Mark Davidson
(SANDUSKY) – Mark E. Davidson is proud to announce his candidacy forJudge of the 24th Judicial Circuit Court. Davidson, a Peck native and lifelong Sanilac County resident lives in the Applegate area with his wife of more than 30 years, Ann Davidson.
They are the proud parents of Emily Davidson, an MSU alum and Yale graduate student and Riley Davidson, an MSU alum who works for the university.
Davidson holds a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from MSU and a Juris Doctorate from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1988 and worked as a clerk for the Honorable Peter Deegan, 31st Circuit Court in Port Huron, MI.
Davidson joined the Sanilac County Prosecutors office in 1989 as an Assistant Prosecutor and was later promoted to Chief Assistant Prosecutor. While serving the people of Sanilac County in that capacity, he practiced criminal and civil law before Judges in the Probate, District and Circuit Courts within Sanilac, St. Clair and Huron Counties.
In October of 1995, Davidson accepted an appointment to the Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation as a Special Agent and reported to the FBI Academy at Quantico, Virginia for training. Upon completion of training in February 1996, Davidson was assigned to the Detroit Division and utilized his legal training and experience on complex organized crime investigations.
In May of 1999 he graduated from the FBI’s Hazardous Devices School at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. and became a Special Agent Bomb Technician (SABT).
In September of that year he completed his first of many Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) classes and became a founding member of the Detroit Division’s Hazardous Evidence Response Team (HERT). Davidson actively worked and maintained his specialty certifications until his retirement on 12/31/2019.
In October of 2001, following the tragic events of 9/11, Davidson was selected by the Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Division to become the Detroit FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator (WMDC). The WMDC is responsible for leading the United States Government and FBI efforts to detect, deter, prevent and respond to threats involving Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) materials.
In support of those efforts Davidson worked closely with response partners from both the private and public sector to recognize and identify potential WMD threats and take appropriate steps to detect, deter and prevent them from occurring.
WMDC Davidson also provided subject matter expertise and legal advice to the Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force and United States Attorney Office on WMD related investigations. He maintained his Michigan Bar License throughout his FBI career and regularly assisted with legal matters related to investigative operation.
In addition he has served as a principle planner or ready responder for a variety of special events including: 2002 Winter Olympics, 3 Presidential Inaugurations, 4 Super Bowls, NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional and Final 4 Tournaments, the Ryder Cup, the PGA Championship, the Detroit Grand Prix and 15 North American International Auto Shows.
During the course of his nearly 25 years FBI career, Davidson developed a reputation for hard work, fairness and integrity and had the opportunity to assist hundreds of federal, state and local response partners with training and response efforts and numerous investigations regarding terrorism threats.
Davidson is a WMD instructor for Fire Fighter I & II training hosted by the Sanilac Fire Training Council. He led the evidence collection team during the investigation of the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day 2009.
His certifications as a SABT afforded him the opportunity to deploy on overseas operations and training assignments in Iraq (2x), Nigeria, Kosovo, Jordan, England and the Netherlands.
While in Iraq he was assigned to the Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell which consisted of Coalition Forces personnel tasked with investigating explosive threats.
Davidson and other team members routinely deployed to conduct site exploitation and post blast investigations throughout the Iraqi theater.
Davidson has been a longtime community volunteer and belongs to several civic organizations. He has been a member of the Sandusky Lions Club and Custer Lodge 393 F&AM for over 25 years and has served as the elected leader of both organizations.
He is one of the founders of the Sandusky Youth Football program and continues to work with youth as a coach.
Davidson has been a member of the Sandusky Community Schools Board of Education for nearly ten years. During that tenure he has supported the continuing efforts of its administrators, educators, support personnel and community members to provide a safe, healthy and productive learning environment for our children and is proud to serve as its President.
