Committee to Elect Ben Dean Chancery Judge

09/03/2022

I want to again thank the voters of Montgomery and Robertson County for your support and vote in August. I was sworn in yesterday by Appeals Court Judge Jill Ayers and held my first day of Court in Montgomery County today as the Chancellor for the 19th Judicial District. For those of you who know me, and I call a friend, please just keep calling me Ben! I am humbled to serve these two great counties and intend to treat people with patience, dignity, respect and humility, just as I have promised during my campaign.

In my first day as a judge, I have come to fully realize and appreciate that the difference in a lawyer and a judge is a lawyer advocates and asks for what is just and right for his client, while a judge has the power to actually decide and decree what he or she believes is just and right based on the facts and law. May I be guided by the Lord and be blessed to have good judgment and wisdom in making my decisions and rulings.

I am now in the process of closing my law practice, as you can’t be a full time judge and a lawyer at the same time. As I make this transition, I want to thank all my clients and friends who have entrusted me with thier legal matters over the last 18 years and also all of my employees(present and former) who have helped me be a servant to my community in my capacity as an attorney. While many other lawyers have made much more money than me, I can say with some certainly, none have had the rewarding satisfaction of helping so many people that I have had during my 18 years as an attorney.

Thank you to everyone who made this possible through your prayers, support and hard work.

08/07/2022

SWEARING IN CEREMONIES- I have been informed by the Presiding Judge Kathryn Olita that I will be sworn in as Chancellor of the 19th Judicial District on September 1, 2022 in Montgomery County at 8:30 a.m. at the Court Complex and in Robertson County at 10:30 a.m at the historic Courthouse on the square. I want to invite all my family, friends and supporters to attend. I look forward to seeing you all there and hope you can attend one of the ceremonies.

Thank you again to those who supported me and worked so hard to make this possible. For those of you who didn’t support me during the election, fear not, as all political differences will be cast aside. I will hold no ill will or vindictive motive against any person and look forward to working in a spirit of cooperation for people of these two great counties and making needed changes in the Chancery Court.

SOME PRAISE FOR MY OPPONENT-

While we have spent the campaign season tearing each other down and apart to a certain extent, I want to take the oppurtunity to give my opponent Chancellor Larry McMillan some praise. Chancellor McMillan has served these counties with distinction for over 18 years and I have learned much practicing in his Court during my 18 year legal career. Although there are many things I intend to do differently and change in this Court, I intend to carry on many of the positive aspects of his judgeship and courtroom. He is one of the few judges in my career who seemed to have always read what we filed before Court started. He favored allowing cases to proceed on thier merits to trial, as opposed to summary dismissal of cases. He did not favor insurance companies or corporations over people. Chancellor McMillan has undoubtedly been one of the most intelligent jurist in this district and has demonstrated an ability to distill complicated facts and legal issues down to very simple decisions and orders. Although he did not concede or congratulate me, I want to wish Chancellor Larry McMillan the best in his future endeavors and to let him know he and his family are in mine and my family’s prayers.

This should be the last posting on this Facebook account unless we hold a celebration event in the coming weeks/months. Thank you to all who have followed, liked and shared!

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08/05/2022

THANK YOU! Well the race is over and the voters have spoken. My opponent’s slogan “experience matters” was from the very beginning directed as an insult to me. On August 4th the voters responded and sent a message loud and clear by an overwhelming margin of victory (61%/38%) that “CHARACTER MATTERS” and it matters how you treat people. I intend to keep my commitment to treat people with decency and respect, and to work hard.

Let praise be to God! I am humbled by the outpouring of support and thankful for the many who made this possible through hard work and prayers. After giving thanks to God, I have to give thanks and praise to my wife of 17 years, Diana Arrington, who has worked so hard and sacrificed so much to make this possible. Next, I want to thank my dear friend Scott Comperry, his Wife Lee Ann and their 14 year old son Matt Comperry, who have tirelessly worked since the spring. Scott and I have put up over 330 large signs in the two counties and this presence no doubt sowed the seed for this landslide victory.

