowledge and community relationships would continue to be a valuable asset to constituents if she were reelected. When Brock said she planned to step away from the seat, she left the door open for a change of heart. "I think everyone evaluates their service at the end of a term and I felt this was the time to end mine," Brock said in March. "I say that with the caveat of making sure there are strong, value driven candidates who will be positive ambassadors for the city. Our challenges require loyal leaders with vision and a commitment to good governance. That's what I'll be looking for to lock in my final decision." Brock holds one of the two seats on the ballot for the upcoming city election. The other is held by Commissioner Whitney Goetz, who is one of six people to file complete petition packets so far. Prospective candidates who've filed to run in November's election have until Aug. 27 to withdraw their application. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5 and Early voting begins Oct. 14. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3 for municipal, state and federal general elections.