Mark Buettner

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Mark Buettner

Green Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Associate

New Mexico State University, 2008

Bachelor's

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1976

Personal

Birthplace

Philadelphia, Pa.

Religion

Christian: Lutheran

Profession

Environmental specialist

Mark Buettner (Green Party) ran for election to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago in Illinois. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Buettner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Mark Buettner was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale in 1976 and an associate degree from New Mexico State University in 2008. His career experience includes working as an environmental specialist, horticulturist, and Illinois EPA wastewater treatment works operator. Buettner has been affiliated with the Water Environment Federation.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2022)

General election

General election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

Incumbent Mariyana Spyropoulos, Patricia Theresa Flynn, and Yumeka Brown defeated R. Cary Capparelli and Mark Buettner in the general election for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mariyana Spyropoulos (D)	29.6	865,103
✔	Submit photo	Patricia Theresa Flynn (D)	26.2	766,291
✔		Yumeka Brown (D)	24.3	710,037
		R. Cary Capparelli (R)	12.5	365,671
		Mark Buettner (G)	7.5	219,711

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,926,813
= 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.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Mariyana Spyropoulos	22.2	257,580
✔	Submit photo	Patricia Theresa Flynn	17.4	201,003
✔		Yumeka Brown	16.0	185,222
		Sharon Waller	12.9	149,165
		Precious Brady-Davis	10.9	126,672
	Submit photo	Frank Avila	8.6	99,815
	Submit photo	Rick Garcia	6.6	76,019
	Submit photo	Cristina Nonato	5.4	62,738
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	5

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 1,158,219
= 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.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (3 seats)

R. Cary Capparelli advanced from the Republican primary for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		R. Cary Capparelli	100.0	100,427

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 100,427
= 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

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mark Buettner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Buettner's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Homeowner 2 blocks from the Des Plaines river. Worked at the MWRD Kirie wastewater plant for 9 years. Have spent the last 14 years in the wastewater reclamation industry. Former union member.Distance runner and bike everywhere.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• These rivers are ours
• Your basements should not be flooding
• Our money is being spent poorly

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Trying to accomplish significant improvements that stakeholders can see. Pull together the multitude of river/tree planting/wilderness organizations to clean our rivers and improve stormwater handling. Look at district wide waste, and confused expenditures.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Obama, Bob Dole, people who seek consensus and get things done.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

“Something Great and Beautiful” Pellegrini, S. a film called “Everthing, Everywhere, All at Once”

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Am I doing things that will benefit the rate payers/stakeholders. Will my actions make conditions safer and pay fairly to on the line employees. Prepare for future regulations and limits.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Can talk with all kinds of people. See ways to organize for efficiency.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Stop stormwater flooding. Upgrade wastewater handling facilities.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Rivers that all neighborhoods can fish, boat, swim in. Stop flooding and combined sewer overflows. Reduce nutrient, micro plastics, PFAS wastewater plants effluent.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Tall pecan trees in my grandma’s farm

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

McDonald’s kitchen for a year at 15

What is your favorite book? Why?

Changes, always looking

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

None

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

It’s only make believe

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Color blind

Tell us your favorite joke.

None

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.

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