David Marks: A Reformer Who Gets Results

Early voting begins on Thursday, June 14th at Honeygo Park. Voting occurs between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. until Thursday, June 21st. The traditional primary election is on Tuesday, June 26th.

I am humbly asking for your support.

If you are a Democrat, Independent, or a voter from another party, I welcome your support in the general election--but the primary is only open to Republican voters.

Republican voters in the Fifth District have a very important choice.

I have been a Republican my entire adult life. As a 19-year-old, I volunteered for Larry Hogan’s race for Congress. I chaired the Maryland College Republicans during the historic 1994 elections, and co-founded the largest Republican organization in northeastern Baltimore County. By contrast, my primary opponent is a former Democrat who voted in the Obama and O'Malley elections.

After college, I volunteered in the community for 15 years before my election to the County Council. My community experience taught me the value of working across party lines to get things done, and we've done that: eight new parks, three new schools, and community improvements from Charles Street to Harford County. My strong support for public safety has earned me the backing of the Fraternal Order of Police in every election. At the same time, I've been independent and unafraid to challenge special interests--blocking our communities from an oversaturation of Section 8, opposing bad developments, and advancing important reforms like term limits.

My opponent cannot point to a single accomplishment he has advanced in the community. He attacks me on Facebook, but skipped four of the five candidate forums where he could have debated me on the issues.

Defeating me in the primary election would embolden Democrats to win the Fifth District seat in November, hurting Republicans up and down the ballot, including Larry Hogan. And if Mr. Payne somehow won the general election, he would likely be ineffective--except on land use and zoning, where the Council traditionally defers to the district representative. My opponent is backed by the leaders of the Campaign for Liberty, a fringe organization that wants fewer controls on development.

If you are a Republican, I am humbly asking for your support--for an independent-minded reformer who strengthens our party and our community.