Thank you also to Conner Noe, Jamie Peltz, Josh Peltz and their team that helped manage my campaign. Also, thank you to CPA Eric Jones of Springfield for serving as my Treasurer. Many other family and friends helped with this effort(Patty and Bill Moore, Janice Frye, Kelli and Jerry Bush, Karen Smith and many others). This would not have been possible without all their hard work and support.

I look forward to serving the people of Montgomery and Robertson Counties with the dignity, respect and humility they deserve.

08/04/2022

Perhaps this is a beautiful sign from up above of what God has in store for us tonight after all the votes are tallied. The polls close at 7:00 pm. The rains have largely passed through Montgomery County and are on the way to Robertson County. Please get out and vote before the polls close!

UPDATE: We Won! Thank you for your votes! Someone pointed out if you look closely there are three crosses at the end of the rainbow. God is with us!

07/31/2022

EARLY VOTING IS CLOSED!

Early Voting ended with a total of 9,139 votes being cast in Montgomery County and 3,918 in Robertson County. We can roughly expect about this same number of people (about 13,000) to vote on August 4th or 26,000 total votes to be cast in the two counties. In the end, this race is about the numbers and the first to get above 13,000 votes in this two way race will be the likely winner. This appears to be a low turn out election in both counties and despite the huge population increases in both counties the turn out is about 25% less than it was 8 years ago when over 33,000 votes were cast in the two counties.

THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!!

I want to thank my Wife Diana the most. She worked Early Voting every day in Montgomery County for two plus weeks 6 days a week. I also want to thank all the other friends, family and volunteers who helped give us one of the strongest presences at Early Voting in both counties: Patty and Bill Moore, Kelli and Jerry Bush, Karen Smith and family, Scott and Leanne Comperry and thier son Matthew Comperry, Margaret Dufresne and family, Brian Elam, Brooke Rawls, Pierce Rawls, Owen Rawls, Kyle Cadwell, Jon Dean, Sally Dean and the Red River Republican Women (Rebecca Britt, Jasmine Chambers and Corinthia Elder). The support for my candidacy in both counties has been overwhelming and has humbled me and my wife. We have without a doubt had the strongest presence in all the two county races. I have been most suprised by my opponent’s complete failure to even show up at early voting in either county and the fact that not a single person or supporter of his campaign ever even came to early voting to support his candidacy by holding a sign or waiving at early voting.

THE OTHER CANDIDATES-

I want to thank all the other hard working candidates and thier supporters who participated in Eary Voting. Win or lose, we developed many dozens of new friendships and acquaintances all across the political spectrum, evidencing that in reality, good people come before politics and political parties. Candidates who never showed their faces at eary voting demonstrate they really don’t care about working hard to get your vote. The same goes with political signs. If a candidate doesn’t have up any signs across large swaths of the counties it is a sign they really don’t care and aren’t trying, they have given up, or they are so arrogant they don’t think they need to work hard to win. My opponent doesn’t have a single sign across the eastern half of Robertson County(White House, Orlinda, or Cross Plains) which holds near one half of the votes in Robertson County and the same for Eastern Montgomery County(Rossview and north to Guthrie). The reason isn’t because of lack of money and resources he has, it is because he simply doesn’t care or have support in these areas. One can only imagine the level of care that will be given by a Chancellor to these communities when the Court is confronted with important community matters and litigation that concerns these communities. The difference between me and my opponent is showing clearer and clearer as Election Day approaches, and it is just two words: “I care!” No one is entitled to any political office and it is the community (the people and voters) to whom the office belongs and from which it must be earned and retained.

Thank you to all those voters whose vote I have already earned and been cast. Please tell your friends and family to support my candidacy and cast thier vote on August 4th. To those who have not yet voted, Election Day is next Thursday, and I would appreciate your vote at the polls.

07/30/2022

LAST DAY OF EARLY VOTING IS TOMORROW!
MoCo 8am-4pm @ Veterans Plaza
RobCo 8am-12 noon @ County Building
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07/24/2022

EARLY VOTING AT VETERANS PLAZA-

We put together this short video of early voting at Veterans Plaza in Clarksville. The best part of sweating it out at early voting is getting to know all the other candidates. I have enjoyed meeting all the different people in Montgomery County politics to include candidates, thier family and supporters. My wife and I have made many new friends this year at Early Voting. Democrats, Republicans and Independents, it doesn’t matter, I try to engage and meet all the other candidates and thier supporters. Except for a few bumps along the way, we all are getting along great and having a good time. Although we may not %100 agree about what and where we want our community to be in the future or how to get there, in our hearts, most all of us want what is best for the community. Candidates who take the time out of their day and work-life to participate in Early Voting demonstrate the hard work they will put in for the citizens and that they want your vote.

