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Portola Valley will have an uncontested Town Council race this November with no challengers stepping up to run against three incumbents. Unless write-in candidates file to run by Oct. 20, Mayor Craig Taylor and Councilmembers Mary Hufty and Judith Hasko will return to their seats at the dais.
The town will not be cancelling the council election because voters will also be making a decision on Measure N, a ballot measure seeking to boost the town’s revenues by adopting a town charter so it can authorize a real property transfer tax. According to Town Manager Darcy Smith, if a town ballot measure has been submitted and qualified for the ballot, the election for Town Council must also be held.
Craig Taylor
Mayor Craig Taylor was elected to the council in 2022 and previously served on the town’s Planning Commission and Emergency Preparedness Committee. He’s lived in Portola Valley for over 40 years and has dedicated over 20 years of volunteer service to the town.
Taylor is also an active volunteer field member of the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit and is a retired tech executive.
As he seeks reelection, he said his priorities include earthquake and fire safety, government transparency, communication, preserving open space and exploring housing element alternatives.
Taylor is also a strong supporter of Portola Valley’s ballot initiative to adopt a town charter.
“This measure will allow the town to pay for the increasing costs of sheriff services and to maintain the roads and drainage systems to an appropriate standard,” he wrote in his candidate statement.
Learn more about Taylor’s campaign at craigtaylorforpv2026.com.
Mary Hufty
Hufty has lived in Portola Valley for over 30 years and is completing her first term on the council. Over the last four years, Hufty said she has focused on gaining the community’s trust by hosting office hours and maintaining transparency.
She is seeking reelection to continue the town’s work in developing “strong partnerships among neighbors, businesses, local organizations and volunteers, according to her candidate statement. Hufty added that her years on the council have “strengthened her ability to help guide the town through the financial, public safety and management challenges ahead.”
Hufty is a retired family physician, Stanford graduate, volunteers as a Jasper Ridge docent and considers herself a conservationist. She is also an active equestrian who owns three Icelandic horses.
“Together, we can protect what makes Portola Valley special while planning wisely for the future, creating a resilient rural community where people and nature continue to thrive for generations to come,” she said.
For more information on her campaign visit maryforcouncil.org.
Judith Hasko
Hasko has been an active volunteer in town for 16 years and has served on the Trails and Paths Committee, Planning Commission and several ad-hoc committees including the Portola
Road Corridor Plan Task Force and the Ad Hoc Affordable Housing Committee. She was elected onto the council in 2022 and was appointed mayor in 2025.
Hasko is an attorney who has worked in the life sciences industry for 30 years. She said her professional experiences in crafting “long-term mutually beneficial solutions” for her clients has enabled her to “achieve practical and balanced solutions” for the town’s challenges.
In her reelection campaign, Hasko emphasizes the town’s need for council members who embrace the town’s character and history as embodied in the general plan, prioritize the town’s financial health and focus on the community’s safety.
Hasko currently does not have an updated campaign website.
