A Smithville alderman has picked up a petition to qualify to seek the Democrat nomination for 40th District state representative in August. Gayla Hendrix will run for the seat currently occupied by incumbent Republican Terri Lynn Weaver, who will be seeking her party’s nomination in August as well. A DeKalb County native, Hendrix graduated from DCHS and earned a Bachelor's and a Master's Degree in education from MTSU, an Education Specialist degree Tennessee Tech University and a degree from the Nashville School of Law.