{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMark Ward is the incumbent mayor of Benton County, Tennessee, and is seeking re-election in the August 6, 2026 county general election, appearing on the ballot as the Republican Party nominee [1][2]. He faces independent challengers Shasta M. Arnold, Norman Frazier Jr., and Scott Phifer [1].\n\n## Background and education\nWard states he was born in Camden in June 1966 and has lived there his entire life [3].\n\n## Career\nWard describes himself as a lifelong businessman. According to his campaign biography, he owned and operated a local Amoco service station in Camden, acquired rental properties, sold the station in 1992, and later built the Colonial Inn in Camden [3]. He also previously served as Benton County's Administrator of Elections [3].\n\n## Office history\nWard was elected Benton County mayor in 2022 [4]. He serves as the county's chief financial and administrative officer and as the nonvoting chairman of the county legislative body [5].\n\n## Documented disputes and controversies\nDuring Ward's term, the county commission voted 10-6 in 2024 (Resolution No. 20240819-17) to purchase the former FirstBank building on the Camden court square for county office space [6]. The purchase was contested among commissioners; in a Facebook post, Commissioner Deborah Bain characterized the plan as \"Mayor wants the first bank on the square for him a new office ($480,000 tax payer dollars),\" and urged voters to \"remember this come election time\" [6].\n\n## Family\nWard states he has been married to his wife, Lori, for 29 years, and that she has been an educator in Benton County for 19 years [3].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Official Ballot for Benton County, August 6, 2026 - Benton County Election Commission](https://www.bentoncotnelections.com/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Mayor's Office - Benton County, TN](https://www.bentoncountytn.gov/mayors_office.html) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Mark Ward for Benton County Mayor - campaign biography](https://markwardformayor.com/mark-ward-for-benton-county-mayor/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[4] [New County Mayor, Sheriff Re-elected In Benton County - radio NWTN](https://www.radionwtn.com/2022/08/05/new-county-mayor-sheriff-re-elected-in-benton-county/) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[5] [County Mayor: Mark Ward - UT County Technical Assistance Service](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/official/mark-ward-0) - accessed 2026-07-23\n[6] [County Commissioners remain at odds over purchase of former FirstBank building - The Camden Chronicle](https://thecamdenchronicle.com/stories/county-commissioners-remain-at-odds-over-purchase-of-former-firstbank-building,49088) - accessed 2026-07-23","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","county":"Benton","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County Mayor"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Mark","fullname":"Mark Ward","lastname":"Ward","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_mayor","contest_title":"County Mayor","county":"Benton","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":"Benton","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 Benton County mayor, elected 2022, seeking re-election in 2026. Lifelong Camden businessman and former county Administrator of Elections.","terms":[],"token":"lXNPWkQuUu"}