SP Republican Committee Selects Martin Marks as New Chairman

Following the June 5 Primary Election, the Scotch Plains Republican Committee selected former Mayor Martin Marks as its Chairman Monday night. Marks will succeed former Mayor Bill McClintock who retired after serving as Chairman for eleven years.

Martin Marks was elected to the Scotch Plains Town Council in 1996, and served as Mayor of Scotch Plains from 2000 until 2008. He was succeeded by former Mayor Nancy Malool.

In 2008, Marks ran for congress, in hopes of suceeding retiring congressman, Mike Ferguson who served the 7th congressional district. Marks lost the election and endorsed Senator Leonard Lance. Marks, a pro-life propent of tax reform, also ran for Senate in 2003.  

“First and foremost, I want to thank Bill McClintock for his friendship and leadership over the years," Marks said. "He has been my mentor in government and politics since I arrived in the community and I know I will continue to rely on his wisdom and advice in my new role."

The Scotch Plains Republican Committee also elected former Mayor Joan Papen as Vice Chair, Liz Mangan as Secretary, and Ken Greenman as Treasurer to serve with Marks for a two-year term.

Marks continued to express his enthusiasm and eagerness to begin his term as Chairman during an election year in Scotch Plains.

“There seems to be an air of enthusiasm and anticipation in Republican circles in this Presidential Election year," Marks added. "That enthusiasm is certainly evident here in Scotch Plains as we picked up several new members to our committee by virtue of the Primary Election. It was nice to see some new (and younger) faces at our Reorganization meeting ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Our committee is now stronger and more vibrant than it has been in recent memory and that bodes well for us in this important election year.”

Marks concluded by his statement to the press by acknowledging DePaola's new duties as acting mayor and the upcoming 2012 campaign.

“I really look forward to working with our campaign committee on the reelection of Mayor Mary Depaola this year. Mary has already demonstrated the leadership necessary to guide Scotch Plains government during challenging times.

There is a lot on our local government’s plate right now including the recruitment of a new Municipal Manager and the ongoing discussions for the consolidation of the Scotch Plains and Fanwood police departments and we need Mayor Depaola to help us move forward on these and other issues.

I am also particularly pleased that former Board of Education member Edward Saridaki has joined the Republican ticket as our Council candidate for 2012. Ed is known for having been a budget hawk while on the Board of Education and I know it will be his fiscal conservatism that translates into cost savings for the taxpayers of Scotch Plains.”