Mark V. Falzone (born June 14, 1975 in Melrose, Massachusetts) is an American political figure who is the President of

Scenic America Scenic America is a nonprofit advocacy organization and the only national group solely dedicated to removing visual blight and preserving and enhancing the scenic character of America's communities and countryside in accordance with its mission s ...

and a former member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

Early political career

Falzone graduated from Saugus High School, Boston College and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

. Prior to serving in the house he was a Saugus Town Meeting Member from 1993 to 2000. He was the Chairman of the Saugus Democratic Town Committee from 1996 to 2004.

State representative

Falzone represented the Ninth

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

District in the

from 2001 to 2011. He was elected in 2000 by defeating Saugus Selectman Christie Ciampa, Jr. in the Democratic Primary and by besting Patricia Cuddemi and Albert J. DiNardo in the 2000 general election. During his final term, he was a member of the House Committees on Election Laws, Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, and Veterans and Federal Affairs. He previously served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, the Joint Committee on Bonding, and the House Committee on Capital Expenditures and State Assets. On November 2, 2010 Falzone lost his bid for a sixth term to Saugus Board of Selectmen Chairman and owner of the Kowloon Restaurant Donald Wong by 382 votes.

Non-profit executive

In 2012, Falzone joined the

National Immigration Forum The National Immigration Forum is an immigrant advocacy non-profit group, based in Washington, DC. It was founded by Phyllis Eisen and Rick Swartz . The Forum uses its communications, advocacy and policy expertise to advocate for immigration, refu ...

as Deputy Director. In this role, he helped to lead and manage one of the nation's leading pro-immigrant advocacy organizations. In 2017, Falzone was selected as President of

, the only national group solely dedicated to preserving and enhancing the scenic character of America's communities and countryside.

Awards and recognition

Falzone was twice elected by his colleagues to the Executive Committee of the

National Conference of State Legislatures The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), established in 1975, is a "nonpartisan public officials’ association composed of sitting state legislators" from the states, territories and commonwealths of the United States. Background ...

—an honor accorded to only 30 legislators annually. Additionally, Falzone has been conferred numerous honors including the Toll Fellowship from the Council of State Governments and the Flemming Fellowship from the Center for Policy Alternatives. While at the

Harvard Kennedy School The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

, Falzone was awarded the Jerome L. Rappaport Sr./Boston Urban Fellowship.

Personal life

Falzone is married to broadcast journalist Robin N. Hamilton. He currently resides in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

Electoral history

2000 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone - 3,248 (57.4%) *Christie Ciampa, Jr. - 2,385 (42.1%) 2000 General Election for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone (D) - 11,553 (62.8%) *Patricia Cuddemi (R) - 5,058 (27.5%) *Albert J. DiNardo (I) - 1,755 (9.5%) 2002 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone - 4,359 (59.3%) *Stephen P. Maio - 2,974 (40.5%) 2004 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone - 2,437 (59.1%) *Debra C. Panetta - 1,677 (40.6%) 2004 General Election for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone (D) - 13,690 (65.7%) *Michael M. Motzkin (R) - 7,137 (34.2%) 2006 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone - 4,637 (59.9%) *Sean P. Grant - 3,093 (40.0%) 2010 Democratic primary for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District *Mark Falzone - 2,725 (54.9%) *Anthony V. Guardia - 2,202 (44.4%) 2010 General Election for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 9th Essex District * Donald Wong (R) - 8,943 (51.0%) *Mark Falzone (D) - 8,560 (48.9%)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falzone, Mark 1975 births Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Saugus, Massachusetts People from Silver Spring, Maryland Boston College alumni Living people Harvard Kennedy School alumni