Tennessee state representative Vince Dean.
Gwen TidwellThe election is over, but Hamilton County Criminal Court Clerk Gwen Tidwell says it doesn’t feel like it.
Clerk-elect Vince Dean, a Republican who represents House District 30 in the General Assembly, defeated Tidwell, a 20-year Democratic incumbent, by nearly 5,000 votes Aug. 7. Dean pulled 27,197 votes, while Tidwell garnered 22,546.
Dean will leave his state seat and start the clerk’s post Sept. 2, but Tidwell said he’s already moving in, despite not having the authority to do so.
“I had taken four days off last week, and he came in and told my chief of staff to let him into my locked office,” Tidwell said. “I think he’s just game playing. You know my staff, most of them are worried about their jobs — as they are whenever there is a change.”
Shortly after Dean’s visit, he told local media that Tidwell had packed up and left office early. She said she had packed some of her personal belongings, but she was only on vacation for a few days.