Concord City Council selects new leadership; former mayor recognizes community service

Concord officially has a new city councilperson and a new mayor who isn’t totally new.

Mayor Carlyn Obringer, who was reelected last month and was appointed mayor by her fellow councilmembers in 2019, moved back into the role at the council’s Dec. 10 meeting. Pablo Benavente officially took his seat after defeating former mayor Edi Birsan in last month’s District 4 race.

“We have a variety of areas where we’ve made progress, but there is much more work to do,” she said, saying her goals include roadway improvements, public safety, addressing homelessness, economic development and redevelopment of the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.

Benavente was raised in Concord and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from CSU East Bay. He is a government relations professional in the tech industry. Benavente previously served on the city’s Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Committee.

The outgoing mayor annually honors someone who has gone above and beyond for the Concord community. Birsan on Tuesday recognized former city clerk Mary Rae Lehman and former Concord mayor Michael Pastrick with the Mayor’s 2024 Community Service Award.

Michael Pastrick, president of the nonprofit Concord Ambassadors organization, displays one of the commemorative folding fans presented to the City Council on behalf of Concord’s sister city, Kitakami, Japan. The fan features images of the two cities and a logo honoring 50 years of their friendship. Pastrick, along with former city clerk Mary Rae Lehman, received recognition for their volunteer work with the organization from outgoing Mayor Edi Birsan at the Dec. 10, 2024, council meeting. (Partial framegrab via City of Concord)

Lehman and Pastrick lead the nonprofit Concord Ambassadors organization, which manages the city’s relationship with its sister city, Kitakami, Japan.

For more than a year, Lehman, Pastrick, volunteers and a committee of community members worked to organize the 50^th anniversary of the sister city relationship, which culminated in a four-day visit by a delegation from Kitakami in October.

The visit included a tour of Concord and the greater Bay Area, multiple social events, and a formal dinner.

“For the unbelievable amount of work they did, they have been the heart and soul of the Kitakami sister city effort,” Birsan said. “They are totally deserving of all our recognition and our thanks. They made it possible for us to be reminded that we are not alone; we are part of an international network called the human race.”

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