Statement on Concluding My Term as Mayor of Corte Madera

Last night marked the end of my term as Mayor of Corte Madera.

Serving as the mayor of my hometown has been the highest honor of a lifetime, despite all that our town has been through over this past year and eight months.

We’ve dealt with a viral pandemic, a global economic collapse, a tense national discussion about social justice and racism, a contentious Homekey project located in our community, and a drumbeat of legislature from Sacramento with the potential to radically change the way Corte Madera looks.

At the same time, we’ve been scrambling to address the threats of climate change, including worse flooding and wildfires, that we as a society were far too slow to wake up to.

In spite of all of this, we have accomplished a truly incredible amount.

We kept dozens of residents in their homes during COVID who were at risk of eviction. We balanced the budget all through COVID, without any layoffs or cuts to services, and we oversaw an ambitious business development strategy that helped local businesses bounce back from a harsh economic recession.

We adopted a long range Climate Adaptation Plan to protect homes and businesses from flooding and wildfire, and we formed a Climate Action Committee to reduce our local contributions to climate change.

We instituted a raft of new policies to protect our public finances, putting Corte Madera on a path to fully funding its pension debt, and raising the Town’s credit rating to AAA in the process.

We delivered tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvement projects for residents, we supported the creation of permanent supportive housing for the formerly homeless, and we created new opportunities for residents to participate in local government and oversight.

When I look back on what we’ve done, I feel proud as a resident and as a Councilmember knowing that Corte Madera’s local government really is serving its residents well, and being a part of that positive change has been the most rewarding experience of my life.

As I pass the gavel to our new Mayor, Fred Casissa, and Vice Mayor Charles Lee, I want to thank my fellow Councilmembers, our hardworking and dedicated Town staff, and our incredible community for everything we’ve accomplished so far together.

I look forward to seeing what else we can achieve in the years ahead, and I am excited to continue my service to our community as a Councilmember.