Mark Fleming at his home in Coronado. Staff photo by Madeline Yang.

Editor’s note: The Coronado News has invited all city council and mayoral candidates to submit a first-person article about their background, civic involvement and reason for running for office. We intend to run articles in the order they are received. 

We are all fortunate enough to live in a little slice of paradise and we owe it  to each other and to the next generation to preserve and protect it. It  seems that there are fewer and fewer locations in our great country where  we can feel the sense of community, patriotism and safety that we all enjoy  here in Coronado.

This is part of what Coronado means to my wife Rhonda  and I and this is why I joined the race for Coronado City Council. In short, I  am running for Coronado City Council because we need proven leadership  on our City Council that has the experience to tackle our current challenges,  while positioning Coronado for the future.  

While Coronado is undoubtedly a great place to live, we have our fair share  of challenges. Certainly, on top of the list is the ongoing cross-border sewage  crisis that is polluting our ocean waters, closing our beaches, and  contaminating the air that we breathe. It threatens our health, the vitality  of our local businesses, our property values and our way of life.

Thanks, in  part, to leadership on our current City Council, we now have the attention of  Mexico and Washington, D.C. Contracts have been awarded and work has  begun on fixing the wastewater infrastructure on both sides of the border. This is good news, but it is crucial that as we elect a new mayor and two  new council members, we select people who can deliver results for our  community. 

The cross-border sewage crisis is not the only issue for our City Council to  deal with. We still have a city to run, and we need city leaders with the  background and experience to deal with this crisis while maintaining focus  on managing the needs of our community. Our elected leaders should  demonstrate good judgment, common sense and the ability to build  consensus amongst others.

We have some unique challenges compared to  most other cities of our size, which includes interacting, coordinating and  negotiating with the Navy, SANDAG, California Coastal Commission, Caltrans  and other regional agencies that impact our lives. It is imperative that we  elect individuals to our City Council who can and will dedicate the time  necessary to represent our community and that have the proven background  and experience to achieve favorable outcomes for our citizens. 

I am a proven business leader with a strong background in business  management, which will serve me well in representing the community on the  Coronado City Council. Prior to Rhonda and I moving to Coronado, I owned  and operated two businesses with over 800 employees. One of the  businesses was a large commercial electrical contracting company and the  other was a technology and innovation company providing services to the  construction industry. It took leadership and vision to grow the companies  and position them to become industry leaders. It was an honor and a 

privilege to lead a team of talented professionals and create hundreds of  jobs. One of my greatest pleasures was watching our employees grow in  their careers and they and their family’s flourish. 

The success and eventual sale of the businesses to company employees has  allowed me to focus on greater community involvement, including the Rotary  Club of Coronado and now seeking to serve on the Coronado City Council.  Because of this, I can dedicate myself to serving the needs of our special  community, without needing to balance my time with a career. 

I have always been a firm believer that the best decisions come from  collaboration and getting input from the other stakeholders. This is how I  managed my companies, and this is how I will conduct myself as your  representative on the City Council. Your opinions matter to me and I will seek input from our fellow citizens before forming my decisions on matters  that come before the City Council. 

I humbly ask for your support in my campaign for Coronado City Council.

Mark Fleming is running for a seat in City Council in the Nov. 5 elections. Andrew Gade, Christine Mott, Amy Steward, Mark Warner and Laura Wilkinson Sinton are also running.

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