{"biography":"Mark Anthony Snelson is a candidate for the Madison County Board of Commissioners in Madison, North Carolina, seeking election on November 3, 2026. The Madison County Board of Commissioners serves as the county\u2019s governing body, responsible for setting policy, approving budgets, and overseeing county services. \n\nAccording to a local advocacy website, Snelson has previously held the position of Madison County commissioner and is described as a close associate of Sheriff Buddy Harwood, with the two referred to as \u201cbest friends\u201d in the source\u2019s narrative [6]. The same source alleges that six full\u2011time county employees resigned after Snelson\u2019s hiring, leaving only two remaining staff members in the affected department [6]. \n\nThe source further claims that Snelson\u2019s educational background consists of a GED rather than the associate\u2019s degree required for certain county positions, and that he does not possess a National Paramedic License, which the source notes as a preferred qualification for a related role [6]. It also reports that two other applicants met the stated criteria, including a National Registered Paramedic license and extensive county experience, while Snelson did not [6]. \n\nIn matters of county contracting, the source alleges that Snelson participated in closed\u2011session discussions regarding the selection of Watauga Medics as the county\u2019s ambulance service, despite being required under North Carolina law to be recused from such decisions. The site asserts that Snelson \u201cactively manipulated illegally behind the scenes\u201d and that the county attorney did not remove him from the meeting room during the vote [6]. \n\nAdditional allegations in the source include claims that Snelson, alongside Sheriff Harwood and other commissioners, bullied county manager Michelle Boone, contributing to her resignation, and that he engaged in similar conduct toward other county employees [6]. The website frames these actions as examples of \u201cmalfeasance\u201d and \u201ccorruption\u201d threatening county safety and fiscal responsibility [6].\n\n## Sources\n- [6] [Mark Snelson & Commissioners corruption threatens Madison County safety \u2013 SaveMadisonCounty.org](https://www.savemadisoncounty.org/lock-them-up/mark-snelson-commissioners-corruption-threatens-madison-county-safety/)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","county":"madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Madison County Board Of Commissioners"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Mark","fullname":"Mark Anthony Snelson","lastname":"Snelson","middlename":"Anthony","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Madison County Board Of Commissioners","county":"madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"madison","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"madison","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"Madison County Board Of Commissioners","county":"madison","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"madison","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Mark Anthony Snelson is a 2026 Democratic candidate for Madison County Commissioner, with a local advocacy site alleging misconduct and questionable qualifications.","terms":[],"token":"014904de30a17c8d"}