Belvedere fills vacancy until next election

A former Belvedere planning commissioner will fill a vacancy on the City Council until the November election.

Peter Mark, a real estate developer, was unanimously selected Monday by the Belvedere City Council to fill the position vacated by Steve Block.

Block submitted his resignation March 17. He was about two years into a fouryear term.

Mark, who moved to Belvedere in 2012 and lives on Crest Road, said he hopes to represent the interests of the community “as broadly as possible.”

“I'm part of this community and feel I want to make it as strong as possible,” said Mark, whose application says he has a bachelor's degree in economics from Middlebury College in Vermont.

The council also considered another applicant for the seat, Brian Davis. His application for the seat outlines a career as a business executive and consultant, and he listed a bachelor's degree from Oglethorpe University in Georgia and a master's degree in business administration from Harvard University.

Appearing before the council, Davis presented himself as a “data-driven problem solver” with an outsider's perspective who could unify the town over controversial topics such as the Mallard Pointe housing development and the seawall project.

“If we communicate the right way, we get the facts on the table, we can reach a very large majority consensus about what's right for us as a community, and I would like to be a part of that,” said Davis, who lives on West Shore Road.

Council members said both candidates would be effective colleagues. They said Mark's edge was his previous experience working in city government.

The council previously voted to appoint an interim council member to fill the position until Nov. 8, when the city plans to hold an election to fill the remaining two years of Block's term. Belvedere will have three City Council seats in play for the election.

“We have three open positions, three potential candidates in actual positions to be elected in November, so I actually suspect both these individuals will serve on council at some point,” said Councilmember Nancy Kemnitzer.

The expiring terms are for the seats held by Mayor Sally Wilkinson, who is completing a two-year appointment, and James Campbell, who will be completing a four-year term.