{"campaigns":[{"candidatename":"Mike Creasy","chatgptsummary":"Mike Creasy's biography shows over a decade of executive management in Decatur County, including budget defense through landfill litigation and coordination with state agencies for emergency services. The record notes no controversies or disciplinary actions. Bio does not indicate experience with federal grant administration or detailed procurement rule implementation.","notes":null,"party":"R","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nMike Creasy is the incumbent mayor of Decatur County, Tennessee, and is seeking a fourth term in the August 6, 2026 county general election [1][2]. He announced his re-election bid at the Decatur County Republican Party meeting on December 9, 2025 [1]. Creasy has said his priorities for a fourth term are completing ongoing county projects, including courthouse renovations, improvements at Beech Bend Park, expanding the AgPlex at the fairgrounds, upgrading the industrial park to attract new jobs, and civic center development [1]. He has framed his approach as making decisions \"based on what is best for the county as a whole\" [1].\n\n## Office history\n\nCreasy has served as Decatur County mayor since 2014 and is completing his third four-year term [1][3].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nCreasy identifies his greatest achievement as \"keeping Decatur County grounded and fighting for who we are as a community\" [1]. Among the accomplishments he cites are winning a landfill lawsuit that he says could have cost the county tens of millions of dollars, reducing the county's liability exposure, strengthening industrial and tourism investment, and improving emergency services and recreation facilities [1].\n\n## Sources\n\n[1] [Mayor Creasy seeks fourth term; outlines his vision for the future](https://www.readtheleader.com/news/mayor-creasy-seeks-fourth-term-outlines-his-vision-for-the-future/article_9c983161-1b9f-434e-bcea-e67c3aa17da0.html) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[2] [Mike Creasy, Decatur County Mayor (official county page)](https://decaturcountytn.gov/mayor/) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23\n[3] [Decatur County officials directory, UT County Technical Assistance Service](https://www.ctas.tennessee.edu/county/decatur) \u2014 accessed 2026-07-23","firstname":"Mike","lastname":"Creasy","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"bRx5WXafMq"},"token":"mike_creasy"},{"candidatename":"Dennis McKenzie","chatgptsummary":null,"notes":null,"party":"I","person":{"biography":null,"firstname":"Dennis","lastname":"McKenzie","middlename":null,"suffix":null,"token":"Zy1n1KvRcg"},"token":"dennis_mckenzie"}],"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":"2026-07-22","title":"Decatur County, TN \u2014 August 6, 2026 Sample Ballot","url":"https://tnsos.org/elections/ballots/744.pdf"},"title":"County Mayor"}