Concord mayor reflects on year’s accomplishments
It was with great pride that I accepted the gavel and the title of mayor of Concord on Dec. 4, and what an amazing year it has been.
I had the opportunity to represent Concord at several significant ceremonies, including the celebration of the land transfer from the Navy to the East Bay Regional Park District for the purpose of establishing a new regional park here and the memorial of the 75th anniversary of the Port Chicago explosion that illuminated the harmful consequences of segregation to the nation. It was gratifying to see nearly 8,000 people gathered at the Concord Pavilion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Concord Jazz Festival in August. In late October, I had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of leading a 39-person delegation to visit our sister city, Kitakami, Japan.
As mayor, I worked hard to help recruit and retain living-wage jobs so people can both live and work in our city. This involved multiple “goodwill” visits with top employers headquartered here, including AssetMark, Cerus Corp., Harris & Associates, Pulse Systems and Sunvalley Shopping Center. I participated in the Diablo Valley Tech Initiative, a new group fostering economic and social growth for start-ups, entrepreneurs, leaders, educators and students here in the Diablo Valley.
Every day, I seem to read about another major Bay Area employer relocating, or moving jobs, out of state, often without considering affordable options closer to home that have a highly skilled workforce – places like Concord. To counteract this phenomenon, I convened a meeting with the Bay Area Council to discuss opportunities to highlight Concord throughout the region. It is my hope that via such efforts, we will be able to enhance Concordians’ quality of life through increased local, living-wage jobs, the creation of new investment opportunities, and reduced traffic, commute times and carbon emissions.
I also introduced several initiatives. The first was related to the redevelopment of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS). When I announced my City Council candidacy in 2015, one of my goals was establishing a four-year public university at the site. Since my election, we have made progress by establishing a 120-acre campus district within the draft CNW Specific Plan and a 16-member Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC).
After meeting for nine months, the BRC, which I chaired, produced a final report in May that envisioned a consortium concept – one that brings multiple academic institutions together, accommodating and embracing research and development. I look forward to continuing to spearhead this campus visioning at the city level, with support from our existing education and industry partners and state representatives.
Another of my goals focused on building a greater sense of community. I want Concordians to feel connected to their neighbors and proud to live in our city. To that end, I instituted a “September of Service,” with more than 200 volunteers participating. On each of the four Saturdays in September, residents were invited to join me in a beautification or cleanup event at a Concord park. Projects included building a butterfly garden and cleaning up the creek at Newhall Park, park and lake cleanup at Ellis Lake Park, cleaning up the park and creek at Hillcrest Park, and general cleanup and wood chip distribution at Ygnacio Valley Park.
I believe it is critical for the mayor to be available to hear and try to address residents’ city-related issues and concerns. To that end, I held office hours most Friday mornings. Once a month, I held “Coffee with the Mayor” or “Beer with the Mayor” at a different Concord establishment, to highlight a local business and enable Concordians to meet with their mayor in a less formal setting. It was fun and productive to engage on a variety of issues and connect with more than 400 residents.
Thank you to my City Council colleagues for the confidence they exhibited in me by unanimously electing me as mayor for 2019. And, thank you to the people of Concord who elected me to the City Council in 2016.
I look forward to working with the rest of the City Council to help make Concord an even better community in which to live, work, raise a family, operate a business, visit and retire.
Send questions and comments to Carlyn.Obringer@cityofconcord.org