Why did Kim leave?

So I asked him.

“When I was elected to the City Council four years ago, I wanted to see if I could use my background in urban planning to add something to our local and regional decision making. Many planning professionals talk about getting involved in politics, but very few do. I tried and see why the public is leery of politicians and their motivations. For me, life changed and it was time to allow the Belmont City Council to bring in another perspective. We’ve done a lot in Belmont and I’m optimistic about the city’s future,” he said.

What struck me was the line about seeing why the public is leery of politicians and their motivations. When pressed, Kim essentially said “politics is a highly tribal affair.” There’s a lot that could be read into that, whether it be at the city, county or regional level. But my summation is that Kim is a policy guy and perhaps the politics of elected office was not to his liking.

Kim believed he brought an unbiased professional opinion to the table and dealt with the job as sort of a consultant, which he is by trade. He has been a private transportation and land use consultant for 20 years and spent five years as director of planning for SamTrans, essentially trying to make bus service better, until he left in 2017 and returned to the private sector. Before all that, he was a director of planning in Los Angeles.

“I thought I could build credibility with colleagues through having a professional opinion without politics,” he said.

One issue Kim got deeply involved in was the Managed Lanes project on Highway 101, now known as express lanes. Since he had experience with such lanes in Los Angeles, he thought the experience would be applicable here. The project became, for him, “politically frustrating” as the conversation turned to control over managing the system and its revenue.

Still, Kim points to a number of successes he has had on the council in his four years and that includes the downtown specific and general plan for Belmont in which he was able to convey some good ideas on mobility. He also says launching the Water Dog Run with its 10K, 5K and 1 mile dog run was quite the accomplishment as it aimed to build community. And his colleagues on the council seem to appreciate the work he put in and his contributions, though they were also taken by surprise.

Kim said he’s been thinking about leaving for a couple of months and, after making the announcement, determined he didn’t want to be a lame duck and instead give the council a chance to replace him. It also essentially completes his one four-year term, though it was extended one year to comply with Senate Bill 415, which aimed to increase voter turnout by moving elections to even years. That means the council could appoint a replacement or hold a special election, the soonest of which would be in March. On Tuesday, the council moved toward appointing someone for the final year of Kim’s new five-year term.

So there you have it. While there isn’t a definitive why, I think there is enough to answer most questions and a careful reader can see between the lines. I think it also speaks to the challenge of holding elected office in San Mateo County right now. We have had a few early departures recently and one of the reasons is because the makeup of those who are running for office is changing a bit. There are more younger people with families who take on a huge task to perhaps see it is an enormous amount of work for basically no pay and lots of sometimes negative communication through a variety of ways — phone calls, email and social media. Council positions are essentially part-time jobs but can take on the characteristic of full-time work real quick especially when you add in the responsibility of regional boards. You add in the responsibilities of a family and the need to make a living and it’s a challenge. Add the challenge of politics and perhaps someone who is more into policy might decide to take their leave. And when someone decides something is not for them, it’s time to take that step — everyone should respect that.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.