Who is Mark Northrup?

Mark spent spent 20 years of his life leading production teams at industry leaders such as Motorola, Siemens and Gentex.  He also served for over 13 years as a twice-commissioned twice commanding officer in the US Coast Guard. Several of those years were overseas and assigned to old World War II ice-breaking buoy tenders. His active duty includes ten weeks in 1989, on scene at a crude oil spill at the grounding of the EXXON VALDEZ.

Mark grew up in a military family and lived in Colorado, Europe, and Minnesota.  He has a B.A from Saint Olaf College in Minnesota (where he learned to speak Norwegian), studied urban city planning in Europe, and also has an M.B.A. from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, Chicago.

He has been married to Karen (from Minnesota) for 40 years and has raised 3 children. He loves to golf, swim, fish, and ski and has too many interests and too little time!

Public Service

  • Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, NMJ
  • Board of Directors, Endeavor to Persevere Be Better, Holland

  • Michigan Youth Challenge Academy

Serving Ottawa County

For the past ten years, Mark has served in local politics, seeking to give back a bit more to his country and community. He has been elected mayor of Hudsonville three times, serving since 2015. Prior to that, he served on the Hudsonville City Commission. For the last three years he has taken on a role advocating for near 200 veterans to gain disability ratings with Veterans Administration.  He is easy to laugh and give a compliment, but also driven to do the right thing without prejudice.

I seek to serve all citizens of Ottawa County to the best of my ability.  I didn’t just arrive here by accident; it was a lifetime journey.

Mark’s Platform

He is one that takes the US Constitution seriously and has taken the oath and given it numerous times. He seeks to lead a professional county commission, avoid marginalized and polarized politics. His focus is on advancing the county economically. Some of his goals include:

  • Better roads
  • Improved transportation networks
  • Well-paying jobs
  • Well-funded schools and health care systems
  • More day care opportunities for working families
  • More housing

His record in a lifetime of leadership roles and, most recently as mayor, validates success in each above.

Good government should be efficient

I’m an avid outdoors person:

I’m a gun owner and pheasant hunter. I respect the 2nd Amendment and expect all gun owners to be discrete and responsibly trained gun owners. Those of us that hunt have an appreciation for the beauty of the outdoors and seek to preserve it.

I love to fish and support all sport fisherman; We enjoy and respect the great waters of Michigan and what it provides.  Protecting natural resources is a function of government so future generation can enjoy the same.

Open land defines us.  We should seek to have more high-density housing in cities and preserve our farmlands (and golf courses) from urban sprawl.

As elected officials we have an obligation to protect the environment, open lands, farms, forests, our stream and lakes, ground water. In 1989 I spent weeks ankles deep working in crude oil at the EXXON VALDEZ oil spill directing the cleanup.  I want to preserve our outdoors with a passion most share.

Finally, good government should be efficient.  Long meaningless county meetings that involve political hysteria and polarization serve no one.  This just takes away from time that can better spent enjoying our outdoors!