Name as it appears on the ballot: Mark P Boone
Age: 72
Party affiliation: This is a non-partisan office
Campaign website: www.marksoilandwater.com
Occupation & employer: CEO, Markus Group Ltd
1. Why are you running for the position of Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor? In your answer, please explain your understanding of the role and why it is important.
Growing up, Mark spent weekends and summers at his Grandmother’s farm in Seagrove, NC. He and his dad plowed with a mule and Mark learned the value of hard work and what it means to grow what one eats. He is still thrilled by fresh local berry pies. The remaining 77,000 acres of farmland in Wake county are important. It takes wisdom to balance the needs of the county’s growing urban population with the quality of life provided by our farmers. He wants his children and grandchildren to have the same opportunities he has had in seeing agriculture up close.
2. What are the three most pressing natural resources issues in the county? How do you plan to address these issues? Please be specific.
Finding solutions for dealing with the tragedy of the commons is my passion. Every creature’s life depends upon access to clean air, water, land, forests and oceans. Wake County is one of the top ten counties in the United States losing farmland to urban growth at the fastest rate. People are attracted to Wake County because of the quality of life here. Figuring out how we define our county’s commons and how we can maintain them for future generations is one of the greatest challenges we face in public policy. Natural cycles provide us with insights we can follow – the water cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, etc. How to apply these natural cycles created over eons to human endeavors takes wisdom and keen observation.
The three most pressing natural resource issues in Wake County are:
- Land Use Policy– As more people move to Wake County each day there is tremendous pressure to convert farmland from agricultural to use to housing. Today only around 0.5% of our county’s population is classified as farmers. These farmers add a tremendous amount to the quality of life in the county. Maintaining and enhancing policies that allow farmers to keep their land for agricultural use and pay taxes in line with agricultural rather than urban use key
- Wildlife preservation – Much of the new development in the county has been associated with clear cutting of trees. The loss of oak trees in particular and the planting of non-native species of trees has had a negative effect on the bird population in the county. Birds require access to caterpillars to fledge their young. Figuring out ways to plant more native species of plants on public and private land is key to increasing the total amount and diversity of wildlife in the county.
- Empowering citizens to protect our native plant species and deal responsibly with garbage – I believe people tend to do things which are easiest for them to do. HOA rules which prevent individual citizens from converting their lawns into native prairies need to be revised. Rules which make it easier to dump used tires down an embankment or into a creek rather than take them to a recycle facility need to be revised.
3. Identify examples of how the district can best balance agricultural/rural and urban interests in regards to soil and water conservation.
The educational partnerships the Soil and Water Conservation Board has formed with the Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC), the Sierra Club, and the Audubon Society are good examples of balancing rural/urban interest. The purchase of land easements by both the county and TLC are great ways for preserving agricultural land. Tax policy which encourages the conservation of agricultural land works well
4. What funding issues are facing the Soil and Water Conservation District? How would you ensure the district receives full funding? Are there alternative funding sources the district could explore? If so, what are they?
I will take on the tasks of grant writing for specific projects. Conservation Districts are Federally established entities. Keeping their importance in front of federal, state and county representatives is very important to assure continued funding.
5. Many residents don’t know what the Soil and Water Conservation District actually does. In what ways would you reach out to residents to educate them?
Partnering with private organizations to offer community education is very important. Serving as a guest lecturer in high school classes is a great way to reach young people. I have taught classes at many public libraries. The adults which attend these classes are often instrumental in the education of their peers as to how to improve our environment.
6. What is the district’s role in making sure residents’ water–including those people who use wells―is safe to drink? What role, if any, should the district play in safeguarding the local water supply from emerging contaminants?
The Soil and Water Conservation Board’s primary means of influence is through education and communication with representative bodies which have administrative and tax authority. Identification of issues which effect the health and wellbeing of the county’s residences is a key task of the board. I would like to see policies implemented which would require any industrial operation which uses water as part of its process to assure their discharge is as clean and contaminate free as the water they took into their facility. No contaminate of any kind should be added to the water.
7. Are there any other issues you would like to address?
Mark is a strong believer individuals can make a difference in the local environment. He also fully appreciates the need to collectively work together to preserve farm land. He is an active gardener who believes improving the habitat for the wild creatures living in the County is important. He greatly enjoys seeing the bluebirds he hosts to fledge their young. Although he has had to reinforce his chicken house to keep the foxes out he enjoys watching the kits wrestle with each other.
Work Experience: Since 1998 Mark has been the owner and CEO of Markus Group Limited, a company specializing in contract manufacturing. He began his career as an Extension Specialist at NCSU, followed by several years as a Senior Scientist at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory before joining FMC Corporation. There he served an a variety of management positions including Missile Systems Marketing Manager before moving to KX Industries as Director of Sales and Marketing. During his time at KX he helped the company grow from $2 million in annual revenue to more than $22 million.
Education: Mark graduated from Sanderson High School in Raleigh and earned a BS degree in Education and an MS degree in Human Factors Engineering from NC State. He also holds a Diploma in Program Management from the Defense Systems Management College.
Military Experience: Mark is proud to have served our country as a US Marine. His Military Occupation Specialty was logistics. He learned to drive heavy off road equipment and served as a trainer for other Marines. He received Expert badges in both rifle and pistol marksmanship and trained in Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense.