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Belle Haven resident and retired cybersecurity professional James Rohr said he wants to focus on beautifying the neighborhood and equitably representing District 1 if elected to the Menlo Park City Council.
Rohr, 48, moved to Menlo Park in 2022 after living in Sunnyvale for seven years and said he was immediately welcomed into the Belle Haven community, especially by its current councilmember, Cecilia Taylor.
“Our first connection with the neighborhood came when Cecilia Taylor knocked on our door and asked us to volunteer,” Rohr said in an interview.
Taylor was elected in 2018 as the first representative of Belle Haven after Menlo Park switched to district-based elections. She announced in June that she would not seek reelection. Rohr said that after Taylor invited him to volunteer, he became involved with several community organizations and began regularly volunteering.
“With (Taylor) stepping down, we needed someone within our neighborhood to volunteer to take a stand and make sure that we are going to have equitable justice and that this district has its voice,” Rohr said. “Since I am currently retired, I’m one of the people who has the time. I was already involved with local organizations and listening to the neighborhood, so enough people said it would be a good idea for me to run.”
Rohr will face Parks and Recreation Commissioner Wonman Lee in the November general election for the District 1 seat.
Housing development
Rohr said the city should explore rental assistance programs and rent control policies. His priority is to preserve the ability of longtime residents to remain in Belle Haven, he said.
“If you go to Belle Haven right now, on any street you will find someone that’s been there for 40-plus years … That type of history and that type of community building, I don’t think we ever really want to break apart,” he said. “As far as the future of Belle Haven, what I want to see is people able to enjoy their single-family homes that they’ve already purchased and lived in for generations.”
Rohr said he supports some affordable housing efforts, including Habitat for Humanity’s proposed townhomes on Pierce Road. However, he believes most new development should be directed outside Belle Haven, which he described as “full.”
He is strongly opposed to the proposed 80 Willow Road development, which includes three high-rises on the former Sunset Magazine campus near Willow Road, citing its scale and the inclusion of a hotel.
At the same time, he supports housing proposals on downtown Menlo Park parking lots, arguing that replacement parking would help mitigate impacts on local businesses, many of which have opposed the plan. Measure P, a ballot initiative backed by many downtown businesses and property owners, seeks to block housing development on the city-owned lots and is also on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Community involvement and beautification
Since moving to Menlo Park, Rohr said he has become increasingly active in local gardening and community groups. He said he wants to expand opportunities for residents to connect through shared activities and learn practical skills such as growing food.
Rohr applied to join the Menlo Park Library Commission earlier this year, but was not appointed to the commission. Taylor was the only councilmember who voted for him. She did not respond to a request for comment on whether she plans to endorse Rohr for the City Council seat.
If elected, Rohr said one of his main priorities is improving the physical appearance of Belle Haven, particularly the center median along Ivy Drive, which is owned by Caltrans. Rohr said he would like to see the space transformed with greenery or a community garden. He said the city should work with Caltrans, which maintains utilities beneath the median, to improve the area without disrupting infrastructure.
“While trees could break the pipes, we could put things in planters or make it an above-ground public garden. Even if it was just a bunch of flowers for pollinators, it would change the view for people who live there,” Rohr said.
Access to services
One of the issues that has vexed Belle Haven for decades is the lack of a supermarket or pharmacy, which forces residents to drive to other cities for grocery shopping or prescriptions.
Rohr said he wants the city to do more to address the lack of access, especially after Meta shelved its massive Willow Village development. The project had promised to bring housing and commercial businesses, including a grocery store and pharmacy, to Belle Haven.
Rohr said the city should support a farmers market, like the one Taylor used to run through her nonprofit, Belle Haven Action. The city also should sponsor workshops to teach residents how to grow their own food.
“We have the ability to give people food and fresh produce — I want the city to help bring that back … those are concrete things that we can do,” Rohr said.
Aquatics
Rohr has concerns about Team Sheeper, the city’s contractor for aquatics programs at Burgess and the Belle Haven Community Center. The organization has reduced hours at its facilities, citing financial strain from lower-than-expected attendance at the new community center in District 1.
Rohr said the city should require greater financial transparency from the company and its CEO, Tim Sheeper, before considering any additional funding. He called for an external audit and questioned executive compensation amid claims of financial instability.
He also said the city should consider replacing the operator, citing past contract violations and what he described as efforts to “intentionally obfuscate” financial information.
In 2025, Team Sheeper broke its agreement with Menlo Park after the City Council declined to approve several contract amendments. In emails to the council, Rohr described the company’s actions as extortion. He also alleged that the organization continues to violate its agreement with the city.
Rohr said his positions on issues such as housing, food access and city services have been shaped by his involvement with community groups since moving to Belle Haven. Rohr said those connections to residents and neighborhood organizations ultimately contributed to his decision to run.
“Being a part of the community means that I end up talking with every single person that has some kind of issue in the neighborhood, and because of that, I feel even more protective of ensuring we have equitable representation,” Rohr said.
Rohr’s website is bellehaven.online. Lee’s website is wonmanlee.com.
Great to see another Menlo Park NIMBY stepping up to keep the city on brand. Eyeroll.
He wants to build in the downtown Menlo Park parking lots, but at the same time recognizes the fact that Belle Haven residents (and us in East Palo Alto) need to drive and park in them so that we can access the pharmacy, grocery, and shopping opportunities that we don’t have on our side of 101? Doesn’t that seem contradictory?
Yes, he is a complete hypocrite and shows zero understanding of reality. We would be better off choosing a resident at random than voting this guy in.