Concord City Council candidate questions: Tim McGallian, District 5

By The Pioneer 2 years ago

The Concord Clayton Pioneer newspaper presented a list of questions to the candidates running for Concord City Council in the 2022 election.

To read other candidate answers, click here. For our story on all the candidates running in this race, click here.

Age: 41

Current Occupation:

Concord City Councilmember & State Farm Agent

How long have you lived in Concord?

18 Years

Why do you want to serve on the Concord city council?

Tim McGallianAs your Current City Councilmember and Former Mayor, I am excited about continuing the work I have developed over the past 6 years to help Concord thrive. My top priorities continue to be Housing and Homelessness with the implementation of our new outreach team and creating a homeless strategic plan, Public Safety in maintaining our staffing levels and using technology as force multiplies such as license plate reader cameras, Improving Infrastructure and Traffic with the most robust Capital Improvement Program laid out over the next 5 years, and Economic Development for our local small business owners and residents. However, it does not stop there, I am excited about supporting and enjoying our activities such as the Music and Market in Todos Santos Plaza, producing the Concord 4th of July Run, Parade, Fireworks and Festival, and working with Visit Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce to enhance the downtown through our new Art Murals and Art on Utility boxes in partnership with the Concord Art Association.

It is supporting our local Little League programs like Concord American Little League and the Concord Junior Giants Baseball programs. It is making sure our Parks have the equipment and open space that is safe for our children, and creating places that families love to visit such as our splash park at Meadow Holmes Park, the Disc golf course and Hillcrest Park, or even our Golf Course at Diablo Creek. It is about bringing families and individuals together to enjoy community because of my ability to have the resources and relationships formed over my many years of volunteer and elected service to this Community. I am humbled to be able to serve the Concord Community.

What experience or training do you have that qualifies you to make decisions for the city?

  • 2017-Present: Councilmember, City of Concord
    • Mayor from 2019-2021
  • 2015-2017: Treasurer, City of Concord
  • 2010-2015: Planning Commissioner, City of Concord

What engagement have you had in civic affairs?

City of Concord:

  • City Council Member 2017 – Present
  • Mayor 2019-2020

National League of Cities Transportation, Infrastructure Services Federal Advocacy Committee Member

California League of Cities Transportation, Communications and Public Works Committee Member

Contra Costa Transit Authority: Commissioner TRANSPAC: Commissioner

Past Treasurer, City of Concord 2015 – 2017

Past Chairman, City of Concord Planning Commission

Volunteer:

Past President and Founder, Todos Santos Business Association Arts Foundation

Past Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce

Past Chair, Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs and Economic Development Committee

Past President, Greater Concord Kiwanis Club

Past President, School Board, St. Agnes School in Concord

Past Assistant Scoutmaster, Boy Scout Troop 465

Past Coach, Track and Field, Clayton Valley High School 2017-Present

Past Coach, Concord American Little League 2008-2015

Past Coach, CYO Basketball & Track and Field, St. Agnes 2008-2015

Do you regularly attend city council meetings?

Yes, as a current City Councilmember I attend every council meeting.

What do you see as the three most important issues immediately facing Concord and how do you plan to address those issues?

  • Housing and Homelessness with the implementation of our new outreach team and creating a homeless strategic plan
  • Public Safety in maintaining our staffing levels and using technology as force multiplies such as license plate reader cameras
  • Improving Infrastructure & Traffic with the most robust Capital Improvement Program laid out over the next 5 years

What are your priorities in making public policy?

Creating good public policy starts with being accessible to the constituents I represent. This includes phone, email, social media, online town halls, public events, and continued online participation in Council meetings.

Making sure the information that informs our decision making and our final decision on issues is widely available to residents. My priorities will always be issues dealing with public safety, public services that keep people healthy and safe and maintain property values, that address immediate and long term needs like housing, transportation, and economic development.

My priority in making good public policy is that it is reflective of our community vision and values.

Do you feel the current compensation is adequate for the job of a councilmember? Would you vote to increase it/decrease it?

Yes, I do feel the Councilmember compensation is adequate at this time, and I will continue to review appropriate increases based on the policy set by the City Council every two years.

Do you feel the current city council is representative of Concord?

Yes, my job as a Concord City Councilmember is to work together to create polices that are reflective of our community values. My job is to welcome diversity in our community through open doors and open communication with residents, enhance our quality of life, and lead in an inclusive and constructive manner.

Do you feel city employees are adequately compensated? Why or why not?

As a City Council, especially during the pandemic, we have worked hard to make sure we are properly compensating all City Employees for the great job they are doing. We just recently brought several employees job classifications up to parity; however, we understand that under the current staffing and inflationary pressures on families, we will need to revisit this in order to retain our current qualified workforce.

What does “defunding the police” mean to you?

It is a poor phrasing for reforming the criminal justice system. We need more resources directed at mental health services and proper response to a mental health call. This includes ongoing training for Police in de-escalation tactics and anti-bias training.

We balance this with making sure our police force has the resources including proper staffing levels, training, technology resources, and equipment to keep our city safe.

