Meet Mark Armstrong, Candidate For San Ramon City Council

SAN RAMON, CA — Learn more about Mark Armstrong, who's running to represent San Ramon City Council's District 2.

1. Why are you running for City Council District 2?

As I have walked District 2 neighborhoods and talked with residents about what they like about our city and listened to their concerns, I discovered I share a number of those same concerns. Our residents want a safe place to live, good safe schools and parks and roads, and services to contribute to their quality of life. I am committed to continuing to improve that quality of life – representing not only District 2, but all residents of San Ramon. San Ramon has been my home for 18 years, District 2 for the last 17. I was appointed to City Council two years ago and I am running to continue serving the community that has given so much to me and my family. San Ramon is a great City and I am proud to continue to serve our community and continue to the work I started two years ago. I am qualified, have the time, and have the passion to continue serving our residents.

2. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your constituents?

I have walked almost all of District 2, talking with hundreds of District 2 residents. Public safety often comes up in our discussions.

Neighborhood Safety – This includes too many vehicles that are being driven too fast on our neighborhood streets, especially streets leading to / from our neighborhood schools and parks. This puts kids walking or riding their bikes to / from school at risk.

Neighborhood Crime – Although San Ramon is considered one of the safest cities in California, residents express concern about an increase in home burglaries, vehicle damage and break-ins. While much of the crime they hear about is occurring in other cities, they are rightly worried. Because San Ramon is an upper-middle class community with expensive homes and expensive vehicles, we are a target for property crimes, leaving people feeling unsafe in their homes and vulnerable to expensive vehicle repairs.

3. How do you intend to address it?

I have been working to address public safety concerns for the last 2 years since being on City Council. I have had regular discussions with the City Manager, Police Chief, Department Heads, School Principals, and key staff and alert them to specific locations, times and issues I hear about or observe. I will continue to be a voice and follow through on public safety issues. Some improvements include focused police presence at key times and places, better traffic control measures and lighting at intersections, landscape trimming, and street and sidewalk repairs. I will continue to advocate for funding to ensure our Police Department has the funding it needs to be fully staffed, well-resourced and well-trained. Public safety and welfare will continue to be a top priority and our budget and should reflect that.

4. What should be done to solve the affordable housing crisis?

I’ve heard from District 2 residents and share their concerns about the high cost of living and lack of affordable housing and whether our adult children and seniors will be able to remain in this area. I support San Ramon’s approach to meeting our State mandated housing numbers – Regional Housing Needs Allocation or RHNA. Importantly San Ramon has planned for the majority of new housing to be away from existing residential neighborhoods in order to protect those neighborhoods. San Ramon is primarily concentrating new housing in the City core, locating the majority of future building near transit centers and jobs. This ties in to our City’s Walking District and Bicycle Master Plan and helps to reduce the number of cars on the road and eases access to retail in the City’s core.

The approach San Ramon is taking will ultimately result in creating the needed housing, while building good neighborhoods with affordable housing for all including our young families and aging population. It also protects the quality of life of our existing residents, neighborhood shopping centers, as allowed by State Law, and protects our open spaces and hills. San Ramon has a thoughtful plan and balances the needs of both current and future residents. San Ramon is doing all it can to create a plan that will result in all types of housing being created in our city

5. What do you think the city can do to conserve water?

San Ramon has been proactively making changes to help conserve water and complies with all EBMUD and DSRSD water policies and regulations. For example, many San Ramon parks and public landscaping have been converted to use recycled water for irrigation. We need to continue to convert turf strips along roadways to drought-tolerant, low water usage plants. We also need to continue to replace wasteful irrigation systems with tree bubblers and drip irrigation. The city already has installed a centralized computer system to detect leaks and adjust water usage based on weather conditions. As new projects or development applications come forward, San Ramon has policies in place to prepare for the future when recycled water becomes even more widely available.

6. What can the city do to help its downtown and small businesses?

San Ramon needs to continue helping its small businesses in many ways, including: Having an attitude that business is welcome to come to San Ramon. San Ramon maintains a business concierge service that is in place to help our small businesses navigate the permitting and business license process.

