{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nJeff Mason is the incumbent Smith County Mayor and is seeking re-election as the Republican nominee on the August 6, 2026 county general ballot [1]. He faces Independent candidate Arthur G. Shady in the general election [1].\n\n## Background and education\nMason was born and raised in Smith County, in South Carthage, the son of Jackie Mason and Brenda Gail Hawkins Mason [2]. He attended Middle Tennessee State University for one year and earned a certification in tooling and machining from Nashville Tech [2].\n\n## Career\nMason spent 18 years in tool and die manufacturing before moving into real estate sales in 2006 and later into industrial and commercial product sales [2].\n\n## Office history\nMason was first elected Smith County Mayor in August 2018 and oversees daily operations of county government [2]. He serves as Vice Chair of the Upper Cumberland Development District and of the Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency executive boards, and as Chairman of the TN Central Economic Authority Board; he graduated from TVA's Rural Leadership Program in 2020 and completed the 2019 Smith County Adult Leadership class [2].\n\n## Family\nMason lives in the Bluff Creek community with his wife, Amanda Bryan Mason, a former educator; the couple has three children [2].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Qualified Candidates for May 5, 2026 Election - Smith County Election Commission](https://smithcountyelection.com/upload_petitions/petitions.pdf) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Jeff Mason announces bid for re-election for Smith County Mayor - Smith County Insider](https://smithcountyinsider.com/home-page-featured/jeff-mason-announces-bid-for-re-election-for-smith-county-mayor/) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Smith","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"JEFF","fullname":"JEFF MASON","lastname":"MASON","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Smith","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":null,"cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Smith","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-08-06","office_county":null,"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":null,"party":"R","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"R","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Incumbent Smith County Mayor, first elected 2018; South Carthage native and former tool-and-die worker seeking re-election as the Republican nominee in 2026.","terms":[],"token":"7DDNkjCpu7"}