Police budget is 57% of the city’s total budget. Would you change this allocation? How?

This is a misleading percentage because the City of Concord’s overall budget is smaller in comparison to its neighboring communities such as Walnut Creek and San Ramon. Retaining experienced and trained officers is a priority, and as result we will be required to compensate them in accordance with the marketplace. I will continue to make sure the police budget reflects the necessary staffing levels, training, technology resources, and equipment that allow our officers to do their job and enhance our public safety in the City of Concord.

Should the city dedicate land for homeless encampments? If so, how much land and where in your specific district? Do you support a “safe parking area” for campers/RVs in your district? Do you support camping in the public parks? If not, how should the city deal with individuals that refuse shelters, mental health/substance treatment or transitional housing?

I am not supportive of efforts that do not help our unsheltered transition into supportive service and find a pathway out of homelessness. This question is exactly why we need a Homeless Strategic Plan that is being develop in partnership with our current city departments, Contra Costa County Health and Human Services, our local non-profits, the faith-based community, and our local business community. Over the past two years I have worked very hard to enhance our outreach services to the unsheltered. To date we have fully funded a C.O.R.E. Team, along with a Social Workers attached to that team, a mental health evaluation team, the PD Community Impact Unit, working in partnership with the Contra Costa County H3, hired and are now onboarding a new Community Services Manager to pull many of these resources together and find success in helping find a pathway into housing for our unsheltered and those experiencing mental health emergencies.

There are currently a number of prime properties in the downtown that are undeveloped. Do you support a tax or fine on empty storefronts?

No, I do not support a tax or fine as it is not legally defensible and not something we can implement that will have any type of positive impact. The answer is not fines, but good economic development solutions that help developers find a way to break ground on these undeveloped properties. We have found success in this approach and are looking forward to the following developments:

  • The Grant now renting and will complete in 2023 with a total of 228 units
  • Salmon Run is an under construction 32 Unit commercial office conversion to Residential Condominiums
  • RCD is breaking ground on a 62 Unit Affordable Housing Development where the City of Concord granted $7.8 million to the project
  • The Argent is looking to break ground in 2023 with 181 units of which 50% are deemed affordable units.
  • Avesta Assisted Living Community is an approved 132 Units Senior Community
  • City owned property – The White Picket Fence and Oak Street Property are going out for Request for Proposal to have future development on the sites.
  • Clayton Road Townhomes

So, as you can see, we have a lot of opportunity on many of the vacant sites throughout the City, However, it takes a good economic development partnerships in order to see this all come to fruition. You cannot force businesses to open and development to happen. We the City of Concord must help set the right market conditions that makes it financially viable to locate here in Concord. It also should be noted that we have a less that 2% vacancy rate among our commercial and light industrial spaces in Concord. Concord is a desirable place to do business and many companies are proud to locate here.

How do you feel the rest of the Bay Area sees Concord? What impression does Concord make?

Concord has always been viewed as a desirable location for working families to raise their children. It continues to be a magnet for young working families that relocate here. We are still an affordable place to live either renting an apartment or purchasing a home, we have a lot to offer families. People in the Bay Area see Concord as a community that has a lot to offer its residents. Concord is a safe place to shop such as the Veranda Shopping Center, The Willows, Sun Valley Mall and Downtown at Todos Santos Plaza. We have some great amenities such as Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, The Concord Pavilion, Disc Golf at Hillcrest Park, a great 18 Hole Golf Course at Diablo Creek, and 26 Parks. Our year-round Thursday Farmers Market and Summer Concert Series, Tuesday Blues in July, and our 4th of July Festivities bring thousands of people into Downtown Concord. We have access to good public transportation through the two BART stations that allow people to easily travel either to San Francisco, Oakland or even San Jose. We were voted the Happiest City in America in 2021 and I feel that is reflective of Concord still being a large City with a smalltown feel, where people care, and enjoy each other as neighbors.

What can be done to make Concord a better city?

While we continue to focus on Housing, Public Safety, Infrastructure Improvements, Economic Development and Good Governance, Concord is on track to take on some of the most robust housing and economic development projects ever laid out over the next 5 years. There will consistently be new hurdles along the way such as the Pandemic, Economic booms and recessions, but we must not lose track of keeping Concord safe and vibrant. Concord will continue to grow and expand, but it needs to happen in a smart and well planned out manner. We need to embrace growth and keep pushing to be innovative in our approach. We need to find strategic partnerships and build relationships with our regional, state, and federal partners. We get better by working together.

What personal information do you want to share Married? Children? Pets? Spare time pursuits?

I am married to my wife Michelle. We have three children, Andrew, Alyssa, and Audrey. We have two dogs, Jake and Sophie, and two cats, Mary Ann and Ginger. I am a local State Farm Agent and an Assistant Track Coach at Clayton Valley High School.

One of my proudest accomplishments was before I was even on the Concord City Council. Since 2014 I founded and directed the Concord July 4th Festival and Fireworks where I worked with the City of Concord, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, multiple community partners, and local businesses to raise funds to organize this annual event. The event draws 10’s of thousands of people from not just the City of Concord, but the surrounding region.

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