Mayor's Weekly (Aug 18 - Aug 24)

On my Mind
My blog is back! I apologize for the brief hiatus, but I was unable to log into the Patch for the past few weeks as they were working out some things on the site. Everything appears to be working well now though. First off, I would like to extend best wishes to our neighboring cities in the North Bay as everyone cleans up and recovers from the weekend’s earthquake. Thoughts and prayers are with the individuals and families who are recovering from injuries.

Here is the post I attempted to make a few weeks ago:

This was certainly a busy week, but the highlight was definitely my visit to the Novato Youth Center to speak to the middle school students in their Leaders in Training summer program. The program for 6th through 8th graders is a component of the 1-UP-4 College Program and supports students in becoming leaders in their live and community. The program focuses training on the 4 C’s: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity.

The class had already heard from Police Chief Jim Berg, Supervisor Judy Arnold, and Deputy Chief Adam Brolan from the Novato Fire District in previous weeks and this past week I had a chance to meet the class of about 16. I brought them some food which was certainly a hit. We did some quick introductions with a little ice breaker question and then I got to tell them a little bit about what a council member and mayor does. I also shared about the concept of “servant leadership” and then we did an exercise/game to illustrate to importance of working together. It was a great class all around and lot of fun to connect with all of the students. Picture with the class.

Thank you to the Novato Youth Center for continuing to provide excellent programs for the youth in our community!

Around Town
Finally Made it to Off the Grid – I ended up with a free evening a few Thursdays ago so I headed over to Vintage Oaks to check out Off the Grid. Great food, live music, and lots of familiar faces. For those who have been, what did you think?

Lunar Module Exhibit Debuts at Novato Space Festival – There were plenty of excited kids and adults at the Space Festival on August 2nd in Pacheco Plaza. If you couldn’t make it to the Festival (or even if you did), be sure to come by and check it out. Visit www.spacestationca.org for more info. Here are some pictures from the Festival.

Novato Youth Soccer Kicks Off the 2014 Season – Enjoyed participating in the opening day festivities at San Marin with nearly 1500 kids. Here are some pictures from the event and the ceremonial first goal.

Novato Theater Summer Festival – This past weekend (August 23), the Novato Theater put together a great event downtown with live music by headliner LOVEFOOL and local favorite Ridgway Space Station. Great food, fun, and festivities for the whole family while supporting the Novato Theater (www.novatotheater.net). Let’s get it done! Pictures

The Week Ahead
Monday (August 25)
Application Deadline for City of Novato Commissions, Committees and Boards
For more information, visit: http://ci.novato.ca.us/Index.aspx?page=636&recordid=8291

Tuesday (August 26)
Council Closed Session – 6:30PM (City Hall)

Thursday (August 28)
Economic Development Commission – 3:00PM (City Offices)