John Duncan announces run for Knox County Clerk, pledges kiosks, zero-based budgeting and transparency

John Duncan announced he is running for Knox County Clerk in the May 5 Republican primary, saying he will prioritize customer service, technological improvements and greater transparency in county records.

Duncan, who introduced himself at the start of the address, said he is running "to help people" and invoked a family legacy of public service: "I got to see firsthand what true public service looks like," he said, citing his father, Congressman Jimmy Duncan, as an influence.

He framed the clerk's office as a primary point of contact between residents and government, saying, "The county clerk's office is like the front door of our local government," and argued that office operations should treat people "with respect and dignity" while reducing wait times.

To shorten lines and speed routine transactions, Duncan proposed exploring self-service kiosks for quick renewals and basic transactions, noting that "most of the surrounding counties have already gone to a self-service kiosk" and that the technology "has been in other counties in the state for as long as 11 years." He also said he looks forward to "making several technological improvements that would bring better services to the office."

On budgeting, Duncan said he would "eliminate waste wherever possible" and employ zero-based budgeting principles: "It means we start the budget at zero and before any dollar spent, it has to be scrutinized and justified," he said.

Duncan pledged to increase transparency by making the clerk office's financial records and the county commission records "available and easily accessible online," adding that it is currently "pretty hard to see what the commission has been up to." He said the clerk serves as clerk to the county commission and that searchable online access should be expanded.

Pointing to his qualifications, Duncan said he has lived in Knox County his whole life, mentioned his wife, Elizabeth, and their 10-year-old twins, and described private-sector experience in banking and entrepreneurship. He noted prior elected service as Knox County trustee, saying that as trustee he led reforms including ending the delinquent tax attorney contract, which he asserted "by this point has saved the taxpayers over $4 million." That claim was presented by Duncan without independent verification or response during the address.

Duncan closed by asking for votes on May 5 and reminding listeners that early voting runs from April 15 through April 30.

The campaign announcement focused on administrative reforms and service changes rather than new legislation; no formal actions, votes or endorsements were recorded during the statement.