A Vision for Improving Circuit Court Services 

The Clerk is your elected voice in the Circuit Court. With hundreds of statutory responsibilities, from recording real estate transactions, to probating wills, to administering jury duty, to marriage licenses, the Clerk's office will probably touch the lives of every one of Arlington's, and Falls Church's, citizens. 

Mark's goals for the Clerk's office are to increase its efficiency in delivering services while providing that service with courtesy and respect, and to ensure the courtrooms operate effectively to administer justice and the rule of law.

Proven Leadership 

Mark doesn't just talk about leading people to accomplish goals - he's done it. For six years as Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill, he led a team of people in a fast-paced environment. 

Under Mark's day-to-day leadership, the office met tough deadlines, capitalized on new technology, and effectively processed thousands of requests for constituents every month.

Conduct a Top to Bottom Review - I will review every function of the Clerk's office to ensure the office is operating as efficiently as possible and to identify areas where implementing technology can make the Circuit Court's administration and services second to none. 

One area of critical importance is the protection of your personal information, like Social Security numbers.  I will work to remove this information from the online land records database.

Upgrade the Clerk's Website - In order to help the average citizen deal more effectively with the Circuit Court, I will upgrade the Clerk's website: publishing comprehensive, easy to navigate information as well as necessary forms and fee information (including online marriage license applications); providing interactive jury duty information online; and improving the land records database. 

Implement Electronic Land Records Filing - I will work to bring this new, secure system online to speed up the land recording process and help keep settlement fees on homeowners as low as possible. 

A Track Record of Fiscal Discipline 

Mark believes that when you hold public office, you are responsible to uphold the public trust. A key element of upholding that trust is spending taxpayer money wisely. 

That's why Mark ensured the Congressional office he led always spent money wisely, upholding a goal of returning an average of 10% of the office budget to the Treasury each year to pay down the National Debt.