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Jennifer Wise, a commissioner on Menlo Park’s Library Commission, has pulled papers to run for the Menlo Park City Council’s District 5 seat, which is on the ballot this November. Though Wise is the first candidate to pull papers for District 5, Jeff Schmidt has filed papers and qualified to run for District 3.
Former longtime Menlo Park council member Cat Carlton also pulled papers to run for the District 5 seat on Tuesday morning, July 30. The Almanac has reached out to her for an interview.
Her announcement came in the wake of current District 5 Council member Maria Doerr’s announcement that she would not seek reelection to the council due to a planned move out of the area.
District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Sharon Heights, Stanford Hills and parts of West Menlo Park.
Wise’s background
Wise, who grew up in Woodside, moved to the Sharon Heights neighborhood of Menlo Park four years ago with her husband and her dog. She works as a trust and estate attorney for BNY Wealth.
She has served as a commissioner on the Menlo Park Library Commission since May 2023. In that role, she helped oversee the opening of the Belle Haven Community Campus and Belle Haven Library. Wise says that in her time on the Library Commission, she is most proud of what the commission has done to support library services.
“We actually just got our heat map of who the largest users of the library are, and it’s actually teenagers,” she said. “And I just think the services that our incredible staff provide to youth and teenagers and beyond is just incredible.”
Wise also says that her time on the Library Commission has helped her get acquainted with the inner workings of the Menlo Park city government.
“(I’ve learned) a lot about how our city works and the different interactions between different offices while working with our staff liaisons,” she said. “We’ve also been working on the Belle Haven Community Campus, and really just the interaction between … the public and our government. I think I joined (the Library Commission) at a very interesting time, because it’s probably the most controversial the library has ever been. It was definitely a great learning experience.”
The controversy for the library came as the Library Commission and City Council decided on a name for the Belle Haven Community Campus. A joint meeting of the Library and Parks and Recreation Commissions recommended that the campus be named the Onetta Harris Community Campus, after a local community activist. However, the council ultimately opted to name the community campus after the neighborhood.
Wise says that her experience from her day job as a trust and estate attorney has also helped her prepare to possibly take on the role of a city council member.
“I work with families all day long, and so getting out into my community, getting to know the families that live here is something that truly excites me,” she said. “Also, since I am a trust and estate planning attorney, I completely understand that for most families, their largest asset is their home … and so retaining home values, making sure that our community stays the incredible, vibrant community with the amazing schools that we have is something that’s really important to me.”
Policy priorities
If elected, Wise says that her top three priorities are preserving quality of life in Menlo Park by revitalizing downtown and protecting community services and green space; increasing safety in the community through safe streets and prevention of crime; and prioritizing families and community through affordable housing and the continued support of Menlo Park’s schools.
“It seems like some of our small businesses are struggling in downtown, we just have so many vacancies there,” she said. “It’s just so unfortunate, because I think we have such a quaint and cute downtown, and I would really love to see it thrive and be more vibrant.”
Wise says she hopes to apply her education policy experience, and her experience as the director of a preschool to ensure that Menlo Park schools remain successful.
“I started my career as a White House intern, and then I was appointed to work at the U.S. Department of Education,” she said. “I was the liaison to (Capitol Hill) working on all education matters, from preschool policy all the way up to higher education.”
She also says she really wants to hear from the community to ensure that she is keeping the community’s priorities top of mind.
“I will definitely be canvassing,” she said. “So if you live in District 5, I will be coming to knock on your door. I’m just here to say ‘hi,’ introduce myself and ask questions.”
Wise said that she also wants to learn more from other people involved with governing Menlo Park. “I want to touch base with folks who are on commissions to hear what they’re working on. And in District 5, we’ve had a lot of concerns with safety and the license plate reader issues, so I’m going to be reaching out to Chief (David) Norris to touch base there and see how things are going with that.”
Wise has not yet filed her candidacy papers, but has until 5 p.m. on Aug. 9 to do so. Wise and Schmidt are the only two candidates, as of Monday, July 29, to have pulled papers so far to run in Menlo Park.
Schmidt, who is running for the District 3 seat, is the current vice chair of Menlo Park’s Environmental Quality Commission. His priorities include championing balanced, reasonable and affordable housing development, moving forward with the Caltrain quiet zone project and continuing to invest in safe street projects.
You can reach Wise at JenniferMenloPark@gmail.com.
