As you may have read in today’s Contra Costa Times or Lisa Vorderbruggen’s blog or Bill Gram-Reefer’s Halfway to Concord blog – I am one of 19 applicants from which the City Council may choose a successor to the late Councilmember Michael Chavez.
The public interviews are slated for Monday evening, August 27 at 5:30 p.m.
For those who stumble upon this site looking for more information about me – here’s what I wrote on why I’m seeking the vacancy.
I am seeking the Council seat to offer my business experience, knowledge of planning and land-use, and consensus building approach to issues. My number one goal is to keep Concord a great city to live, work and raise a family.
My wife, Denise, and I grew up in the Ygnacio Valley. We have lived in Concord for 18 years raising our children – Amanda (19) and Brandon (16). I have a B.A. in Government from CSU, Sacramento and am enrolled in the Masters in Public Administration program at CSU, East Bay – Concord Campus.
I have spent a significant part of my career working in the private sector for business oriented non-profits explaining public policy processes to executives and business realities to public officials. I am now working in the public sector to improve the jobs/housing balance and reduce traffic congestion.
As a Planning Commissioner I am familiar with local issues and neighborhood groups. I supported the Commission’s efforts to broaden public participation in the General Plan Update by attending numerous PTA meetings at local schools and led the effort to remove the Concord Naval Weapons Station "preliminary numbers" from the GP Update to avoid tainting the Community Re-use process.
I have good working relationships with other elected and public officials throughout our county and will be an effective advocate for Concord.
I’d love to hear your thoughts either in the comments (moderated due to spam) or via email – guybjerke at comcast.net. Thanks.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.