Marc Lavender
From Ballotpedia
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Marc Lavender ran for election to the Mesa City Council to represent District 3 in Arizona. He lost in the primary on July 30, 2024.
Lavender completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Marc Lavender was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas in 1994 and a graduate degree from the University of Arkansas in 2002. His career experience includes working as a banking professional. Lavender has been affiliated with Elks Lodge. [1]
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Mesa, Arizona (2024)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mesa City Council District 3
Incumbent Francisco Heredia won election outright against Marc Lavender in the primary for Mesa City Council District 3 on July 30, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Francisco Heredia (Nonpartisan) | 56.6 | 4,927 |
 | Marc Lavender (Nonpartisan)  | 43.0 | 3,747 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.3 | 30 | ||
| Total votes: 8,704 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Lavender in this election.
2018
General election
General election for Mesa City Council District 3
Incumbent Francisco Heredia defeated Mark Yarbrough in the general election for Mesa City Council District 3 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Francisco Heredia (Nonpartisan) | 51.5 | 8,973 |
 | Mark Yarbrough (Nonpartisan) | 48.5 | 8,455 | |
| Total votes: 17,428 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Mesa City Council District 3
Incumbent Francisco Heredia and Mark Yarbrough defeated Christopher Bown, Stephen Denison, and Marc Lavender in the primary for Mesa City Council District 3 on August 28, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Francisco Heredia (Nonpartisan) | 31.0 | 2,465 |
| ✔ | | Mark Yarbrough (Nonpartisan) | 22.6 | 1,796 |
 | Christopher Bown (Nonpartisan) | 20.8 | 1,660 | |
| Stephen Denison (Nonpartisan) | 13.8 | 1,100 | ||
| Marc Lavender (Nonpartisan) | 11.4 | 907 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 35 | ||
| Total votes: 7,963 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Marc Lavender completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lavender's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I have been a Mesa resident for over 20 years. I am a father of three, all of which grew up in Mesa Public Schools. I also have two grandchildren. I originally came to Mesa to accept a teaching job with the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT). I have a Bachelor of Business and a Masters in Education from the University of Arkansas. I've taught high school for 5 years, worked in educational sales for over 10 years and the mortgage industry for 5 years. I also have over 6 years of management experience in my background as well. I have a Insurance License, Mortgage License, and was licensed to teach high school in Arkansas and Arizona. I have also served as a Precinct Committeeman for 6 years, Precinct Captain for the Dobson Ranch Precinct, as well as a two-time State Committeeman. I have a strong background in teaching, sales, negotiating and management; four skills that I feel will serve me well as your next City Councilman. In addition, I have a strong background in public policy and politics--I have provided face-to-face advisement to many in positions of political power including two Governors, two Congressmen, as well as others who hold or have run for public office. I have also submitted legislation for consideration to the state of Arizona. I have spent a great deal of my life studying public policy and the consequences-both intended, and unintended--I feel that there is a lot of lessons that can be learned from the past success and failures of our government.
- Mesa has a spending problem. Our budget has grown by nearly 75% from 2011 to 2022 despite our population only growing by 18% over that same time frame. Mesa has over spent its general government revenues by nearly $1.2 billion from 2009 to 2023. Our municipal budget is 31% larger than Chandler and Gilbert combined costing Mesa tax payers an additional $200 million to fund. Our municipal government is top heavy and bloated. And, when government over spends you over pay--We have the highest Sales Tax in the East Valley and the 2nd highest utility rates in the valley--When it comes to taxes and fees Mesa is more expensive than Chandler, Gilbert, and Scottsdale.
- I am deeply concerned about the future plans for the City of Mesa especially with regards to the 3rd District. Agenda 2050 is a plan by which the City intends on making its citizens much more reliant on public transportation as opposed to individual automobile ownership. They are looking to put streetcars on permanent tracks down Dobson to Southern, and from Southern to Country Club, up Country Club to Rio Salado Blvd, then back over to Dobson--Making a big square, and reducing travel lanes. And along this square and within this square there are plans to build high-density housing, a lot of which will likely be Federally Subsidized. I want Mesa to remain car friendly and our neighborhoods to consist of single family residences.
