{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Khamai M. Rozier","chatgptsummary":"Khamai M. Rozier's biography identifies him as a Manchester resident and Democratic nominee for Coffee County Mayor, outlining campaign priorities like healthcare, public safety, and infrastructure. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary history. Bio does not indicate prior executive management experience of county departments or budget defense experience before the county commission.","notes":null,"party":"D","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nKhamai M. Rozier, a Manchester resident, is the Democratic nominee for Coffee County Mayor in the August 6, 2026 county general election, facing Republican incumbent Dennis Hunt and independent Mark Messick [2]. Rozier ran unopposed in the May 2026 Democratic primary [3]. In announcing his campaign, Rozier said Coffee County \"deserves leadership that listens and works for everyone,\" and outlined priorities including healthcare access, public safety and community trust, support for farmers, economic growth and jobs, transparency and accountability, infrastructure and connectivity, transit and workforce support, and healthcare assistance for disabled loved ones [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Rozier announces run for County Mayor \u2014 Manchester Times](https://www.manchestertimes.com/news/rozier-announces-run-for-county-mayor/article_9bcb666a-b638-4310-a893-91884f07ea32.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Coffee County Official Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026](https://coffeecountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6811/August-6-2026-Republican-Ballot) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Update: Who's Running for Political Office in Coffee County? \u2014 Thunder Radio](https://thunder1320.com/update-whos-running-for-political-office-in-coffee-county-2/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"Khamai","lastname":"Rozier","middlename":"M.","suffix":null,"token":"FNHO4uJYEV"},"token":"khamai_m_rozier"},{"candidatename":"Mark Messick","chatgptsummary":"Messick's twenty-six years as a realtor and eight years as Manchester alderman demonstrate executive management experience in zoning, public works, and finance committees. His service on city boards suggests familiarity with local government operations and intergovernmental coordination within Tennessee municipalities. The biography contains no record of disciplinary action or controversy. Bio does not indicate experience managing county-wide budgets or crisis-management skills for emergency services.","notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nMark Messick is running as an independent candidate for Coffee County Mayor in the August 6, 2026 county general election, against Republican incumbent Dennis Hunt and Democrat Khamai M. Rozier [2]. Because he is running as an independent, Messick did not appear in the primaries [1]. His stated campaign priorities include zoning reform (restoring the ability to sell land in parcels smaller than five acres), expanding water lines and fire-hydrant pressure, converting the former Riverside School into a Black History Museum, coordinating I-24 industrial-park development, and exploring consolidation of government functions with Manchester and Tullahoma [1].\n\n## Background and education\nMessick was raised on a farm in Beech Grove, where his grandparents on both sides of his family farmed [1].\n\n## Career\nMessick has worked as a Manchester realtor for 26 years [1]. Earlier in his career he raised beef cattle, operated a dairy, and worked for the Rutherford Farmers Co-op and Montgomery Farmers Co-op for a combined 15 years [1].\n\n## Office history\nMessick was elected a Manchester alderman nearly eight years ago and has served roughly six years as Vice Mayor of Manchester [1]. He has served on the city's Finance (six years), Public Works (six years), Water Board (three years), Planning and Zoning (six years), Tourism, Recreation, and Historic Zoning committees, and does not plan to seek re-election to the city board [1].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Mark Messick Announces Campaign for Coffee County Mayor \u2014 Thunder Radio](https://thunder1320.com/mark-messick-announces-campaign-for-coffee-county-mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Coffee County Official Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026](https://coffeecountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6811/August-6-2026-Republican-Ballot) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"Mark","lastname":"Messick","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"gwg6UJtEla"},"token":"mark_messick"},{"candidatename":"Dennis Hunt","chatgptsummary":"Dennis Hunt's biography shows two years of executive management as Coffee County Mayor and interim mayor, including winning a general election and a primary against a challenger. The record documents no controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience preparing county budgets or familiarity with Tennessee county-government law.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nDennis Hunt is the Republican nominee for Coffee County Mayor in the August 6, 2026 county general election, where he faces Democrat Khamai M. Rozier and independent Mark Messick [3]. Hunt is the incumbent; asked in October 2025 whether he would seek re-election, he said he \"had been running for re-election since the day he was sworn in\" [2].\n\n## Office history\nHunt served as interim Coffee County Mayor from April 2024 through the August 2024 election, completing the remaining two years of former Mayor Judd Matheny's term [2]. He received the Republican Party's nomination at a May 23, 2024 caucus, at which Sheriff Chad Partin nominated him and no other candidates were offered, and he won the August 1, 2024 election with 3,819 votes [2].\n\n## 2026 primary\nHunt won the May 2026 Republican primary, defeating challenger Cheryl Swan, to advance to the August general election [4].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Dennis Hunt \u2014 UT County Technical Assistance Service](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/official/dennis-hunt) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[2] [Coffee County Mayor Dennis Hunt to seek Re-election \u2014 Thunder Radio](https://thunder1320.com/coffee-county-mayor-dennis-hunt-to-seek-re-election/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[3] [Coffee County Official Sample Ballot, August 6, 2026](https://coffeecountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6811/August-6-2026-Republican-Ballot) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22\n[4] [Primary election settles several election bids, others carry over to August race \u2014 Manchester Times](https://www.manchestertimes.com/news/2026/05/13/primary-election-settles-several-election-bids-others-carry-over-to-august-race/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-22","firstname":"Dennis","lastname":"Hunt","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"i2W4P7JUzk"},"token":"dennis_hunt"}],"choices":null,"description":null,"district":null,"districtgroup":null,"districtgroupname":null,"districtname":null,"job_type":"county_mayor","o.office":null,"office":"county_mayor","officedescription":"The county mayor (county executive in some counties) is the county's chief executive and administrative officer. The mayor prepares the annual budget for the county commission, oversees the daily operation of county departments, and represents the county in intergovernmental dealings. It is an administrative office: the commission sets policy, the mayor runs the operation.","officequalities":"- Executive management of county government across departments such as roads, finance, planning, and emergency management.\n- Ability to prepare and defend an annual budget before the county commission.\n- Intergovernmental capacity: coordinating with the municipalities within the county, the State of Tennessee, and federal agencies.\n- Working familiarity with Tennessee county-government law, the county charter where one exists, and open-meetings and procurement rules.\n- Public-facing communication and, when needed, crisis-management skills.","officeterm":4,"officetitle":"County Mayor","partisan":1,"pgr":"general","quantity":1,"referendum":null,"source":{"retrieved_at":"2026-07-19","title":"coffee County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://www.coffeecountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6967/August-6-2026-General-Ballot"},"title":"County Mayor"}