Mark L. Mallory

Mark L. Mallory
65th Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio
Incumbent
Assumed office  December 1, 2005
Preceded by	Charlie Luken
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 9th district
In office January 5, 1999-December 1, 2005
Preceded by	Janet C. Howard
Succeeded by	Eric Kearney
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 31st district
In office January 3, 1995-December 31, 1998
Preceded by	William L. Mallory, Sr.
Succeeded by	Catherine L. Barrett
Born	April 2, 1962 (age 48) Cincinnati, Ohio
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Politician

Mark Mallory (born April 2, 1962) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who is currently serving as the mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is Cincinnati's fourth black mayor and the first black mayor to have been directly elected.

Prior to his election in 2005, he served as assistant Minority Leader in the Ohio Senate. He won a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1994, and served in the Ohio House from 1995 to 1998, when he was elected to the Senate.

Political career

Mark Mallory served two consecutive terms in the Ohio House of Representatives from the 31st district beginning in 1994. He replaced his father, William L. Mallory Sr., who had held the seat for more that 30 years. In the 125th General Assembly, Mallory served as assistant leader of the Democratic caucus and was also elected vice-president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. In the 125th General Assembly, Mallory also served as assistant leader of the Democratic caucus. Mallory was reelected in 2002.

In November 1998, Mark Mallory was elected to represent the 9th Senate District in the Ohio General Assembly, and in 2002 was elected to his second four-year term. He was the Assistant Minority Leader for the Senate Democratic Caucus during his seven years in the General Assembly. In 2003, Senator Mallory passed a resolution in the General Assembly ratifying the 14th amendment, 135 years after it was amended to the US Constitution.

Mallory resigned his senate seat in 2005 to run for Mayor of Cincinnati. He defeated fellow Democrat David Pepper to win the election. Mallory was elected to a second term as Mayor on November 3, 2009.

As Mayor of Cincinnati

As Mayor of Cincinnati, Mallory has pushed a diverse agenda. He lists public safety, youth employment, and economic development as some of his top priorities. He is active in the U.S. Conference of Mayors and is a member of the National Conference of Black Mayors which is holding its 2010 conference in Cincinnati.

Mallory funds and encourages CIRV, the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence. The program reduced homicides in Cincinnati 16% from 2007–2009 and group-related violence declined 36% during that time.

Shop 52 and GO Cincinnati are two of Mayor Mark Mallory’s economic programs. Speaking about the importance of development he says, “One thing is certain: creating jobs, developing the skills of our workforce, bringing more people to live and invest in neighborhoods, and adding revenue to the city’s tax base benefits all 52 neighborhoods.” The planned Cincinnati Streetcar line has received support from Mallory. The Streetcar is still in planning and development phases but has received 64 million dollars in bond money from Cincinnati’s City Council, $2.6 million in local funds, Cincinnati has been awarded $15 million from Ohio Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC), $15 million from the Ohio Department of Transportation, and $4 million from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. Mallory, has been a vocal supporter of the "trolley."

Personal

Mark Mallory comes from a family with a strong tradition of public service. The Mayor’s brother William L. Mallory Jr. is a former judge, his brother Dwayne Mallory is a Municipal Court Judge, his brother Dale Mallory is the State Representative in the Ohio House District once held by the Mayor and his father, and his brother Joe Mallory is the former Vice Mayor of Forest Park. He is the son of former Ohio House of Representatives Majority Leader William L. Mallory, Sr.,.

Mark Mallory grew up in and still lives in Cincinnati’s West End area. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Administrative Management from the University of Cincinnati. Mark Mallory has received numerous awards including the 1998 Meryl Shoemaker “Legislator of the Year” award, the 1999 Correctional Education Association “Excellence in Correctional Education” award, the 2001 National Association of Social Workers “Legislator of the Year” award, the 2002 Ohio Association of Election Officials “Wolfe Award of Excellence”, the Ohio Library Council’s 2003 Andrew Carnegie Award and the Legislator of the Year Award from the Ohio Community Corrections Association.

On April 2, 2007, Mallory tried to throw an Opening Day pitch at a Cincinnati Reds game, but it flew thirty feet to the first base side of home plate, terribly missing the intended target, Eric Davis. The pitch received national media attention (including appearances on Good Morning America and Cold Pizza), and Mallory got a chance to make amends on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live, but again failed to come anywhere close to the target with his throw. He was given a "second, second-chance" and finally completed a toss to actor Kurt Russell. Mallory said that he was using the attention as an opportunity to "talk about Cincinnati's positives".

(source:wikipedia)