Education
Florida State University.
Florida State University.
Marks is the longest serving mayor in Tallahassee"s history. He was elected to three consecutive terms as the city"s Mayor, spanning nearly twelve years. He was succeeded by Andrew Gillum on November 21, 2014.
Marks was Tallahassee"s fifth African-American mayor but the first to be elected.
Marks" great-grandfather, Oliver Lewis Coleman, founded Coleman College, a now defunct historically black in Gibsland, Louisiana, in 1887. Coleman College closed in 1952.
He received his Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1969 from the Florida State University School of Business and his Juris Doctorate in 1972 from the Florida State University College of Law. Marks served eight years on the Florida Public Service Commission (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 American Telephone & Telegraph Company and was instrumental in the implementation of the Federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Acting (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. On January 4, 2003, Marks" predecessor, then-Tallahassee Mayor Scott Maddox, was elected Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party.
Marks announced that he would remain until late February 2003, when a special mayor election would be held to choose his successor.
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.
City Commissioner Steve Meisburg placed third with 26%, while two other candidates, Tony Davis and Richard Junnier, each received 2% of the vote. 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.
Marks easily defeated Bailey by a 2-to-1 margin in the runoff.
Marks received 19,118 votes (6710%), while John Paul Bailey garnered 9,374 votes (3290%) for second place.
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" utility rate school. Member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.
