FOR THE FIRST time since Bill Clinton was president, Dave Hudson won’t be on the San Ramon City Council next year.
The current mayor and longtime city councilmember is retiring from the council after 27 years — the longest tenured member since the city incorporated in 1983.
Current District 2 Councilmember Mark Armstrong — who has been on the board since filling Hudson’s seat in 2021 when Hudson was elected mayor — seeks to follow Hudson again into the mayor’s chair. As vice mayor in 2023, Armstrong filled in as mayor for several months in 2023 after Hudson suffered a stroke.
If elected, Armstrong — who was re-elected in 2022 with 62% of the vote — would leave his council seat two years early, possibly prompting the council to reappoint a successor, the same way he was appointed.
Armstrong will face tech entrepreneur Chirag Kathrani, a last-minute entry in the race who has said he didn’t believe the mayor should be elected unopposed.
District 3 City Councilmember Sridhar Verose is running unopposed this year.
In the District 1 race, Robert Jweinat and Vasanth Shetty are vying for longtime councilmember Scott Perkins’ seat. Perkins decided not to run for what could’ve been a sixth term.
Mark Armstrong
Armstrong is a retired U.S. Army colonel and former Federal Emergency Management Agency official who was FEMA’s response operations director for the western states and Pacific territories from 2012 to 2016.
Armstrong graduated from West Point and spent 30 years in the Army, retiring as a colonel in 2011. Along with his wife and four children, he has been a San Ramon resident for 19 years.
In his campaign statement on the city’s website, Armstrong talks about housing, lauding the city’s work with commercial property owners to preserve existing neighborhoods by meeting state housing goals by planning housing around current commercial areas, including Bishop Ranch.
He said on his campaign site his priorities are public safety, protecting neighborhoods, preserving open space, enhancing the city’s quality of life, and fiscal responsibility.
Armstrong said on his campaign statement on the city website that he’s running for mayor because he understands the city, its residents, and “how to create sensible opportunities for the city consistent with protecting our families and neighborhoods.”
“A successful city mayor must understand what makes a city healthy and its government structure, its economy, its neighborhoods, and most importantly, its residents and what they believe creates and sustains the quality of life that they want.”
Chirag Kathrani
Kathrani said on his city campaign statement he prioritizes a balanced budget, climate change (he said the city’s climate action plan of 2011 has failed to meet its goals), and traffic and transportation, with more walking, biking and public transportation options.
He said he’s dedicated to youth leadership and diverse opinions.
“I believe in the power of diverse ideas and constructive criticism,” he said. “I want to foster a culture where different viewpoints are welcomed and used to enhance our city.”
On Kathrani’s campaign site, he said he is against the city’s sales tax proposal Measure N on the November ballot targeting city services because it was written poorly. He said new development shouldn’t come at the cost of the city’s open space. He said he would propose structural reforms “focused on correcting the city’s excessive spending habits.”
Robert Jweinat
In District 1, Jweinat said on his campaign site he has been an attorney since 2022 and has more than a decade of leadership experience in technology startups.
“I bring a wealth of knowledge in strategic planning, team management, and budget oversight,” he said.
Jweinat also served on the San Ramon Economic Development Advisory Committee, where he said he “actively contributed to initiatives that stimulated business activity, supported local enterprises, and ensured that commercial developments met community standards. My work also included advocating for affordable housing and thoughtful redevelopment projects that benefited our entire city.”
Jweinat said he attended the San Ramon Community Academy, where he learned “valuable insight into the daily operations and challenges faced by law enforcement from our dedicated officers. I gained a deeper understanding of public safety, which is one of the core responsibilities of city governance. This experience not only built a stronger connection with the community, but it also equipped me with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions on policies that impact the safety and wellbeing of residents.”
Jweinat said on his site he would prioritize economic growth, sustainable development, public safety and awareness, safety of first responders, safeguarding property values, and community engagement.
Vasanth Shetty
Jweinat’s opponent Shetty said on his campaign site his background is in finance, technology, and program management. He has also served on the San Ramon Economic Development Advisory Committee.
He said he attended city government and planning classes and is currently enrolled in the city’s Community Academy, ‘further deepening my understanding of our city’s and police department’s operations.”
Shetty said he has worked with companies and organizations like AT&T, Stanford Health Care, Google, and “many innovative start-ups while serving in a global consulting firm. My background in finance, technology, and program management has taught me the power of combining financial acumen with technological advancements to drive efficiency and innovation.”
Shetty said he supports a full-funded and well-equipped police force and balanced infrastructure growth while maintaining San Ramon’s character. He said he will support mixed-income housing developments and provide incentives for developers to include affordable units.
Shetty said he would implement responsible fiscal policies that ensure a balanced budget while maintaining essential city services without raising taxes and promote green building, LEED-certified standards, renewable energy adoption, and energy-efficient developments.
Shetty said he would also focus on more senior and youth involvement, with focused town halls, listening sessions in accessible locations while providing printed, multilingual materials through local senior centers and community groups.