San Ramon Council To Interview 5 Candidates For Vacant Seat

SAN RAMON, CA — The San Ramon City Council voted this week to advance five candidates in the search for a fifth council member.

Mark Armstrong, Sarah Lashanlo, Dwight Pratt, Harry Sachs and Patrick Vanier were the five finalists chosen from a pool of 15 candidates. Candidates are slated to be interviewed during a special meeting Wednesday.

"Thank you all for doing this and making it tough on us to decide," Mayor David Hudson said during the meeting. "I can tell you I am keeping all of these candidate statements and hoping that we can entice you to apply for other committees and commissions throughout the year."

The District 2 seat was vacated after longtime councilmember Dave Hudson was elected in November to serve as mayor. The council decided last month to fill its vacant slot by appointment rather than special election, saving the city nearly $250,000 in special election costs.

Sachs is a familiar face to many in San Ramon — he's served as a city council member, planning commissioner and more.

"I submit to you and the residents that my civic experiences, knowledge base, and collaborative communication skills will further the Council’s opportunities to provide meaningful solutions to the complex problems that face us," he wrote in his application.

Armstrong is a retired U.S. Army colonel who has lived in San Ramon for 16 years and seeks to "provide leadership, oversight and decision-making skills which leverage my years of senior military and federal public service for the benefit of our citizens, community and the environment," according to his application.

Lashanlo is a mechanical engineer and California High School who aims to focus on a COVID-19 recovery plan and "youth and

elderly engagement, digitized community outreach,
and proactivity in planning for our growing population," according to her application.

Pratt said on his application that he enjoys making a difference in his community and hopes to "inspire and encourage all to work for the betterment of our community.

Vanier, an attorney, said on his application that he is a nearly lifelong resident of San Ramon and California High graduate. He works as the lead prosecutor for the Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Task Force.

Hudson, re-elected District 1 councilman Scott Perkins, and new member and former parks commissioner Sridhar Verose (replacing Phil O'Loane in District 3) were sworn-in last month. Councilwoman Sabrina Zafar, who finished second to Hudson in the mayoral race, remains District 4 representative. Her term expires in 2022.

Hudson was last elected in the city's District 2 — which covers San Ramon's oldest mostly residential section from the Montevideo Drive area south — in 2018, meaning his replacement's term will end in 2022. Mayoral terms in San Ramon last two years.

— Bay City News contributed to this report