The race to replace Warren Slocum on the District 4 seat of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has drawn high-quality candidates who would hit the ground running. Of the candidates, the ones with the best chance for success and who would best represent the district are Maggie Cornejo, Lisa Gauthier and Antonio López.
López is dynamic, personable and smart and has proven to be an effective leader in East Palo Alto this year as mayor. Cornejo has significant experience working for the county as a District 4 legislative aide. She knows the ins and outs of the office and is highly capable. Gauthier has served three terms on the East Palo Alto City Council where she earned her experience making policy decisions that affect thousands of people every day while developing insight into regional issues important for the supervisor position. Any one of the three could hit the ground running. However, in a position like supervisor, experience matters, and both Cornejo and Gauthier have more time steeped in the history of issues that face the district. Both would excel in the position. If one has to choose, and one does, the edge goes to Gauthier because of her elected experience and perspective on issues both regional and local, big and small.
Since 2013, District 4 has been well represented by Slocum and before that it was represented by Rose Jacobs Gibson, a former member of the East Palo Alto City Council. Gauthier is in her third term representing the city of 30,000, which acutely feels the issues facing the region over housing, traffic and the impact of greater outside wealth. Gauthier’s experience on the council will benefit the city and the district as a whole, which is facing similar issues.
For Gauthier, traffic congestion, housing, climate change and fiscal responsibility are top issues and rooted in her experience leading East Palo Alto on the council and as a previous mayor. And she also works in larger arenas. As senior vice president of Inclusion and Belonging for the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, she has firsthand experience in applying much-needed concepts into larger communities.
Gauthier is a longtime resident of East Palo Alto, and has seen it through both good times and bad. She knows its residents, issues, strengths and promise more than anyone. She is a seasoned listener and advocate who works through collaboration, transparency and consensus building. And she isn’t afraid to cut a little red tape to get things done for the people she serves.
District 4 is lucky to have such good candidates from which to choose, but Gauthier holds the greatest capability to serve it well now and into the future. She deserves your vote.
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