With the Nov. 8 election nearly upon us, I’d like to pause and reflect
on this campaign and what it has meant to me. First and foremost, I want to
express my sincere gratitude to the citizens of Benicia for the privilege of serving
you on the City Council these past 11 years, and my hope is to continue my service to our community as your mayor.
I am extremely proud that I have run a positive campaign, and that my supporters have followed my lead. I was determined from the onset to take the high road and earn votes based on my own merits. I made a promise to myself, and told my supporters that I did not want to criticize other candidates, in an effort to make me look better. My conscience simply would not allow me to seek votes by attacking others. And that’s why it has been very disappointing for me, and upsetting to my family, to read on a near daily basis negative comments about me, both in the newspaper and on social media. These comments have ranged from subtly misleading to downright false or mean-spirited. While I would like to be able to correct and/or address each and every one of these misrepresentations, it is simply not possible from a practical standpoint. My hope is that the reputation I have built and the credibility and respect I have earned over the years are a counter to these attacks. Also, I have stated my position on a number of key topics on my website, and I welcome everyone to visit my site (markhughesformayor.strikingly.com). And as always, I remain accessible to anyone who would like to talk to me about any issue.
My time during this campaign has largely been spent walking neighborhoods and
getting to know more of our neighbors. This time has been immensely
rewarding. The conversations I have had along the way have reinforced why I
ran for mayor in the first place. We are comprised of a diverse, proud, and
passionate group of people; and without exception, the people I have talked to
have been respectful and engaging, even when I knew they were not voting for
me. To all of you I have spoken with, thank you for your graciousness.
I am a pragmatist. I seek practical solutions to getting things done while working
with all stakeholders for the common good. I believe this is why I have received
endorsements from a wide and varied number of individuals and groups. While
clearly every individual and every group will not agree with me on every issue,
they know from experience that I am open minded, fair, and will always listen.
I truly believe that what unites us in Benicia is far greater than what divides us.
As neighbors in this wonderful community, we sometimes see things differently,
but our common ground is that we love Benicia and we want to preserve its
small town character and amenities for many future generations. My love of the
history and character of our beautiful city and the people who live here will
always be at the core of any position I take; you can count on that.
I give you my word that if I am elected mayor, I will continue to listen to every voice. I will represent every citizen, not just those who have supported or endorsed me. We will work together to make the best decisions for this city that we love.

Mark Hughes is the vice mayor for the city of Benicia and a candidate for mayor

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