Mary Benton appointed press secretary
Mayor Sylvester Turner accepts resignation of Press Secretary Darian Ward and appoints former KPRC 2 reporter Mary Benton as interim successor
After recent reports concerning Mayor Sylvester Turner's press secretary Darian Ward, the mayor has announced her resignation and the appointment of a long-time former Houston TV news reporter:
Mayor Sylvester Turner accepted the immediate resignation of Press Secretary Darian Ward today and appointed Mary Benton to serve as interim press secretary.
“Darian Ward served the city as a key communicator for many years and has our thanks for working in public service,” the mayor said. “I hope she is successful in her next endeavors.”
After working as a news reporter for KPRC (Channel 2) for 20 years, Mary Benton has served the public since 2014 as a communications director, manager and aide at Harris County government agencies. She is experienced in media relations, community outreach, crisis management, intergovernmental relations and strategic media engagements.
“The addition of Mary Benton to our team brings even more experience and expertise to our work of keeping Houstonians informed about their government’s many actions on their behalf, such as reducing flooding, restoring the city’s financial health, leveraging our status as a welcoming community that is the nation’s most diverse, and much, much more,” the mayor said.