- Our police force is down by over 100 patrol officers from where we should be for a city of our size and demographics; this according to FBI community policing guidelines. Our Police Department has been down by over 100 officers since I last ran for this position in 2018--It was a key point of my campaign then as it is now. Mesa's crime rate is double that of some of our East Valley neighboring cities. We have to fully staff our police force as well as enable them to actively police our neighborhoods. Our Police need a better deal! If Mesa is going to meet this recruiting goal we need to provide our police with a compensation package that is competitive and rivals other agencies as well as provide the best equipment to ensure their safety.
The areas of public policy I am very passionate about is with regard to the role and responsibility of Government. It is my strong belief that Municipal Government should for the most part be limited to providing the services and infrastructure in the most efficient and cost effective means possible. Mesa's City Charter is very well-defined; when our city acts outside that charter is when bad things happen. Mesa has a litany projects that did not work out as promised and would not have happened if the city would have stayed within its lane. The Union Office Complex at Rio Salado, the ASU Downtown Campus, the Mesa Fine Arts Center, and the Fiesta District just to name a few...Costing Mesa citizens a lot of money with marginal benefit.
The office of City Council serves as the closest elected official for many Americans. This office provides much more personalized service to our citizens than would otherwise be received at the county or state levels. As a Councilman, I would have the power to create laws through ordinances as well as enforce those ordinances through our sworn law enforcement. Offenders would be accountable to our ordinances through our municipal courts. We are in essence a miniature version of government that is very close to the citizens it serves.
Besides Jesus--I look up to my dad and my stepdad. Both of whom came from very humble beginnings to be very successful. Unfortunately, neither of them are with us anymore. They both lived life with a great deal of integrity, they both served our nation in the Airforce, and they both had to overcome a lot of obstacles to get where they got. My stepdad started one of the largest architecture firms in the southwest, while my dad was in corporate leadership having served as the Vice President of three major Building Materials companies.
The writings that I base my political philosophy on is first and foremost the Constitution of the United States of America. I believe that this the absolute best political document ever created, and it is currently the oldest serving political framework in the world. The Constitution ensures our rights, government's responsibility to us, our responsibility to our government, as well as means to redress grievances with with our government. We need to elect public officials at all levels who understand the original intent of our Constitution and who are highly motivated to follow it closely. Nothing good comes to We The People when our government deviates from the Constitution. The Federalist Papers which were written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton provide an important backdrop to the Constitution. I also subscribe to the teachings of the Bible as that serves as my personal moral compass as well as there are plenty of writings regarding the failings of empires and even the concept of the role of government and the role of taxation and that government should not get in the way of prosperity or incentivize laziness. The writings of Orwell and Rynd serve as warnings about our future and if government is not restrained. The Duty of Government by Calvin Coolidge also represents my view of what government should be in succinct terms.
Honesty, in my opinion, is the single most important principle that ANY elected official needs to posses. There are so many ways in which a Government official could take advantage of their position to enrich themselves and do so with minimal risk of getting caught. Honesty has got to be a fundamental principal that we should look for in all those running for political office. In fact if you look at the vast majority of third world countries in which their population lives in abject poverty, in those countries you will find a high level of corruption by government officials. I strongly believe that honesty is much more important than one's political philosophy. Another important characteristic a elected official needs to posses is being principled. Principled meaning living by a set of guidelines and standards and sticking to those guidelines regardless of temptation or what everyone else may be doing, peer pressure. I personally believe a lot of people enter office with the best of intentions and are fundamentally honest however they are not principled (strongly grounded in their personal philosophy) and as a result they end up straying and becoming dishonest or not acting in the best interests of their constituents, or they act outside the philosophy they espoused and which originally got them elected. These actions often create a great deal of disappointment in the electorate, and unfortunately the way our system works, it is often very hard to dislodge these people from public office.
I have a lot of passion for public policy and the proper role of government. I have the ability to connect with people from any background. I feel that I am both honest and principled. I also have a good idea of the issues that are facing my city and have a plan to solve them.
The primary responsibility to being a City Councilman is being a good steward of tax payer's money...As a municipality does not have the means to print themselves out of debt, and they are at the mercy of the citizens when it comes to borrowing additional money or raising taxes. Therefore, effective municipal leadership requires its elected officials to be good stewards of tax payer money first and foremost. Other core responsibilities revolve around providing QUALITY infrastructure and services in the most efficient and cost effective means possible. This includes making sure that Police and Fire are adequately staffed and equipped. In addition, a City Councilman has to be skilled at finding and advocating for the best possible people to serve leadership positions throughout their city; in other words we have to be really good at hiring the best people. We are also the closest representatives to government our citizens have access to. As a result we must be in touch with the needs of our citizens and we must be accessible as well as responsive. Our citizens in essence serve as our boss, and we need to make sure that they remain happy with our service.
