Craig Zimberg running for Williamson County Commission

Craig Zimberg says he's always felt the duty of service, from enlisting in the U.S. Army at age 17 to working on Metro Nashville's Information Security Advisory Board.

Now, as a Brentwood resident for the past 2½ years, he wants to represent District 5 on the Williamson County Commission. 

Zimberg, 48, is a father of two and executive director of internal audit at Broadcast Music Inc. He moved to Williamson County from Bellevue for the same reason as many people — the quality of Williamson County schools. 

"I want to ensure we continue (to do) things that make the county attractive to people coming to live here," Zimberg said. "I like to think about what we need to do in the future — how do we stay being a great school system, and continue to afford being a great school system." 

Zimberg is running as a Democrat, but with a background as a certified public accountant, he also describes himself as fiscally conservative. 

"The issues confronting Williamson County are not ones where Democrats or Republicans should come into play," he said. "I think if I can get people to listen to my story, and I can refocus on issues most likely to be encountered at the county level, that D or R shouldn't really matter. It's all about solutions." 

He added that as Williamson County continues to grow, county leaders should be thinking about those ramifications from a traffic and infrastructure perspective. 

"Driving from Brentwood to downtown Nashville every day, I live the pain of commuting," he said. "Traffic should be a big focus as we continue to plan to grow our community." 

He served three years of active duty in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, then spent an additional two years in the National Guard. 

In his spare time, he teaches Hebrew at Congregation Micah and competes in triathlons. He's also a former soccer coach and Cub Scout leader. 

About the candidate

Name: Craig Zimberg

District: District 5

Political affiliation: Democrat

Occupation: Executive director of internal audit at BMI

About the election

Williamson County residents can vote for county commissioners representing their district on Aug. 2. The county primary election is May 1. The commission includes 12 districts, with two seats in each district. County commissioners review and vote on budgets for all departments of county government, set the county's property tax rate and review other resolutions related to county needs. 

Reach Elaina Sauber at esauber@tennessean.com or 615-571-1172 and on Twitter @ElainaSauber.