Campaign Kickoff — Thursday, April 30 RSVP Now →

Re-elect · Cookeville City Council · August 2026

Proven leadership that’s working for Cookeville.

Engineer. Business owner. Councilman. Four years of proven service — humbly asking for four more.

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Campaign Kickoff

Please join us — Thursday, April 30

Seven Senses · 32 W Broad St, Cookeville

Light refreshments and appetizers will be served. Come meet Chad, hear his vision for Cookeville, and spend a relaxed evening with neighbors, friends, and the campaign team.

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Chad Gilbert
Meet Chad

Cookeville gave him everything. He’s been trying to return the favor ever since.

Chad Gilbert didn’t grow up planning to run for office. He just loves this place. He went to Cookeville High School, earned his Civil Engineering degree at Tennessee Tech, met Anna on campus, and never once thought about leaving.

For the past four years, he’s served his hometown as a City Councilman. He’s humbly asking the community that raised him for four more.

Read Chad’s story →
His Story

Four chapters that brought him here.

Chad in a field near Cookeville
Chapter One

Raised on 80 Acres

Chad grew up on an 80-acre farm, helping cut wood to heat the family home before most kids his age were up for school. Hard work wasn’t a lesson you sat down for — it was the weather.

He got his first job at nine years old, mowing yards around the neighborhood. His first real paycheck came from the Sherwin Williams on Spring Street in Cookeville. Those early interactions with customers, neighbors, and a small city figuring itself out sparked a commitment that never left him.

Chad and Anna, early days
Chapter Two

Tennessee Tech, and Anna

After Cookeville High, Chad headed across town to Tennessee Tech for a Civil Engineering degree. Somewhere between classes and campus life, he met Anna. They never once talked about leaving after graduation. Thirty years of marriage and three kids later, this is still home.

Chad showing up for his community
Chapter Three

A Life of Service

Alongside a career built right here at home, Chad has spent years showing up for the places and people that raised him — serving on the Cookeville Planning Commission and the Putnam County Chamber of Commerce Board, and as a deacon at his church.

He shows up because that’s what you do for the place that raised you.

Chad sworn in to Cookeville City Council with his family
Chapter Four

Four Years Down, Four More Ahead

For the past four years, Chad has served Cookeville as a City Councilman — pushing for smart decisions, protecting neighborhoods, investing in parks and public safety, and keeping tax rates responsible. He’s humbly asking the community that raised him for four more years to keep the work going.

Steady leadership for the place he calls home.

The Gilbert family
The Gilbert Family

Sunday brunch at the Gilberts' isn't optional.

Chad and Anna raised Ali Jane, Riley, and Cooper in Cookeville. The table is full, the door is open, and by the time the dishes are done, someone has talked the group into a hike at Burgess Falls.

Whether it's Sundays with family, afternoons on Center Hill Lake, cheering on Lady Cav basketball, or working on the farm, the Gilberts stay deeply connected to the people and places that define this community.

Chad and Anna Gilbert
Chad & Anna 30 years married · three kids raised here
Ali Jane and Brenden Adkins
Ali Jane & Brenden Daughter & son-in-law
Riley Gilbert
Riley Son
Cooper and Alexandria Gilbert
Cooper & Alexandria Son & daughter-in-law
The Record

Proven Leadership That’s Working for Cookeville

Four years in office. Real results for the community that raised him. Here’s what Chad has delivered so far, and what’s still ahead.

300
Acres at Cane Creek Park
5+
Miles of connected trails
ISO 2
Highest fire rating in TN
AA+
City credit rating
Watch Chad
Featured Win — Parks & Trails
+31 Acres added to Cane Creek Park

Cane Creek keeps growing.

Cane Creek Park is now 300 acres with a 56-acre lake, a dog park, pickleball courts, and a splash pad on the way — plus 31 new acres expanding what's possible. Over five miles of connected trails now link Algood to Cookeville, with more ahead.

Watch Chad
Featured Win — Infrastructure
1st City in the country with AI-powered traffic

Smarter signals. Less sitting.

Cookeville is one of the first cities in the nation to put AI to work on its traffic signals. The system reads real-time patterns and adjusts on its own — smoother commutes, fewer red lights, and a blueprint for what modern local infrastructure can look like.

where he stands
01

Public Safety

Keeping families safe.

  • Fully staffed police and fire departments
  • New Police Station and two new Fire Stations
  • Fastest emergency response times — ISO Class 2, highest in TN
02

Smart Growth

Protecting our heritage.

  • Thoughtful management of growth and its impacts
  • Attracting the right businesses for Cookeville
  • Encouraging entrepreneurship; keeping Tech graduates here
  • Biz Hub Park and the 39 Depot Project
03

Infrastructure

Investing for the long haul.

  • Real-time AI traffic signals easing congestion
  • Record street paving — more than ever before
  • Reliable water, sewer, and high-speed internet
04

Budget & Taxes

Responsible stewardship.

  • Held the line on property taxes for Cookeville families
  • Low utility rates compared to the Upper Cumberland
  • City credit rating improved to second-highest
05

Quality of Life

More for families, more for kids.

  • Investing in parks and public amenities so there’s more for families and kids to do
  • Cane Creek Park expanded to 300 acres — splash pad, dog park, pickleball, and growing
  • Sidewalks and Rails and Trails partnerships connecting neighborhoods
  • More green space, more places to play, more reasons to stay
More from the Council

Watch Chad explain the work.

Public Safety Preventing Flooding in Cookeville
Smart Growth The 39 Depot Project
Events

Come See Us

The best way to meet Chad is in person. Come say hi, ask him anything, and bring a friend.

APR 30

Campaign Kickoff

Seven Senses · 32 W Broad St, Cookeville, TN

Join Chad, Anna, and the campaign team for food, music, and the official kickoff of our re-election campaign. All are welcome.

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in your yard.

Yard signs matter. A neighborhood full of signs tells every person driving past that Chad has real support across Cookeville. Request one and we’ll get it to you before early voting begins.

  • Free to you — we bring it by
  • Small and weather-resistant
  • Great for yards, storefronts, apartment windows

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