John Marek
John Marek ran for election to the Memphis City Council to represent District 5 in Tennessee. Marek lost in the general election on October 3, 2019.
Marek was a 2015 candidate for the same seat.
Biography
Born in Memphis, Marek received a B.A. in political science from the University of Memphis in 2007. He went on to earn a J.D. (2010) and an M.A. in political science (2011).[1]
Marek has worked as an attorney, community activist and campaign manager, with professional experience that includes the following:
- 2014: Deputy director, Democratic State Senate Campaign Fund (CO)
- 2014: Campaign manager, Steve Cohen for Congress 2014
- 2013-2014: Staff, Congressman Steve Cohen's District Office
- 2013: Delegate, Rossotrudnichestvo
- 2013: Grants stimulus coordinator, Memphis City Attorney's Office
- 2012: Campaign manager, Steve Cohen for Congress 2012
- 2011-2012: Associate attorney, City Attorney's Office
- 2007-2011: Member, Shelby County Democratic Party Executive Committee
- 2010: Field director, Re-elect Cohen for Congress 2010
- 2010: Extern, Memphis Area Legal Services
- 2008: Field director, Re-elect Cohen for Congress 2008
- 2005-2007: President, University of Memphis College Democrats
- 2006: Staff, Cohen for Congress 2006
- 2006: Intern, State Senator Steve Cohen[1]
Elections
2019
See also: City elections in Memphis, Tennessee (2019)
General election
General election for Memphis City Council District 5
Incumbent Worth Morgan defeated John Marek in the general election for Memphis City Council District 5 on October 3, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Worth Morgan (Nonpartisan) | 60.0 | 11,399 |
 | John Marek (Nonpartisan) | 39.9 | 7,575 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 34 | ||
| Total votes: 19,008 | |||
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2015
The city of Memphis, Tennessee, held elections for mayor and city council on October 8, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015.[2] In the District 5 race, Jimmie Franklin, John Marek, Worth Morgan, Charles Pickard, Dan Springer, Mary Wilder and Jennifer James Williams faced off in the general election on October 8, 2015. Incumbent Jim Strickland did not run for re-election.[3] A runoff between Morgan and Springer took place on November 19, 2015.[4]
| Memphis City Council, District 5, Runoff election, 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Worth Morgan |
50.9% | 3,374 |
| Dan Springer | 49.1% | 3,252 |
| Total Votes (100% of precincts reporting) | 6,626 | |
| Source: WMC Action News 5, "Election Results," accessed November 19, 2015 | ||
| Memphis City Council District 5 General Election, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Worth Morgan |
31.9% | 6,374 | |
| Dan Springer |
23.3% | 4,647 | |
| Mary Wilder | 18.6% | 3,705 | |
| John Marek | 16.9% | 3,375 | |
| Charles Pickard | 6.4% | 1,274 | |
| Jennifer James Williams | 1.6% | 316 | |
| Jimmie Franklin | 1.3% | 251 | |
| Write-in votes | 0.1% | 28 | |
| Total Votes | 19,375 | ||
| Source: Shelby County Election Commission, "Memphis Election 2015 October," accessed October 8, 2015 | |||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Marek did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
2015
Marek's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[5]
Lower Memphians' property taxes
- Excerpt: "As your councilman, I will call for a tax on parking garages, and EVERY dollar collected from this tax will go towards lowering your property taxes. Too many people drive on our streets and use our services without paying for them. This will change that."
Choose Memphis
- Excerpt: "The city of Memphis gives out a lot of contracts. When an outside business bids significantly lower than a local option can meet, we need to take advantage of the savings. However, when there’s little to no difference between estimates, we should reinvest our money back into our city by selecting a Memphis based business. I will call for a local preference when it comes to city contracts. Let’s keep our jobs and our money with our businesses."
City county consolidation
- Excerpt: "I will call for a vote to put consolidation back on the ballot in 2016. The last time this was attempted, it was estimated that this would save taxpayers $30 million dollars per year."
Crime and protecting our first responders
- Excerpt: "In the aftermath of several nationally recognized incidents, our police force is constantly under attack. We need more officers, not less, and we need to make sure they are properly compensated for risking their lives for our safety. That being said, these incidents have caused a breakdown in trust between our first responders and the public, which is why I was the first person in Memphis to call for body cameras on all police officers."
Better use of MPD spending
- Excerpt: "I will call for the reinstatement of the police service technician (PST) program, and I will call to greatly expand it. These officers cost less to train, and the program is a great way to attract new talent and give them the experience they need. … Decriminalize and deprioritize marijuana: Why are we sending our 1st responders out to arrest, jail, and prosecute people over a plant safer than alcohol, medically legal in over half of the country, and recreationally legal in four states and our nation’s capital? It costs money to do this, and we should cite and fine people instead of tarnishing their records over a substance less deadly than nutmeg. Let’s raise revenue, not lose it."
Education
- Excerpt: "While the city of Memphis no longer has a school system, there are still ways that city government can help keep our streets and students safe. I will call for all schools, which currently do not have proper walkways and traffic signs, to install them. Grahamwood, on Summer, is an example of where this needs to be done. … I will call for speed bumps in front of schools, where they do not currently exist."
Animal services
- Excerpt: "One great thing about living in Tennessee is that we have some of the best animal protection laws on the books! We have great spay and neuter legislation, a companion animal care law, a ban on the roadside sale of animals, and a law that prevents ex-felons from owning intact (non-neutered) animals. That being said, the Memphis Animal Shelter recently went through a horrific period of unforgivable animal torture and abuse. While some measures were taken to remedy the problem, they have not gone far enough to address what needs to be done."
See also
2019 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Official campaign website
- John Marek on Facebook
- John Marek on Instagram
- John Marek on Twitter
- Shelby County Election Commission - Official candidate list
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 LinkedIn, "John Marek Profile," accessed August 11, 2015
- ↑ Shelby County Election Commission, "Election Calendar 2015," accessed December 18, 2014
- ↑ Shelby County Election Commission, "Official candidate list," accessed July 27, 2015
- ↑ WREG, "City Council elections going to a runoff," October 9, 2015
- ↑ Official campaign website of John Marek, "Platform," accessed August 10, 2015
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