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Mark Parker
2024 - Present
2028
0
Mark Parker (Democratic Party) is a member of the Baltimore City Council in Maryland, representing District 1. He assumed office on December 5, 2024. His current term ends on December 7, 2028.
Parker (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Baltimore City Council to represent District 1 in Maryland. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Education
- St. Paul's School
- University of Maryland - College Park, bachelor's degree in history and government & politics
- Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, master of divinity
Career
- Pastor, Breath of God Lutheran Church, Baltimore
- Hospital chaplain at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical Center
- Head Instructor, Downtown Sailing Center, Baltimore
- Mayoral Fellow, Baltimore, Department of Housing & Community Development
Elections
2024
See also: City elections in Baltimore, Maryland (2024)
General election
General election for Baltimore City Council District 1
Mark Parker won election in the general election for Baltimore City Council District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mark Parker (D) | 97.9 | 14,113 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.1 | 296 | ||
| Total votes: 14,409 | |||
 = 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 Baltimore City Council District 1
Mark Parker defeated Liam F. Davis and Joseph Raymond Koehler in the Democratic primary for Baltimore City Council District 1 on May 14, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mark Parker | 52.6 | 2,780 |
 | Liam F. Davis | 35.7 | 1,888 | |
 | Joseph Raymond Koehler | 11.7 | 619 | |
| Total votes: 5,287 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Parker in this election.
2016
| Baltimore City Council Election (2016), District 1, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Zeke Cohen |
27.34% | 2,196 | |
| Democratic | Scott Goldman | 20.68% | 1,661 | |
| Democratic | Mark Edelson | 17.27% | 1,387 | |
| Democratic | Mark Parker | 16.96% | 1,362 | |
| Democratic | Ed Marcinko | 10.33% | 830 | |
| Democratic | Sean Flanagan | 7.43% | 597 | |
| Total Votes | 8,033 | |||
| Source: Maryland State Board of Elections, "Official 2016 Presidential Primary Election results for Baltimore City," May 31, 2016 | ||||
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mark Parker did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Parker participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display his responses to the survey questions. When asked what his top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | We have some really strong schools in Southeast Baltimore, but that success is achieved despite 1) inadequate funding and un-accountable financial management; 2) overcrowded schools; 3) inadequate buildings; 4) a lack of emphasis on community and parental engagement. Improvements to some of those areas are underway--I'll be a vocal leader in making progress on these.[2][3] | ” |
When asked what he would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | That young people growing up in our city would have equality of opportunity for their educational, economic, health, and personal future.[2][3] | ” |
When asked what he is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | The commitment, creativity, and resiliency of our people. We have plenty of challenges in Baltimore, highlighted this past year by Freddie Gray's death in police custody, the unrest and widespread criminal activity that followed, and the most violent year in our city's history. And yet for most of us in Baltimore the events of the past year have only strengthened our resolve and commitment to care for our neighborhoods and address some of the systemic failures laid bare by the violence of the past year.[2][3] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| K-12 education | |
| Transportation | |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| Government transparency | |
| Unemployment | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Housing | |
| Civil rights | |
| Environment | |
| Homelessness | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| Local | |
| Actually addressing the root causes that drive violent and property crime: economic inequality, addiction, failing schools, and the profit motive in drug trafficking. That last part means to legalize and heavily regulate controlled substances. | |
| There should be a stronger emphasis on support for entrepreneurs and neighborhood commercial districts, and less of an emphasis on public support for new construction along the waterfront to the benefit of established multinational corporations. Lower corporate and residential property taxes would greatly help. And a $15 a hour minimum wage would give struggling people and families a real opportunity to provide for themselves and get ahead. |
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Baltimore City Council District 1 |
Officeholder Baltimore City Council District 1 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ State of Maryland Board of Elections, "Baltimore City 2016 Presidential Primary Election Local Candidates List," accessed February 4, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Mark Parker's Responses," February 22, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Zeke Cohen (D) |
Baltimore City Council District 1 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||||||||
