PLATFORM & MISSION
Proactive Leadership. Open Government. Better Outcomes.
- RESOLVE OUTSTANDING ISSUES: Mendham Borough needs to find a resolution to the 5-story development behind King’s that is acceptable to the community, doesn’t violate environmental regulations, and can be settled without expensive court battles.
- RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT: Mendham Borough residents should have opportunities for input before major decisions are made. We plan to make MendhamNJ.org “information central,” alerting the community to resolutions coming before the Council and posting recordings of all Council meetings. Weekly office hours will be standard so residents can air concerns and share suggestions for a better Mendham.
- PROACTIVE PLANNING: Mendham Borough needs to stop kicking the can down the road on New Jersey’s court-ordered affordable housing mandates and create a master plan to satisfy present and upcoming requirements in a way that enhances our community.
Mark's Background
Mark Washburne’s background in business, academia, and civic affairs equips him well to serve as mayor of Mendham Borough. He has lived in Mendham Borough since 2004 and Morris County since 1969. Washburne, along with his wife Diane, live in the Mendham Commons. He has also taught at the County College of Morris for over 30 years, where he worked his way up from an Adjunct Professor to the highest teaching level at the college as a full Professor of History and Political Science.
In 1974, Mark Washburne graduated from Bayley-Ellard High School in nearby Madison. Washburne next attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he graduated in 1978 with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and in 1979 with Master's Degree in the same subject. In 1986, Washburne also completed an M. B. A. in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison. Mark Washburne is also an author and has written a seven-volume biography of Illinois Civil War Congressman, Secretary of State under President Grant, and Minister to France during the Franco-Prussian War, Elihu Benjamin Washburne, a distant cousin.
In 1979, after completing his first Master's Degree, Mark Washburne moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to work for a construction company involved with building a new international airport in that city. From Saudi Arabia, Washburne returned to the United States and held various positions in Marketing and as a Stock Broker for the next decade before going into teaching in 1992.
Mark's Vision for Mendham Borough
Mark Washburne next hopes to use his vast teaching, business, and civic experience serving the people of Mendham Borough as its next Mayor. While the special mayoral election is only for a year to fulfill the remaining time of office for the resigning mayor, Washburne hopes to use the year working on a better community solution to the housing crisis created by the failure of our current elected officials to plan for and address court mandates concerning affordable housing that all the towns in New Jersey are facing. The result is we now have a new 5-story development proposed behind the King’s Shopping Center that has limited support in the community. Instead of spending precious Borough tax dollars on endless lawsuits against environmental groups and the state, Washburne would like to attack the issue of growth, that includes affordable housing units, head on by developing a master plan for the Borough that addresses the problem now and in the future.
Mark Washburne would also like to address in his year in office some quality of life issues, including encouraging private companies to build public electric vehicle chargers. Presently, there are no public chargers in Mendham Borough or in Mendham Township. As many people already have electric vehicles and more are likely to purchase them in the future, it is better that the Borough address this issue now before it becomes a crisis for those who live, work, and pass through our community.
As another quality of life issue, Mark Washburne would like to encourage the Borough to keep the bathrooms open in the parks. This summer his running group met in Borough Park on a Sunday morning. There were also two men’s softball games in progress, yet the bathrooms were locked and closed. In the Mountain Valley Park (Mud Hole), all they have is one port-a-john for all the people who use that area. It should go without saying but bathrooms should be open and clean in our parks and a Mayor Washburne would see that it happened.
Mark's Involvement in the Community
Given his involvement in running, Mark Washburne is already a familiar face to many as he can be seen running the streets of Mendham throughout the year. He is the founder of the Do Run Running Club and has completed forty-six marathons, including twenty consecutive Boston Marathons from 2005-2024. Washburne was also the Race Director for the Run for the Roses 10K Race in Denville, New Jersey from 1991 to 2002. The race was a fundraiser for the Dope Open, which was established by Mary Mulholland in 1968 to fight drug and alcohol abuse in northern New Jersey.
Mark Washburne also has a running streak. He has run every day, without missing a day, at least three miles a day, since December 31, 1989 – over 35 ½ years. In 2011, he was chosen to be the President of the United States Running Streak Association (USRSA), an organization that keeps track of other streak runners in the USA. In 2012, he used his new position at USRSA to form Streak Runners International (SRI), an association that keeps tracks of streak runners from around the world. In order to make the SRI list, an athlete has to run at least one mile a day for a year. Today, SRI lists over 8,000 running streaks on its website from athletes located in 80 countries.
If you would like to see these quality of life issue and others finally addressed, please consider voting for Mark Washburne for Mayor in the November 4th election. Thank you!