Mark was on the Issaquah City Council from 2009 to 2013.   Mark has been representing the Issaquah community in the State Senate since 2012.

 

​Mark made a conscious choice to raise his family in Issaquah because of its amazing natural beauty and the excellent public schools.   Mark's wife Kelley has taught in the Issaquah School District for the past 25 years, and all six of their children have attended Issaquah High School.   Mark plans to use his experience as a local small business owner (owner of Ben & Jerry's Issaquah and the Sunset Beach Cafe at Lake Sammamish State Park) to make Issaquah the best city in Washington for starting a small business.

 

Mark’s grounded by the lessons he learned growing up in middle class family in Tukwila – that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can be successful. Mark knows firsthand what it's like to struggle to make ends meet. His dad was a contractor and mom worked as the office manager for his local elementary school. 

 

During Mark's time in the Senate, he rose through the ranks to become the chair of our state construction budget, the Senate representative on the Washington State Investment Board that manages our $200 billion of state pension assets, and was awarded the Association of Washington Cities "Superhero" award for always fighting to support cities across the State of Washington.

 

Mark and Kelley have three dogs named Arthur, Boots, and Tucker.   Mark burns off the weight he gains from eating ice cream by taking the dogs on daily walks on the amazing trail network adjacent to the Issaquah Highlands.  In 2008, Mark became the first Tesla owner in the State of Washington and was the first member of the Senate or House to drive an electric car to and from Olympia during the legislative session.   Mark graduated from Foster High School in Tukwila in 1990, Indiana University in 1994, and earned a Master's in Public Affairs from the University of Washington in 2008.   Mark was the Washington State high school tennis champion in 1989 and 1990 and still plays tennis every week.