GENEVA, N.Y. -- Geneva resident Mark Gramling’s passion has also been in tune with music. He’s performed in two bands, more recently in the band Mainstream.
It wasn’t until the past year however, the husband and father of four decided to put that aside and run for Geneva City Council.
“I’ve always been involved in the city in more than one way, activism and things of that nature,” Gramling said. “I used to be on the human rights commission for a short term and because I know everybody in the city, I love everybody here. I want to make a difference. I want to make a change.”
In November, he was elected an at-large city council member, but Gramling didn’t even have to wait until he was seated in the council chambers to make change. On Sunday, Gramling was sworn in and became Geneva City Council’s first ever African American member.
“It’s a ball of energy,” Gramling said. “It’s hard to put in words, but it’s very humbling. It’s a very humbling experience because being the first African American of anything in America is an amazing thing.”
Throughout his term, Gramling hopes to utilize his position to affect others such as holding youth summits for African Americans and just engaging the public in general.
“Being the first I know there’s a lot of expectation,” Gramling said. “I’ll just be who I am and I’ll push for the community. I’ll push for all the community. But I really want to bridge those gaps that have been needed to be bridged. I want to open some doors. I want to inspire folks that need inspiring. I want to educate the community in certain ways that before weren’t a privy to.”
As far as his music goes, Gramling said his love for it will never fade, he just won’t be as focused on it for now.
“You can always find good music, but what I’m doing, I think that it’s a first, and you can’t always find this,” Gramling said. “So I think those other things will always be there for me, but I think this is a very very important thing I’m doing.”