Early voting ends Saturday July 30th 8am to 4pm in MoCo and 8-12pm in RobCo.

Please note this video is not an endorsement of any candidate.

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Early Voting at Veterans Plaza Clarksville, Montgomery County, TN July 23, 2022. This video is not an endorsement of any candidate.

07/22/2022

Today I am thankful! It is overwhelming the dozens of supporters who have shown up and braved the heat in Springfield and Clarksville every day of early voting. There has been a lot of hard work by alot of friends, families and supporters. I am humbled by all thier support and help. I want to thank everyone who has donated their time because they want real change in the Chancellor’s office and because they believe in me.

Early voting takes place Saturday 8 - 12 in Springfield and Clarksville. Please get out and vote!

07/21/2022

My MoCo Roots: A very nice woman at early voting asked me since I was from Springfield how do I know anything about Montgomery County and Clarksville. I explained to her what connections I had to Montgomery County and why I love and care about Montgomery County. This has inspired me to share with you my family roots and personal connections to Montgomery County.

MY ROOTS:

My mother’s side of my family (the Biggar family) are all from the Rossview/Port Royal community. My grandparents Bill and Mabel Biggar each retired from BF Goodrich/Vulcan and were cattle and to***co farmers. “Granny M” as we called her was a regular at Moss’s Cafe and even had a coffee cup with her name on it. I remember when she retired and got her gold watch that she worked 53 years, 3 months and 3 days at BF Goodrich/Vulcan.

The Biggar family farm on Red River off Rossview Rd/Hayes Lane (less than a mile past the McCraw’s Strawberry Ranch and near the two new schools) is where my Mother lives and it is still intact and in the family since the 1840s. The original home place was originally built in the 1830s and moved on logs to the present site. The house got stuck on a stump when they were moving it and they were going to use a crosscut saw to remove the stump and locate it closer to the Red River, but they never did and the house is still there where it got stuck on that stump. My grandparents primitive homeplace over looking the Red River is likely one of the oldest standing homes in Montgomery County. I remember being a child seeing the old homeplace, grass almost never mowed, and chickens and guinea flying about the yard, animals eating out of the dishes and pans. Having grown up in town with all the conveniences of city life, as a child I thought my Clarksville grandparents must have been poverty stricken based on their simple country life and primitive home. Rather than living big, they poured thier life into thier farm which they grew from 140 acres to over 360 acres at thier death. My family tree on the Montgomery County side of my family includes the last names Biggar, Hallums, Redding, Killebrew, Harned, and Brawner.

MY PRESENT FAMILY CONNECTIONS

My mother, Sally Dean, works at Neal Tarpley as an embalmer/funeral director, and my brother Jon Dean and his Wife Amanda live in Sango with thier two children, Nora and Lydia. Amanda works at F&M Bank in downtown Clarksville in the mortgage lending department.

I graduated with honors from Austin Peay State University with a History Degree.(Thank you Drs. Browder, Gildrie, Pesely, Winn, Butts, Kanervo and Warren!)

I got my first job as a lawyer in Clarksville at the Batson Nolan law firm and worked there as a litigation attorney for 6 years in their Clarksville office. I learned to be a lawyer in Montgomery County Courts. I was sworn in by the Circuit Court Clerk Cheryl Castle in 2005 and am in my 18th year practicing law.

I lived in Clarksville for the first year I practiced law. My go to lunch spot was Franks.(Frank was a character!) I am at least the 6th generation of my family to have lived and worked in Montgomery County.

I proposed to my wife of 17 years, Diana Arrington (of Cedar Hill), at the overlook of the Cumberland River above Riverside Drive (it is now developed with townhouses).

