Update, May 15, 2018
Benton City Councilman Jerry Ponder officially announces his candidacy for Mayor of Benton. His announcement follows.
Born on April 19, 1960 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Ponder has dedicated a large portion of his life to serving others and being involved in his community.
He moved to Benton 17 years ago with his wife and six children. He has spent the last 12 years as an Alderman serving on seven different committees, attending City Council meetings, and chairing the Finance Committee for nine of those years. Ponder’s experience working for the City of Benton has given him an inside perspective on exactly how Benton has grown and what it takes to keep a city strong through that sort of growth.
You can visit jerryponder.com or follow his Facebook page @PonderMayor2018 if you would like to know more about who Jerry is, what he is going to do for you as Mayor, and how you can help him with his campaign. On his website you can shop his official campaign store, volunteer to help with campaign activities, and even donate directly to his campaign. Jerry wants to build a stronger Benton as we continue to grow and see more families want to belong here.
Original, July 22, 2017
Longtime Benton City Councilman, Jerry Ponder, tells MySaline that he’ll have a formal announcement forthcoming of his intent to run for the Mayor position to be left open. The current Mayor, David Mattingly, announced a few weeks ago that he will not seek a third term. Municipal elections will take place on November 2018. Official filings for office normally begin in August of an election year – well past the primaries, since city positions are non-partisan. Ponder’s email to local media is below.
Now that Mayor Mattingly has announced his decision not to seek a third term, there is much speculation. I would like to thank my employer, First Security Bank, for granting me the opportunity to gauge support and to run for the office of Mayor, for the City of Benton in 2018. A formal announcement will be forthcoming at a future date.