Bob McBain Enters City Council Race

Bob McBain has joined incumbent Margaret Fujioka and challenger in what is now a contested race for two spots on Piedmont City Council.

McBain, a 22-year Piedmont resident semi-retired from a career in banking and finance, has been volunteering in the community for roughly the last decade. He first got involved "inadvertently" with youth sports and later with the Piedmont Educational Foundation, where he is in his fourth year as a board member.

As a member of City Council, McBain said in an interview Tuesday that he would be committed to keeping the relationship between the city and the school district strong.

"A lot of people don't differentiate," he said. "They expect sound strong schools and a good community."

Along with police and fire services to keep Piedmont safe, McBain believes recreational facilities are an essential part of that.

He served for six years on the Recreation Commission before terming out in March. As chair of the commission in the past year, McBain presided over the to recommend the proposed development of Blair Park.

More recently, as a member of the Municipal Tax Review Committee, he that the controversial project would become a drain on the city's general fund, expressing confidence that the backers of the development and future users of the planned sports fields would chip in to cover the costs of construction and maintenance.

"In terms of the financial and legal risk management … there's no doubt in my mind that that's not going to be an issue," McBain reiterated Tuesday.

McBain did vote in favor of the that recommends the city establish standard procedures for executing large capital projects and take steps to ensure new commitments like the proposed Blair Park development have a net zero impact on the general fund. 

"The city has a blueprint to improve its financial situation," McBain said, referring to the committee's report. He pledged that, should he be elected to council, he would follow it. "I signed it," he said.

"We need to make sure that the city remains not just fiscally sound, but confident and hopeful and we can continue to do good things," McBain said. "That's what always inspired me to volunteer—that this is such a great community to live in."