Gary Shields and Danny Antoine have said they will not run for reelection to the Macon County Board of Commissioners. They both represent District 2, meaning there will be at least two new commissioners on the board next year. Friday, Dec. 19, is the deadline for candidates to file for the March 3, 2026, primary. Dylan Castle and Jason Salmon, both Republicans, have filed to run in District 2.
The third seat up for election is the District 1, currently held by John Shearl, who has filed to run for reelection. Don Willis and Joey Wilson will be challenging him for the Republican nomination in the primary.
Shields, who has served as a commissioner since 2014, said he will continue to focus on serving the community as a liaison to different boards and organizations, which he said will allow him to be “a help and not a hinderance” to those causes once he no longer has to wear a commissioner hat.
In his remaining year, Shields will be working on a “quarter-cent planning team” to promote a quarter-cent sales tax increase for the county, working alongside county and community leaders like Betsy Baste to find more places in the county budget that would benefit from the more than $2 million estimated to be raised by the increase if the ballot initiative passes in November 2026.
Shields says he’s planning a different tactic for the sales tax referendum than the previous times it was on the ballot. “I think I’ve done it wrong. I think I took what I would call a rifle approach to where the money is going, and being an educator, that’s where my heart is,” he said. “This time, I want to do it with a shotgun approach, where we can hit more people and create more interests.”
“We hope to do you right this time … I’m going to be glad to take it home for my last year too, so bear with us,” he said.
Antoine, who is serving his first term as a commissioner, stated at the beginning of the Dec. 9 board meeting that he would not seek reelection.
“It has been an awesome time getting to serve at this capacity,” he said. “My prayer is that I’ve been able to make you guys proud and be able to serve in a capacity that was suitable for everyone. It’s not to say that at a later date I would never do it again. I really enjoy it, but right now there’s just a lot on my plate and I just won’t be able to do it. I thank you all. It’s been an amazing time being able to do this and within the next year we’ll get as much as we can done.”