{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n- Shelby County Assessor of Property since 2018; re-elected August 4, 2022. Current term ends September 1, 2026. ([Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_Burgess), [UT CTAS directory](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/official/melvin-burgess))\n- Named 2021 Tennessee Assessor of the Year. ([campaign site](https://www.burgessfor901.com/about))\n- Office: 1075 Mullins Station, Memphis, TN 38134.\n\n- Candidate in the Democratic primary on May 5, 2026 \u2014 one of seven Democrats running for the open mayor's seat after incumbent Lee Harris was term-limited. General election August 6, 2026. ([Wikipedia: 2026 Shelby County mayoral election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Shelby_County,_Tennessee_mayoral_election), [Fox 13 Memphis, 7 Dems field](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/7-democrats-face-off-to-win-nomination-in-shelby-county-mayoral-race/article_6be2d526-e0df-4cb1-ad47-2bdf478e8f25.html))\n- Campaign site: [burgessfor901.com](https://www.burgessfor901.com/)\n\n- Per his campaign, his office's work contributed to a reduction of the property tax rate from $3.39 to $2.69 per $100 assessed value before FY 2026, attributed in part to the assessor's \"new growth\" discovery. ([campaign post, 2026](https://www.burgessfor901.com/post/county-mayor-candidate-talks-mata-taxes-and-development))\n- At candidate forums, has emphasized transit (\"We've got to work together to fix that transportation issue\"), blight (\"All these properties that are out there like that, give them back to the CDCs\"), and inclusive governance (\"Everybody will have a seat at the table\"). ([campaign post, 2026](https://www.burgessfor901.com/post/county-mayor-candidate-talks-mata-taxes-and-development))\n\n## Background and education\n- B.S. in Accounting, Grambling State University. Product of Memphis City Schools. ([campaign site](https://www.burgessfor901.com/about))\n\n## Career\n- Former Chief Internal Auditor, Memphis/Shelby County Schools.\n- Founded the Shelby County Commission's Audit Committee; former Shelby County Board Chairman; founder of the Shelby County Appraisal Institute. ([campaign site](https://www.burgessfor901.com/about))\n\n- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; Delta Boule Chapter of Sigma Pi Phi. ([campaign site](https://www.burgessfor901.com/about))\n\n---\n\n*Compiled from publicly available web sources on 2026-04-18. Several campaign accomplishments (backlog elimination, award recognition details) are sourced from the campaign's own site and were not independently confirmed in this pass.*\n\n## Office history\n- Shelby County Board of Commissioners, District 7, 2010\u20132018. Succeeded by Tami Sawyer. ([Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Melvin_Burgess))\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n- **2026** \u2014 [Property Assessor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=BURGESS&id=18831&f=200748&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2026** \u2014 [County Mayor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=BURGESS&id=18831&f=200751&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2025** \u2014 [Property Assessor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=BURGESS&id=18831&f=190053&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n- **2024** \u2014 [Property Assessor (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=BURGESS&id=18831&f=174178&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n\n*Source: [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm). Scraped 2026-04-25.*\n\n## Family\n- Wife Sandra; two daughters; family resides in the Evergreen Historic District of Midtown Memphis.\n- Father was Melvin Burgess, a former Memphis Police Director. ([campaign site](https://www.burgessfor901.com/about), [Fox 13 Memphis](https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/7-democrats-face-off-to-win-nomination-in-shelby-county-mayoral-race/article_6be2d526-e0df-4cb1-ad47-2bdf478e8f25.html))\n","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"primary","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[{"county":"shelby","displayname":"Burgess, Melvin","documents":[{"datesubmitted":"04/10/26","documentid":"4FABB4E2-2E98-4BBB-A20F-A8F2F108243B","documentname":"Burgess, Melvin - CFD - 1st Quarter 2026","documentnameid":["4FABB4E2-2E98-4BBB-A20F-A8F2F108243B","Burgess, Melvin - CFD - 1st Quarter 2026"],"documenttype":"2026 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/02/26","documentid":"56D423CE-1CF5-4ED3-A338-C20F7C812867","documentname":"Burgess, Melvin - CFD Year-End 2025 (SCM).pdf","documentnameid":["56D423CE-1CF5-4ED3-A338-C20F7C812867","Burgess, Melvin - CFD Year-End 2025 (SCM).pdf"],"documenttype":"2025 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/18/25","documentid":"D358D2DA-C7D4-4171-A9BF-A98141A9D6AE","documentname":"Burgess, Melvin - CFD Mid-Year 2025 (SCM).pdf","documentnameid":["D358D2DA-C7D4-4171-A9BF-A98141A9D6AE","Burgess, Melvin - CFD Mid-Year 2025 (SCM).pdf"],"documenttype":"2025 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/18/25","documentid":"2BE2752C-BFBB-4477-8FE2-0A53BF16B62B","documentname":"Burgess, Melvin - CFD Year-End 2024 (SCM).pdf","documentnameid":["2BE2752C-BFBB-4477-8FE2-0A53BF16B62B","Burgess, Melvin - CFD Year-End 2024 (SCM).pdf"],"documenttype":"2024 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"07/18/25","documentid":"0881184E-EA14-4898-BA27-DA3C625BF4E0","documentname":"Burgess, Melvin - CFD Mid-Year 2024 (SCM).pdf","documentnameid":["0881184E-EA14-4898-BA27-DA3C625BF4E0","Burgess, Melvin - CFD Mid-Year 2024 (SCM).pdf"],"documenttype":"2024 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"04/23/24","documentid":"3B919902-CAF7-44BB-8A45-C623CB9D2CE7","documentname":"Burgess, Melvin - Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf","documentnameid":["3B919902-CAF7-44BB-8A45-C623CB9D2CE7","Burgess, Melvin - Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Treasurer","electionname":null}],"filertype":"Candidate","officename":"Shelby County Mayor","source_customer_id":"EE6EBC62-7B7C-432F-869E-4DE111271E07","source_filer_id":"24050503-B395-48A7-B14C-5AEA7C2EA8FF","source_system":"easyvote","state":"TN","status":"Active"}],"firstname":"Melvin","fullname":"Melvin Burgess","lastname":"Burgess","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"Shelby","office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"}],"county":"shelby","cycles":[{"general":null,"party":"D","primary":{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"Shelby","office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","party":"D","pgr":"primary","state":"TN"},"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_mayor","office_title":"County Mayor","state":"TN","terms":[]},{"campaigns":[],"county":"shelby","cycles":[{"general":null,"party":null,"primary":null,"term":{"county":"Shelby","electiondate":"2018-08-02","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"assessor_of_property","office_title":"Assessor of Property","party":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2018-09-01"},"year":2018}],"office_key":"assessor_of_property","office_title":"Assessor of Property","state":"TN","terms":[{"county":"Shelby","electiondate":"2018-08-02","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"assessor_of_property","office_title":"Assessor of Property","party":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2018-09-01"}]}],"summary":"Melvin Burgess is currently serving as the Assessor of Property, a position he has held since September 2018. There is no information available regarding his education, work history, community involvement, or previous campaigns. Therefore, it is difficult to objectively evaluate his capabilities based on this limited information.","terms":[{"county":"shelby","electiondate":"2018-08-02","office":"assessor_of_property","state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2018-09-01","title":"Assessor of Property"}],"token":"IELQJBLYKr"}