Dr. Mark Baker, also known as the ‘Progressive Councilman for the Culture’, embodies the definition of socially interchangeable. Not only is Dr. Baker a retired Fulton County Schools Resource Officer and certified instructor of Law Enforcement Officer’s response to Weapons of Mass Destruction by FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, he is also a former Professor of Current Issues in African American Studies and Introduction to Women Studies at Clark Atlanta University, as well as a graduate of the University’s doctoral program, receiving this esteemed degree in May of 2021.

A graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans — his honors include nominations for Atlanta’s Top Thirty Under Thirty, and Runner Up out of hundreds nationwide for “Man of the Year” by Today’s Black Women Magazine. While working in Clark Atlanta’s Department of Public Safety, Baker served as Community Relations Officer, Sergeant and Shift Supervisor.  Currently he serves as a Board Member of Brothers United Atlanta, and he is the Founder and Servant of HBCU Student Government Alliance. Baker is currently an Independent Educational Consultant and Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association. He is also a proud graduate of the 10th Anniversary Class of Fulton County Citizen’s University. Out of a 72-candidate race, Mark Baker is one of 8 members on the City Council in the newly formed City of South Fulton Georgia, where he is the first Councilman elected in District 7. 

In under two years in office, Councilman Baker was the first legislator to abolish Columbus Day in place of Indigenous People’s Day in the entire state of Georgia, promulgated criminal justice reform in the form of decriminalizing marijuana,(making it now a civil violation), ‘Banned the Box’ for convicted felons on job applications, as well as set a $15 minimum wage for employees in the City of South Fulton. His work for the culture overshadows his astute propensity for economic development in our city, as he’s sponsored legislation to create the development authority for the City of South Fulton, of which he is Chairman. Additionally, within the first year of his re-election, he has passed a 5G resolution which makes it unlawful for large cell phone companies to install 5G towers without due diligence, as it applies to ascertaining possible public health risks. Additionally, and in light of nationwide 2020 protests from repeated instances of police brutality, Councilman Baker has passed the Breonna Taylor law, outlawing No knock warrants within the city of South Fulton, as well as the ‘Eight that Can’t Wait’ resolution, which outlaws the eight ‘excessive force’ policing techniques which have caused the untimely death of many innocent Civilians. Dr. Baker has also worked with Dr. Yusef Salaam to create the Exonerated 5 legislation, which mandates proper video surveillance during interrogations as it applies to minors, as well as the Georgie Floyd policing legislation, which addresses policing practices, law enforcement accountability, data collection, and transparency. Councilman Baker also sponsored Georgia’s first reparations legislation, acknowledging and demonstrating a commitment to eradicating government sponsored racism, as well as calling the State of Georgia, as well as other entities to acknowledge and address the negative impact of racism within their own infrastructures. Lastly, Mayor Pro Tem Baker was selected unanimously by his fellow Councilmembers to serve as Mayor Pro Tem/Vice Mayor, between 2018-2020.