Mario Benavente

First Latino council member ever elected in Fayetteville, NC (2022, won by just six votes after recount). Born in Seoul, South Korea, to a Peruvian Army father and Korean mother; first-generation American who grew up in a trailer park and became the first in his family to graduate college. Criminal defense attorney and founder of the Fayetteville Millennial Advisory Commission. Running for Cumberland County Commissioner At-Large in 2026 after his 2025 mayoral bid did not advance past the primary.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, to a Korean mother and Peruvian father who met while his father was stationed at a U.S. Army base in Korea. Father was medically discharged from the Army and the family relocated to Fort Bragg (now Fort Liberty) in Cumberland County in 1991. Father worked for the U.S. Postal Service after military service. Mother ensured Mario maintained his Korean heritage through Sunday school and Korean school at their local church. Family experienced financial hardships early on, living in a trailer park - his mother would take him and his siblings to the mall simply for air conditioning during hot summers. First-generation American and first in his immediate family to graduate college.