I distinctly remember the evening I met Marshall Merrifield for the first time. It was following a community event on the same day indictments were handed down for two San Diego city council members. Marshall, his wife Ginny, and I talked at length about our city and about challenges facing our Carmel Valley neighborhood. The contrast between Marshall — a dedicated community leader — and the day’s events could not have been more striking.
Marshall thoughtfully analyzed pressing concerns, talked about solutions, and explained what he was doing to make a difference. I was impressed with his intelligence, his credentials, his energy, and his willingness to invest himself to make our city a better place to live.
I am convinced that Marshall’s unique qualities and credentials make him the only choice for District One’s council seat at a time when we need his kind of leadership. By the end of our time together in the café, I hope you will think so, too.
- Marshall has a record of success in finance.
Did you know that in addition to holding a B.A. in Economics from Princeton, Marshall is the only candidate with experience to fix San Diego’s finances? He worked on Wall Street as a specialist in municipal finance at Kidder Peabody. Now that’s real expertise we lack on the council and that cannot be found in any other candidate seeking any council seat in our city.
- Marshall has a record of success in business.
Marshall is the majority owner and CEO of Clark Security Products, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor and installer of commercial security hardware. He oversees more than 415 employees in 14 locations across ten states and records annual sales of $140 million. We need a leader like Marshall who has experience managing large numbers of people and large budgets.
Marshall also co-founded Shoreline Studios, the creator of live animation for sports television in the U.S., including the innovative yellow first-down line for NFL broadcasts. Marshall’s accomplishments don’t stop there, though.
- Marshall has a commitment to community service.
When Marshall saw a local need for neighborhood children to learn good sportsmanship and fair play, he personally explored ways to create curricula and environments that help kids enjoy playtime. Marshall co-founded Playground Partners, a non-profit organization that provides safe and productive recreation opportunities for more than 10,000 elementary school children.
He also sits as a board member of Magdalena Ecke YMCA in addition to enthusiastically coaching little league and youth soccer teams.
I appreciate the opportunity to tell you a little bit about this stellar candidate for city council. In our next sessions, I look forward to sharing with you where Marshall stands on issues that are important to San Diegans.