← Back to Macon County, Tennessee: Election on 2026-08-06
Contest for County Mayor
general - Partisan - County Mayor
About this office
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.
Term length: 4 years.
This role calls for
- Executive management of county government across departments such as roads, finance, planning, and emergency management.
- Ability to prepare and defend an annual budget before the county commission.
- Intergovernmental capacity: coordinating with the municipalities within the county, the State of Tennessee, and federal agencies.
- Working familiarity with Tennessee county-government law, the county charter where one exists, and open-meetings and procurement rules.
- Public-facing communication and, when needed, crisis-management skills.
Derived from the office's statutory duties and operational reality. Candidate summaries below map each candidate's documented experience to these requirements.
Campaigns
Spears' biography shows current service as a paramedic and campaign statements prioritizing audits, road repairs, and intergovernmental job creation relevant to executive management and crisis response. The record contains no documented controversies or disciplinary history. Bio does not indicate experience in county budget preparation or familiarity with Tennessee county-government law.
Rickey D. "Rick" Shoulders has served as Macon County Assessor of Property since 1996, demonstrating long-term tenure within county government operations. His role involves managing property records and interacting with state agencies, yet his biography does not indicate executive management experience across multiple departments or budget defense experience before a county commission.
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