Mayor for 2024!
I began my term on the Sebastopol City Council in December 2020, working for the first two years with Councilmembers Neysa Hinton, Sarah Glade Gurney, Una Glass, and Patrick Slayter. Halfway through my four-year term the composition of the Council changed as terms ended and new Councilmembers were sworn in. Our current Council includes myself as Mayor, Stephen Zollman as Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers Neysa Hinton, Sandra Maurer, and Jill McLewis. It's an honor and a pleasure to have been chosen to lead this group as Mayor for calendar year 2024.
Committee & Community Work: Environment and Health
City Committees: City Climate Action Committee (click here for webpage). This Committee consists of a group of citizen members, plus two City Counclmembers and a City Staff member. Click on the link above to see a listing of the current Committee members. The public is invited to these meetings, and public comment is part of the regular agendas.
Regional Appointment: Zero Waste Sonoma (formerly Sonoma Waste Management Board) (click here for the website). Zero Waste Sonoma is the local government entity for all things related to Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), organics municipal composting, education, and planning for recycling and solid waste disposal. This group is working on a variety of projects aimed at helping jurisdictions meet zero waste goals, including preparations for compliance with SB 1383, installation of CRV Kiosks for recycling of cans and bottles throughout Sonoma County, and the problems created by chemically treated wood waste. The work done by this Board is practical and has true impacts on environmental goals we hold near and dear to our hearts here in Sebastopol. I am the alternate for this Committee.
Regional Appointment: Marin Sonoma Mosquito & Vector Control District (click here for website). This is a surprisingly fascinating Board. It does really useful work to reduce disease carried by mosquitos and similar creatures (yes, we're talking fleas, ticks, rats - fun, right?!). The team is efficient, experienced, and engages in substantial inspection and treatment activities in the two counties it serves.
Committee & Community Work: Emergency Preparation
Citizen Groups: I have been participating for years on the Leadership Council of Map Your Neighborhood, and am also a member of Sebastopol Neighborhood Communications Unit. MYN is lead by Skip Jirrels, Sebastopol's Public Safety Outreach Coordinator. SNCU is lead by Stan Green. Both are incredible organizations that engage the community at a grass roots level to prepare for emergencies. I continue to participate with these groups, although now I wear two hats: volunteer and elected.
Committee & Community Work: Collaboration & Community Engagement
Sebastopol Service and Action Coalition. Organizations Council: This is a group of service clubs who work collaboratively to identify community needs, prioritize them, and then address those needs in a coordinated way.
Library Advisory Board and LANTERN: These are both groups that support our fabulous local library. I am the alternate City Council appointee to these groups, and continue to embrace the opportunity to work with them.
