Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Concord

BIOGRAPHY

Mark Peterson was raised in Anchorage, Alaska. While growing up in Alaska, Mark developed a strong appreciation for the outdoors. He also learned a strong work ethic from his father who worked as an aircraft mechanic, and his mother who worked as a school teacher. Mark graduated from the University of Colorado in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He then attended the University of Denver where he obtained his law degree in 1983. Upon graduation from law school, Mark and his wife moved to the Bay area.

Mark has been working as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County for the past twenty years spending every day of his professional life putting criminals behind bars, making our community a safer place to live, work, and raise our families. He has prosecuted thousands of criminals, including robbers, rapists, and murderers.

Mark has been married for over twenty-one years to his wife Penny, and they have three young children. Mark enjoys skiing and camping with his family, and coaching his children in soccer. Mark also enjoys mountain climbing. For his 40th birthday, he climbed Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous Unites States, at 14,496 feet.

In 1999, he climbed Mt. Shasta, at 14,162 feet. As part of the climb, he raised over $2,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, since his older brother Gary has been stricken with the disease.

In 2000, he climbed Mt. Rainier in Washington at 14,411 feet . In 2002, he climbed Mt. McKinley in Alaska, the highest point in North America at 20,320 feet and one of the "Seven Summits." In 2003 he climbed Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest point in South America at 22,840 feet and one of the "Seven Summits." In 2004, he climbed Mt. Elbrus in Russia, the highest point in Europe at 18,481 feet, and one of the "Seven Summits." Through these climbs Mark has been able to raise several thousand dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Mark was elected to the Concord City Council in November, 1995. Since that time, Mark has made decisions as your Councilmember to help make Concord an excellent community in which to live, work, and raise a family.