John Robert Marks III (born July 25, 1947) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida from February 2003 until November 2014. Marks is the longest-serving mayor in Tallahassee's history.[1] He was elected to three consecutive terms as the city's Mayor, spanning nearly ten years.[1] He won a third term in 2010, but declined to seek re-election for a fourth term in 2014. He was succeeded by Andrew Gillum on November 21, 2014.[2]
Quick Facts 125th Mayor of Tallahassee, Preceded by ...
John Marks |
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Marks in 2010 |
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In office February 28, 2003 – November 21, 2014 |
Preceded by | Scott Maddox |
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Succeeded by | Andrew Gillum |
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Born | John Robert Marks III (1947-07-25) July 25, 1947 (age 76) |
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Political party | Democratic |
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Spouse | Jane A. Marks |
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Children | John R. Marks IV |
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Profession | Attorney |
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Marks was Tallahassee's fifth African-American mayor but the first to be elected.
Marks served eight years on the Florida Public Service Commission[3] (FPSC) and spent the last two as its chairman, after being appointed in 1979 by Governor Bob Graham. He served on the FPSC during the divestiture of AT&T and was instrumental in the implementation of the Federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). Before being appointed, he served as an Administrative Law Judge on the Commission. He is a partner in the Tallahassee -based Marks & Marks law firm. He has been an adjunct professor at FSU's College of Law, teaching utility regulatory law and a faculty member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' [4] utility rate school.
On January 4, 2003, Marks' predecessor, then-Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox, was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party.[5] Marks announced that he would remain Mayor of Tallahassee until late February 2003, when a special mayor election would be held to choose his successor.[5]
Marks, a former state public service commissioner, entered the 2003 race for Mayor to succeed Maddox. On February 4, 2003, Marks placed first in the mayoral election with 43% against three other candidates.[6] His closest opponent, John Paul Bailey, a Republican Tallahassee City Commissioner and former police officer, placed second with 27% of the vote.[7] City Commissioner Steve Meisburg placed third with 26%, while two other candidates, Tony Davis and Richard Junnier, each received 2% of the vote.[8]
Since no candidate garnered more than 50% in the initial election, a runoff election between Marks and Republican John Paul Bailey was held on February 25, 2003.[6][7] Marks defeated Bailey by a 2-to-1 margin in the runoff.[9] Marks received 19,118 votes (67.10%), while John Paul Bailey garnered 9,374 votes (32.90%).[9][10]