|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
After a year and a half on the Menlo Park City Council, council member Maria Doerr announced in a May 28 blog post that she will not seek reelection due to a planned move out of Menlo Park.
She is the second City Council member to declare that she will not be on the ballot in the upcoming election; in March Jen Wolosin announced she will not be seeking reelection.
“After heartfelt reflection, I am announcing my decision not to seek re-election for the Menlo Park City Council,” Doerr said in the blog post. “Next summer, following the conclusion of my current term, both professional commitments and personal circumstances will necessitate my relocation from our wonderful community.”
In an interview with The Almanac on Thursday, May 30, she elaborated on her reasons for leaving the city, her unique position as a young renter on council, the projects she is most proud of and her gratitude for her time in public service.
Doerr, 28, was originally appointed to the council in January 2023 to fill a vacancy left by Ray Mueller after he was elected to the county Board of Supervisors. She represents District 5, which includes Sharon Heights, Stanford Hills and parts of West Menlo Park.
In addition to her council duties, Doerr is a Program Officer at the Rural Climate Partnership.
In her farewell blog post, Doerr said she will spend the remainder of her term working “diligently to ensure that ongoing projects are on solid footing and that the future incoming council member is well-prepared to take on the responsibilities of this position.”
Doerr does not plan to disengage from public service once her term is over. She hopes to continue making public comments and being actively involved around the city.
No candidate has yet thrown their hat in the ring for the District 5 seat, which will be on the ballot in the upcoming Nov. 5 General Election.
“If you, or someone you know, is interested in running for District 5, please reach out,” said Doerr. “I would be happy to offer my insights and questions to help determine if the role is right for you.”
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Almanac: What accomplishments have you been most proud of during your tenure on City Council?
Doerr: There are so many things I’m personally proud of. The things that especially come to mind are successfully passing our housing elements and increasing our zoning to increase the city’s affordable housing stock. And housing density has been something I’m very proud of.
And another thing I’m really proud of is getting the city — because this is really the city’s work — the $4.5 million that state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, helped us get. And the Menlo Spark program — starting to move that out to low-income homes (for electrification retrofits), especially in District 1. Supporting electrification is a big thing.
I’m also very excited about efforts we’ve made to advance protected bike lanes or … buffered bike lanes, and to advance ordinances like the zero-emission landscape equipment ordinance.
A big priority for me, as I came in as a relatively new person to the City Council, was to make myself available to people. I am so grateful that the weekly public office hours that I hold at the (Woodside) Bakery are popular and well attended, and that folks have been comfortable reaching out to me directly. I’ve gotten to have many one on one conversations with residents and neighbors and that’s something I’m also very proud of.
Q: What is your favorite memory from serving on council?
A: About two weeks ago, the Belle Haven Community Center opened, and it was so powerful to be in that space with the other council members, Mayor Cecilia Taylor, city staff and residents who have been working tirelessly for years to see that project to fruition. Being in a shared space with so much joy and hope was very powerful and it showed me just how important it is for everyone to be working together to see change happen for our community.
Q: What challenges will Menlo Park continue to face after you leave the council?
A: Something that I learned in this role is that residents have different views and different perspectives on how the community should look moving forward. I think more of those conversations will continue to happen as we implement the housing element and build more affordable housing throughout our community.
I think that will require thoughtful engagement from city staff and the council to make sure residents are brought along in those conversations meaningfully. And I don’t think that the challenge is unique to Menlo Park; I think that’s a challenge that all cities throughout the state are going to have to deal with.
Q: Could you elaborate on why you are not pursuing reelection?
A: Happy to, but I’d also love to share a little bit more about my favorite parts of council.
I adore listening to and actively engaging with my neighbors; I see that as being a cornerstone of good local governance. My favorite moments on City Council have been hosting my office hours or visiting classes or attending community events like the Oak Knoll Halloween parade and talking to parents about priorities that they have for their community and their children. Those kinds of moments to connect with residents have been some of the most powerful and joyful moments for me.
It has been such an honor to serve on this council with such bright and caring fellow leaders. I’ve learned so much from every single council member and from city staff. It astounds me and inspires me daily.
I am not running because I will be moving next year, and I am moving in part because of where my work is taking me.
My work on rural democracy and climate solutions is calling me to spend more time in rural places. I am currently Program Officer at the Rural Climate Partnership, a funding collaborative that supports rural-led, place-based climate solutions through grantmaking and capacity-building. My partner’s work is also calling him to move. We will be relocating (in the) summer of 2025.
Q: What are your next steps going to be? What are you most excited for in the coming year?
A: There’s so much work to do in the next six months on council. I’m really hopeful that we can pass our environmental justice element and our safety element. I am excited to see us move forward on the … RFP process for the downtown parking lots as part of our housing element plan. There’s just so much to do and I’m very excited.
Then after I leave the council, I plan to still be an active citizen in the time I have left in the community. And so expect to see me making public comments at City Council meetings and still being very active around town and, you know, I’m still probably going to be spending a lot of time over the Woodside Bakery where I currently have my office hours.
Q: In your farewell blog post you mentioned that being the youngest City Council member in Menlo Park history and the first renter to represent District 5 gave you a unique perspective. What was that experience like for you?
A: I’m grateful that I felt welcomed with the different perspectives and identities that I bought to council. I’m grateful too that community members were open to me and to the different ways I might see them.
Because I am a 28-year-old renter and not a 75-year-old homeowner I am especially thinking about the needs and perspectives of younger families, (as well as) students and children in our community who will call Menlo Park home for years to come. Often in the decisions I’ve made on council, I am both thinking about needs of the present as well as thinking about potential needs of future generations in our community.
Q: How can Menlo Park continue to foster diverse perspectives on council?
A: I think additional outreach to folks who are curious about getting involved in public service would be helpful, whether that’s put on by local nonprofits or by the city itself. As I mentioned in my blog post, I’m very willing and able, and would love to talk to anyone who’s curious about what serving is like, in case they want to explore it either in this round or in the future rounds of City Council elections.
I think additional outreach to community groups … and engaging with faith communities and local chapters of groups and school classrooms are all really important ways to help people feel included and understand what’s going on so they can get involved if they so choose.
Q: What advice do you have for anyone looking to run for council in this upcoming election?
A: I would advise folks to talk to people who are currently serving different commissions to understand more about what it’s like. I encourage them to tune into city meetings to experience what the decision-making space is. And also to start getting involved now. That could mean providing public comments on different agenda items or coming during office hours to meet with council members.
Q: Do you have anything else you want to share about your time on council or your plans for the future?
A: I’m so grateful to District 5 and to the city for giving me this opportunity to serve.
I’m glad our city council spent so much time vetting someone who was invested in Menlo Park to replace Ray Mueller. Oh that’s right, they simply selected someone who would agree with their decisions.