Dear Editor,
Elections test more than policies; they test our sense of fairness. In Kingman’s mayoral race, much ink has been spilled revisiting mistakes from 35 years to a half-a-century ago rather than debating the city’s future.
Mark “Doc” Berry has spoken openly about his past mistakes and a half-century of sobriety in AA, more importantly, about what followed, decades of sobriety, accountability, and service to the community and others who are seeking help. He is a Volunteer Mentor at Judge Singer’s Veteran Treatment Court that is primarily designed to help veterans who, when discharged from active duty, have difficulties reintegrating back into civilian life. Many veterans seek to drown their difficulties in alcohol, just like Berry himself did 50-years ago. Others fall into substance abuse, which results in DUIs and various problems with law enforcement. It can be very difficult without help. There were no such helpful resources a half-century ago when he was discharged, and he had to find his own way; a difficult path, but he did not back down, and “mission accomplished”. Berry knows from personal experience the difficulties involved, which must be overcome. That’s what motivates him to volunteer…to help others that he sees himself in.
In recovery communities, honesty isn’t optional; it’s foundational. Owning past mistakes, making amends, and living differently over the long haul is the point. Thirty-five-plus years of consistent conduct is not a talking point…it’s a track record.
Additionally, some critics now suggest that because certain military records are protected by federal privacy law, a veteran’s service cannot be “proved.” That misunderstands how the system works. For many Vietnam-era veterans, files are held in the Archives in the National Personnel Records Center and remain shielded from public release without consent. Privacy is not evidence of absence. It is simply the law.
Voters should also understand what an expungement signifies. When a court expunges a record, it reflects judicial recognition that a person has demonstrably changed. That does not erase history; it contextualizes it. The question before us in 2026 is not whether anyone has ever stumbled, or made mistakes, it is whether they stood up and walked a better path for decades afterward.
Kingman deserves a campaign focused on present leadership, integrity, and solutions to today’s problems, not insinuation and distraction. If we truly value accountability, we should measure it across time, not cherry-pick moments from a distant past.
Have a safe and Happy New Year!
Mark “Doc” Berry
Character, accountability, and the measure of time in Kingman’s mayoral race