I would like to provide a solid example as a good way to live one's life as well as leave enough cash behind to bury me.
The US Olympic Hockey team winning against the Soviets in Lake Placid, NY 1980 Winter Olympics. I was 9 at the time, and I highly recommend the Disney film Miracle.
Cleaning silk screens at a t-shirt manufacturer in Norfolk, VA; I worked it only for a summer before going to College.
The Bible, even though I have not read it completely and at times have struggled to understand it--I believe it contains an answer for just about every problem and serves as the ultimate self-improvement book out there.
Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. First off he is a Naval Aviator and Top Gun training, what a really cool job with a great accomplishment. Very handsome as well, and loved by both men and women. And, he continues to get better with age. I love both the Top Gun movies.
Rooms on Fire by Stevie Nicks
The same thing everyone else struggles with, my weight. I am like a zoo animal, if I am not conscientious about what I eat and if I don't exercise I will gain weight. I am about 15 pounds heavier than I should be for my height now.
Because municipal government is so close to the citizens it serves, it has the ability to make one's quality of life very good, or very bad. A lot of people ignore the importance of municipal government and rarely give thought to the importance of municipal elections; that many cities now or virtually unlivable. They are unlivable due to crime, blight, crumbling infrastructure, and lack of opportunity. This can all be traced back to the municipal officials that have been elected over the decades preceding. In fact one will find with a little research that all along the way there were candidates who ran that sounded the alarm bells well in advance of the disaster of today's reality. Citizens have got to pay close attention to their municipal elections. A lot of municipal politicians only use their role as a platform to start their political career and they know that what they are doing in terms of spending is not sustainable over the long term, and by then they will be long gone. I would encourage the public to scrutinize those running at the Municipal level like they do at the Presidential level as that is the only way we can reverse the trend of our declining cities in America.
I think to some extent experience in Government or politics does matter; however for the most part I don't feel it is a necessity as at the Municipal level is where a lot of politicians start their political careers.
One should have a high level of expertise in public policy and the consequences (both positive and unintended) of how such policies impact the public. A lot of this can be determined through the experiences of other municipalities when they enacted such policies. Whether it be dealing with the homeless, rent control, economic development, or gentrification...There are policies that have worked and many that have failed to achieve their intended objectives. The ability to educate, persuade, and negotiate are also important for one serving in my position, especially when it comes to getting buy-in from other members of the Council and the Mayor. A connection and understanding of the needs of the citizens we serve is also important, which requires a Councilman to have the ability to connect with people of all backgrounds as well as practice active listening to their concerns. Government can often become disconnected from its citizens which often leads to people's distrust and apathy towards public servents.
An old Baptist Minister passes away and he finds himself standing in line to get into Heaven. In front of him is a guy wearing a flashy outfit, sunglasses and reeks of alcohol and cigarettes. They eventually make their way up the the front, the man in front of him introduces himself as Tony Carella. To which St. Peter replies "Oh yes, Tony Carella we were expecting you. A long time New York City cab driver...Take your GOLD staff and SILK robe and enter the Kingdom of Heaven". The Baptist Minister feeling a sense of relief introduces himself "Hi, I'm Avery Johnston a pastor of 43 years at Mt Zion Baptist Church in Needville, GA" to which St Peter replied "Welcome Sir take your WOOD staff and your COTTON robe and enter the Kingdom of Heaven." To which the minister questioned "Why did you give the NYC cab driver a gold staff and silk robe while I a faithful servant only get a wood staff and a cotton robe". To which Saint Peter replied "Up here it's all based upon results...See when you preached people slept, but when he drove people prayed!"
The government should absolutely be completely transparent regarding it's finances. Financial documents should be readily accessible by everyone as should all know what our tax dollars are being spent on. I would even take that a step further and state that some type of online government sponsored training should be available to teach the general public how to read these financial documents and understand their purpose and meaning. In my opinion with the City of Mesa, I am advocating that any capital expenditure outside of infrastructure that exceeds $5 million needs voter approval in order to get funded.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Mesa City Council District 3 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 30, 2024
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