Mark Burroughs was known as a scholar.
A lover of history and politics, the former Denton mayor and council member was genuinely a good person with an unusually sharp sense of humor and quips that were somewhat sarcastic, recalled Greg Sawko, his longtime law partner at Sawko & Burroughs, a business and real estate law firm in Denton.
That sense of humor would appear in quotes he gave to the Denton Record-Chronicle. Some were collected in a June 15, 2011, Dallas Observer article about Denton’s water quality being among the top five cities in the U.S. with tasty water: “Whether we win or lose, that we make it to the top five is pretty remarkable ... If we lose, it’s all water under the bridge,” “If these other mayors think their water systems are better than Denton’s, then they’re all wet.
“Denton’s been in the water game for a long time, and I understand some of these other cities might be a little wet behind the ears.”
Burroughs, who was rarely seen without a suit and tie, was one of those rare local politicians whom his former colleagues recalled could bridge the political divide for the betterment of the community. A family man and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin’s law school, he volunteered for years at various organizations and was considered a community servant leader.
Some of those organizations include the Denton Chamber of Commerce, Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton County Transportation Authority, Denton Arts & Jazz Festival and the Denton Rotary Club.
“The joke about the rotary is that Mark and I were both presidents during the same year,” Sawko said. “I was president of coladas, and he was the president of reverie. Same exact year, which is kind of a funky, funny, weird deal.”
Burroughs died this past week. He was 66.
Mayor Gerard Hudspeth was saddened to learn that his friend and predecessor had passed away unexpectedly. Hudspeth called him a “dedicated public servant but also a cherished member of the Denton and [Denton ISD] community.
“His leadership, vision and unwavering commitment to Denton’s growth and prosperity have left a permanent mark on me, as I will always cherish our thoughtful conversations,” Hudspeth said Monday. “He will be remembered for much more than his tenure as mayor from 2008–2014, as his infectious spirit impacted so many across the community. He was an amazing advocate for public service and education, and this legacy will continue to serve as an inspiration.
“Mayor Burroughs led our city through the recession, which made him a wise counsel for me as we navigated the unprecedented nature of the worldwide pandemic. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to learn, laugh and engage with Mayor Burroughs.
“He was one-of-a-kind and I extend my sincere condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family.”
Like many others, former mayor Chris Watts was shocked and saddened when he learned of Burroughs’ passing. Watts served on the council for four years while Burroughs was mayor and said that he quickly realized Burroughs was “the consummate statesman and diplomat.”
“Mark would not take ‘no’ for an answer. He worked tirelessly to find common ground between disagreeing council members and opposing positions,” Watts said. “More importantly, for years, Mark provided his time, talent and resources to assist various non-profit organizations in our community. He simply wanted to help where he could. Mark loved this city, and it showed through his actions and deeds.
“Our community had lost a great man. He will be greatly missed.”
Council member Paul Meltzer met Burroughs when the former first ran for office in 2017. He was wanting to develop policy ideas to address Denton’s air quality, something Burroughs was familiar with as a former mayor and council member, and tracked him down at a gala where they had an animated conversation, Meltzer recalled.
Meltzer quickly realized that Burroughs was someone who “was very committed to making an impact.”
They would create that impact together on the Denton Rotary Club. Part of that impact included the Nook at Emily Fowler Library as part of the Rotary Centennial Project that Meltzer and Burroughs, along with Randi Skinner, worked on as a team.
“We would meet every two weeks for a glass of wine at Hannah’s and have the greatest time, he and I comparing notes about serving in city government and eventually turning to our task — which we did manage to pull off,” Meltzer said. “I enjoyed and respected him immensely.”
Meltzer also reiterated what Sawko had to say about the former mayor’s “very mischievous and very corny sense of humor.” He recalled Burroughs taking great pleasure in his regular social occasions, “His morning coffee with the gang and lunches with the Rotary.
“Mark mentioned to me with pride that in at least one of his mayoral races he had been endorsed by both the Democratic and Republican parties,” Meltzer said. “That’s pretty hard to imagine nowadays. It’s a testimony to his intelligence and capacity but mostly to the power of his sheer goodwill.”
Burroughs was one of seven siblings and attended high school in the Houston area. He then graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Business Administration, followed by the University of Texas School of Law in 1982. He passed the bar exam and focused his primary practice areas on business law, personal injury and property tax collection.
In a late March interview with former council member Kevin Roden, Burroughs said he was someone who didn’t have to work hard for his grades and the only one of his siblings to graduate college. He claimed that he was lucky.
“The first 10 years of my practice, I actually made less than my secretary,” Burroughs told Roden.
He moved his practice from Fort Worth to Denton and had been “blessed with good luck. My business has done very well. My family is wonderful, and this community has been so supportive.
“I was raised with a thought that you were supposed to give back,” Burroughs said in 2010. “And what does that mean? Well, that means try to use what you have in the best way that you can. I would do that at work, but I also do that in the volunteer stuff. And so I have the gift of gab and I actually love people.”
Burroughs also used what he had in the best way he could as a council member. Not only did he navigate the city through the financial crisis of 2008, as Hudspeth pointed out, but also the volatile frack ban that gripped the city shortly before he left council in 2014.
Denton was the first city in Texas to issue one.
As mayor, Burroughs was in favor of restrictions but worried that the proposed ban went too far and would end with the city in a lawsuit.
“If it does pass, the city has to follow it. We could be bound to enforce an illegal act, which throws into [sic] a whole panoply of open issues. … We as a city would be bound to defend it, whether we believed it was illegal or not. So it’s a real open, difficult series of issues,” Burroughs told NPR in early April 2014.
Four months after Burroughs left office, the city of Denton was sued over its frack ban.
Early last week, Burroughs, who was the president of the Denton Public School Foundation, was handing out $195,000 in scholarships to 200 high school seniors. And being the people person that he was, Burroughs probably stayed at the podium all night on May 1, shaking students’ hands until whenever it was done, Sawko estimated.
Burroughs was tired and went home. His body was found the next morning. He apparently died of a heart attack.
“It was unexpected. He certainly appeared to be in good health,” Sawko said. “Totally unfortunate. ‘Devastating’ is the word. That truly is what this is. It’s a devastating thing. He’s a great community guy that would give his arm if needed.
“I think him dying the night after serving in that capacity is really a testament to what God probably wanted for him.”
DRC crime reporter Brooke Colombo contributed to this report.