Maintaining our shopping centers – San Ramon helps our small businesses by working with landlords and property owners to maintain and enhance our Centers – whether it is upgrading centers to keep them fresh or helping to ensure that required maintenance and repairs are completed in a timely manner. Keeping a close partnership with the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce, including having our Deputy City Manager sit on the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

7. What other issues are important to you?

The issues that are important to me, and more importantly, our District 2 Residents are:

• Neighborhood and school safety, especially cars speeding and ignoring pedestrians and traffic signs.
• Maintaining the City’s neighborhood shopping centers as retail and service centers.
• Preservation of the Westside hills open spaces.

8. What differentiates you from the other candidates?

EXPERIENCE – I have 30 years of experience as an Army leader and then 8 years with FEMA, where I coordinated Federal, State, and Local resources during disasters at times when our citizens were in the most need of help. I have over 41 years of federal service which has prepared me for continued service at the local level.

And now, I have 2 years of experience as San Ramon’s District 2 Councilmember. I know this job, I know District 2, and have the experience and time it takes to be successful.

9. If applicable, what is your political party?

The San Ramon City Council is a non-partisan position.

10. How long have you lived in San Ramon?

I have lived in San Ramon for 18 years and 17 years in District 2.

11. If you didn’t grow up there, what brought you to the city?

I’m a California native and was born and raised in the Bay Area. After graduating from West Point, I served a full career in the Army. As a military family, we moved 12 separate times over my career, where I had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of communities. As I approached retirement, I could have moved anywhere, but San Ramon was my first choice. I chose San Ramon 18 years ago as my wife and I wanted to raise our family here. Like many, I chose San Ramon for the quality of life that we all enjoy – quality of the schools, parks, open spaces, and safety.

12. What is your day job, and how will that prepare you to serve on the council?

I am currently retired from my working/professional career. I’m now serving as the San Ramon District 2 City Councilmember. Previously I was in the US Army on Active Duty for 30 years, serving in numerous command and staff positions in countries across the globe. I retired from the US Army in 2011 and joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). While with FEMA, I held several senior management positions, including a Presidentially-appointed Federal Coordinating Officer in charge of managing disaster recovery operations. In both of my previous careers, I was responsible for analyzing complex issues, making informed decisions, and working collaboratively to solve problems under difficult, sometimes stressful situations.

13. What experience do you have serving the community?

I have been San Ramon District 2 Councilmember for two years – appointed after the 2020 election. During that time, I have worked tirelessly to get to know and support our community. I regularly attend San Ramon Committee and Foundation meetings, City, County and regional meetings as well as numerous community events. Locally, I have participated in numerous volunteer and speaking activities in San Ramon and the surrounding area. As an Eagle Scout myself, I served as an adult leader and Assistant Scoutmaster as my two boys progressed through Scouting to earn their Eagle Scout rank. I have also helped Scouts with Merit Badge requirements and have mentored prospective candidates desiring to go to one of the Military Service Academies. I am also a volunteer at Forest Home Farm, San Ramon’s Historic City Park.

As a hobby beekeeper, I have also provided classes to local schools, Rotary Clubs and for charitable organization fundraisers.

14. Of which accomplishments are you most proud?

I’m most proud that my wife and I have raised our four kids to become successful young working professional adults with a solid value base, love of family and country, respect for and desire to serve others.

15. What is your education?

Bachelors of Science – Civil Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point
Master Degree, Military Arts and Sciences, US Army Command and General Staff College; and Master Degree, Strategic Studies, US Army War College

16. Tell us about your family.

I am a Bay Area native and my wife, Brenda and I have been residents of San Ramon for 18 years, 17 in District 2. We have four adult children, all of whom attended San Ramon schools - Golden View Elementary, Walt Disney Elementary, Pine Valley Middle, and California High School. Like most youth, they played sports, were active in Scouts, and participated in numerous extracurricular activities.My wife, Brenda, was a teacher in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and is now happily retired and helping to care for our grandson.

17. What is the best advice you ever received?

Finding the right work-life balance is a lot like spinning plates on a stick. Balancing work, family, health, faith, friends and fun requires knowing how to deal with what’s important to you vs. what’s urgent (but maybe not so important).

18. Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am not a politician. I’ve never run for elected office before. I have no ambitions of running for State or Federal government positions. I’m a resident who has lived in District 2 for 17 years
and intend to stay here.

19. Please provide links to websites and social media.

Website: www.Armstrong4SanRamon.com
Twitter: @Armstrong4SR
Facebook: Armstrong4SR