Surge of interest in council races and it’s just February

In South San Francisco it is likely that two incumbents will seek re-election. Mark Addiego has confirmed his intention while Pradeep Gupta is visiting in India and could not be reached for comment. However, he never said he didn’t plan to run. It is believed that the mayor, Liza Normandy, will not run again because of her recent appointment as CEO of the South San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Despite this uncertainty, the following have announced their interest or are seriously considering running. Mark Nagales, an aide to U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, is already on the campaign trail and has lined up major endorsements from state and local public officials, including his boss. He currently serves on the city’s Planning Commission. Alan Wong, also on the Planning Commission, is also considering. At 37 years, he is probably the youngest candidate. He grew up in San Carlos, attended University of California, Berkeley, and now works in finance in San Francisco. He and his wife have a young daughter.

Probably the biggest surprise is that the elected city clerk, Krista Martinelli, is seriously interested in joining the fray. South San Francisco has no term limits.

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Meanwhile, in San Carlos, where two veteran councilmembers do not plan to run again, only two candidates have started collecting endorsements and money. The two veterans, Bob Grassilli and Matt Grocott, do not plan to run again, although San Carlos has no term limits. Grassilli has held the role of peacemaker and compromiser and will be missed. Grocott, a vocal Libertarian, has stuck to his principles over the years and often voted in the minority. But he too will be missed. Incumbent Cameron Johnson is planning to run again.

The two new contenders are Adam Rak, former member of the San Carlos Elementary School District board, who was the first to announce. He has lived in San Carlos for 17 years with his wife and three school-age daughters. He was a legislative aide to former Connecticut U.S. Rep. Barbara Kennelly. When he moved to California, Rak worked for Symantec and later held a leadership position in a high tech trade association. He now is senior vice president at a small consulting firm and vice president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce.

Laura Parmer-Lohan moved to San Carlos six years ago. She grew up in Southern California, attended University of California, Santa Cruz, and received an MBA from University of California, Berkeley in health care. She started her own business in 2015, Ruckus Partners, which helps companies launch various medical products. With two sons in local schools, she became active in the education foundation and Chickens Ball, a major school fundraiser.

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Unlike San Carlos and South San Francisco, Redwood City has term limits but they are long, 16 years. Incumbents Jeff Gee and Diane Howard plan to run again while a newer member of the council, John Seybert does not. He feels he has accomplished what he set out to do in two terms and is willing for some new faces to take his place. He is the exception to the rule. Most councilmembers serve the full 16 years. And Howard is on her second round. After her first 16 years of service she retired for four, missed being on the council, and ran again and was re-elected in 2014.

To date, there are six potential new candidates, some of whom have filed and some who are still thinking about it. Why all the interest? Redwood City is changing rapidly with tall buildings and a revitalized downtown and a huge new development, 1601 El Camino Real, will soon be up for approval. Here are the most mentioned candidates to date:

Definitely in are Giselle Hale, planning commissioner with a big political bio. She was field director for the 2008 Obama campaign and also a former campaign manager for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo. So is Rick Hunter, another former planning commissioner with a long history in Redwood City.

Christina Umhofer, a local businesswoman, and Diana Reddy, a community activist and rent control advocate, also plan to run. Still thinking about it is Planning Commissioner Ernie Schmidt but Jason Galisatus, who would be the youngest candidate, said he will not be running — at least in 2018.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs Mondays but is running Tuesday today because of the holiday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.