Obringer hopes to engage with community as Concord mayor
CONCORD, CA (Jan. 20, 2025) — It was with great pride that I accepted the gavel and the title of mayor of the city of Concord on Dec. 10.
Thank you to my City Council colleagues for the confidence they exhibited in me by unanimously electing me as mayor for 2025. And thank you to the voters of District 2 who re-elected me to the City Council in 2024. As mayor, I will continue to strive each day to serve the people of Concord to the best of my ability.
As we begin 2025, I’m excited to share that roadwork will continue throughout Concord under the ambitious five-year pavement improvement plan my fellow Councilmembers and I approved in 2022. You can stay up to date here at www.cityofconcord.org/1195/Construction-Updates.
Public safety remains a top priority for me as we continue the aggressive recruitment efforts that have stabilized Police Department staffing. Other major priorities include implementing our community-informed homeless strategic plan, continuing the redevelopment of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station, enhancing economic development so that more people can live and work in Concord and building more housing at all affordability levels.
You can learn more when I deliver the annual State of the City address at a luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 6, at the Concord Hilton. (See www.concordchamber.com.)
New initiatives
As mayor, I also look forward to introducing some new initiatives. The first relates to the historic Don Fernando Pacheco Adobe, located next to Hillcrest Park in North Concord. The adobe is listed by the National Register of Historic Places and the California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation. It is my goal to help raise funds to revitalize this city treasure, in partnership with the Concord Historical Society. Please save the date for Saturday, Oct. 4, for a bowling fundraiser 1-3 p.m. at Clayton Valley Bowl.
Another initiative focuses on building a sense of community. I want residents to feel pride in being a Concordian. Neighborhood meetings and community cleanup/beautification events are two excellent ways to build positive relationships and a sense of place. In both instances, residents come together to focus on a common issue impacting their neighborhood and take action to improve the situation.
Over the past eight years, I have helped to convene quarterly neighborhood meetings and cleanup events throughout the city and look forward to expanding these efforts via the Adopt-A-Street and Adopt-A-Spot programs. On a related note, I will be continuing my September of Service initiative, whereby residents are invited to participate in a community service project throughout the city.
Accessibility
Finally, I believe it is critical for the mayor to be accessible to the people and available to directly hear their city-related questions and concerns. To that end, I will hold office hours at the mayor’s office at 1950 Parkside Dr. from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. most Friday afternoons. Once a month, I will hold “Coffee with the Mayor” or “Beer with the Mayor” at a Concord establishment, to highlight a local business. That way, Concordians can connect with their mayor in a more or less formal setting.
I look forward to working with my City Council colleagues to help make Concord an even better community in which to live, work, raise a family, operate a business and retire. It’s going to be a great year.
Contact Mayor Obringer at carlyn.obringer@cityofconcord.org