I know and care about Clarksville and Montgomery County! It is near and dear to my heart. I am like many people who move to Clarksville/Montgomery County or have lived there. I wasn’t born there, but I consider it my home.

Please share this with your Montgomery County friends and voters. I am running for the position of Chancellor because I want to help more people and because I actually care. We need an honest judge who will work hard and treat people with humility, kindness and respect. I am that candidate.

I would appreciate your vote, support and influence in the ongoing election. Early voting goes late to 7:00 pm tomorrow Thursday the 21st of July in Montgomery County at Veterans Plaza and to 4:30 p.m. in Springfield at the County Building. Please get out and vote before it is too late.

07/20/2022

It’s time to get the Chancery Court back on track!

The wait time to get a case heard in the Chancery Court for Montgomery County is now in excess of 6 months, and not four months as my opponent falsly claimed at a recent debate. This is due to the few actual days the current Chancellor is actually conducting Court and the short time that court is actually occurring on the limited number of days of court in Montgomery County.

I have attached the current Chancellor’s Calendar which I recently obtained. As you will see, he is only holding court in Montgomery County a very small number of days:
6 days in August
7 days in September
6 days in October
9 days in November
7 days in December

He has the following number of days designated as “office/opinion/to be set by Chancellor” days:

11 days in August
9 days in September
5 days in October (with 4 more days off for Judicial Conference)
5 days in November (plus three holidays off)
7 days in December (plus three holidays off)

The Current Chancellor’s calendar is also full of Robertson County Court days, most of which end court by 10:00 am. Many of the Robertson County trial dates simply do not have matters set on them, due to lack of caseload in Robertson County.

Given that many of these days court is concluded in just a few hours, the actual amount of time the Chancellor is actually hearing cases and having court in session is likly not more than two full 8 hour days or 16 hours a week.

My opponent is looking for excuses for why he isn’t working hard and holding enough Court, while I am looking for solutions to help our district and counties. Here are my proposed solutions:

(1) Robertson County needs it’s motion and trial dockets combined and heard on the same day. This will free up 2-3 days a month that can be devoted to resolving the back log of cases in Montgomery County rather than the Court ending at 10 AM and not getting in a full day of Court.

(2) Montgomery County needs more than 2-3 days of trial/hearing dates a month. This is simply not enough to get through the cases being set for trials and final hearings.

(3) Conduct Virtual/Zoom motions dockets on at least 1-2 days a month and have a 9:00 am and 1:00 am dockets so that full days are utilized.

The current chancellor’s failure to hold court enough days and enough time on the limited number of court days, are the only reasons there is a backlog of cases waiting to be tried in Chancery Court. Getting 7-11 days off the bench (not to mention the time Court ends early on most court days) is an excessive amount of time off the bench.

As I said previously, you don’t get paid for working less than half the time and neither should a judge. My opponent is saying he is “reapplying for the job.” I would ask any voter if you had an employee under a one year contract and the employee was not working but a 1/3 to 1/2 of the time and was severely behind in his work, would you renew the contract? I would think not. What if it was a contract with an 8 year term like this office?

If I am elected, I will treat this job like the full time job that it is and unlike my opponent, I will work hard to serve the people of Montgomery and Robertson County and work efficiently to resolve the backlog of cases.

I would appreciate consideration of your vote, support and influence in the upcoming August 4th general election. Early voting is underway through July 30th.



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07/18/2022

Thank you TNGOP!

Committee to Elect Ben Dean Chancery Judge

07/16/2022

Day two of early voting has closed out with good numbers coming from both counties. Thank you to everyone who showed up to help and support the cause during early voting in MoCo and RobCo! We had the Biggar, Rawls, Bush, Comperry, Cadwell, Dean, Elam, Dufresne, Doss and Moore families helping us out yesterday and today.

We finished the afternoon at Shiloh Barbecue in Palmyra southwest MoCo. Thank you Amanda Paugh for the great old fashion southern hickory smoked barbecue, brisket, chicken and most of all the banana pudding. Shiloh Barbecue is definitely worth the drive!

Early voting goes for two more weeks and ends on Saturday July 30th. If anyone wants to help us work early voting for a half day or a whole day please message me and we will get you a shirt and put you to work.