McCarthy is an incumbent City Council member running for re-election. There are four candidates for two seats on the Council.
How long have you lived in Piedmont?
35 glorious years!
What you do for work, either in or out of your home?
I am a licensed attorney. In January 1995, with young children at home and looking for a better work-life balance, my husband, Peter Craigie and I formed our own law practice culminating in a civil litigation firm known at Craigie, McCarthy & Clow located in the Jackson Square neighborhood of San Francisco.
Have you worked or volunteered in the Piedmont community (or elsewhere) previously? If so, in what capacity(ies)?
Early on, I volunteered in every activity that supported my children’s endeavors. When my children were toddlers, I organized neighborhood entries in the annual 4th of July parade. At Beach school I was a classroom volunteer and served on the Beach Parent Organization. I taught PEP, Meet the Masters, and co-chaired the tri-school fundraiser. I was PMS Parent Club President. I served on PHS Boosters, PHS Parent Board, and joined the Wellness Center Steering Committee. I served 6 years with the Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF). I worked on many parcel tax campaigns, both for the School District and The City. I co-chaired the Measure E campaign to upgrade/rebuild Havens, Wildwood, Beach, and PHS. As my children moved on to college, I became more involved in City activities. I was twice appointed to the Recreation Commission. I served on CIP. In 2020, I decided to make myself useful by putting a lifetime of accumulated skills to work with a campaign run for Piedmont City Council.
What motivated you to run for office?
35 years ago, this beautiful City and its residents welcomed my family and provided us a strong foundation. My husband and I feel blessed to have raised our family in this wonderful community. I am running for re-election because I want to be part of the decision-making that keeps Piedmont a special place to live. I have enjoyed serving on Council for the past four years. It is a privilege to work with dedicated staff and committed community leaders as we endeavor to solve problems and serve residents. I am inspired and enthusiastic to continue service as a member of our City Council.
What are your qualifications to be on the City Council? Any special skills or experience the voters should know about?
As a member of Council, I participate in ongoing discussions and decisions regarding: enhanced public safety, improvements to aging infrastructure, fiscal oversight, state housing mandates, climate action goals, pool construction, and eliminating systemic causes of racial disparity. I am running for re-election because I have the ability and experience to lead Piedmont through critical planning and management with an understanding of the increased demands on our limited resources. I have served as City liaison to the Piedmont Planning Commission, Park Commission, Public Safety Committee and the Civil Service Commission. I served on the board of AVA (EBCE). I am the voting delegate to The League of California Cities.
What do you see as the most challenging issues currently facing the city?
SAFETY is our #1 priority, always. We must continue regional collaborative law enforcement efforts and continue to execute our 8 Point Crime Response Plan.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP We work to meet climate action goals focusing on building electrification, installation of publicly available EV charging stations and electrification of emergency vehicles.
INFRASTRUCTURE We must develop a phased plan for critical infrastructure in the Civic Center Area
HOUSING Piedmont is challenged to meet an allocation of 587 new units. In 2020, Piedmont began a process to meet state mandates while maintaining the essential character of Piedmont. A change in policies that traditionally constrained development to policies that remove restrictive local zoning is the source of significant upset in Piedmont.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT The best solutions emerge when we engage productively for the common good.
ONGOING FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
What do you see as strengths of the Piedmont community?
The greatest strength of our community is reflected in the investment we make in our children. Volunteerism is the beating heart of our community. We are stronger through the connections we make with each other. We become more invested in our community as we work together on worthwhile causes.
Finally, allow me to acknowledge, from first hand experience, our entire community benefits from highly skilled and dedicated City Hall staff and PUSD staff.
What will be your top priority if elected?
My priorities are making continuous progress on the challenging issues currently facing our city as outlined in Query #5 above.
Do you see yourself being especially involved in any particular city issue or program, whether or not it’s your top priority?
During my first 4 years on Council, I have consistently brought stakeholders into meetings with staff leadership to clarify information and discuss a multitude of topics in an attempt to reach mutual understanding. I know from first hand experience that not all opponents are wrong and not all experts are right. I will continue to make that effort whether or not a given topic is my “top priority”. We don’t need to agree but a good discussion helps to establish mutual respect. The goal of government is to improve the lives of those we serve. Transparency and trust in government is especially important to me.
Talk about any leadership roles you’ve held and what you learned from them.
I have previously outlined my history of leadership roles. My proudest leadership role, to date, has been serving as a member of Piedmont City Council. The most important lesson I have learned is that we move forward together at the speed of trust.
Share an example of your decision-making style.
I work to find common ground. One of the many important lessons my father taught me is to listen to the folks with whom you may have disagreement, respect different points of view, and look for compromise where possible.
What project have you worked on that you are especially proud of?
When my volunteerism was focused on enriching and making improvements in the PUSD, I had the opportunity to co-chair Measure E, the seismic safety campaign for Piedmont schools. It was a contentious campaign because we were seeking a $69.1M bond. We were successful. Now, 18 years later, every time I drive past Havens School I am reminded the growing pains were worth the outcome. I entered the City arena knowing that California lawmakers are pushing cities to adopt policies and programs for housing affordability and availability. Adopting policies that remove barriers to building in all residential areas, including neighborhoods previously reserved for single family homes will affect the character of Piedmont now and into the future. My greatest hope is we make decisions that accommodate state mandates while retaining the essential home town character of Piedmont inspiring pride in all/most Piedmont residents.
City Council members must navigate a wide range of community opinions and demands. How will you handle those pressures?
I spent a significant amount of time working in communities where the police didn’t regularly respond to 911 calls, where vermin infested school classrooms and children suffered food insecurity. I draw on that perspective and I am grateful that the challenges we encounter in Piedmont can be resolved with civil discourse among empowered community members.
What should the city’s priorities be when it comes to upgrading city infrastructure?
I served on the Civic Improvement Project (CIP) committee prior to covid shutdown. At that time, public safety experts had just initiated a series of public outreach meetings informing community leaders about failing infrastructure in our public safety buildings. In 2023-24 an ad hoc subcommittee of City Council revisited prior work performed that led to a discussion by full council. Following that discussion Council voted unanimously to develop a phased plan for the Civic Center Area that prioritizes the City’s public safety buildings. Making progress toward new or improved public safety buildings in Civic Center is earmarked by Council as an immediate priority.
What are your views on public safety?
While Piedmont is a small town, we are confronted with big city challenges. As Oakland contends with a spike in crime, Piedmont must proactively work with residents and our first responders to keep Piedmont a safe place to live and thrive. Chief Bower’s 8-point Crime Response Plan is contributing to a reduction in reported crime. Most importantly, City Council appropriated almost $2M in ARPA funds for a new Dispatch Center equipped with Next Generation 911 technology allowing PPD to accept and respond to a range of information from responders and the public, including texts, images, video, and voice calls.
As the Council liaison to Piedmont’s Public Safety Committee, I am accessible to community concerns.
Piedmont is required by the state to meet new affordable housing goals. What is your view on the approach the city has taken so far to comply with the law?
State policy increased target numbers for most communities and greatly strengthened enforcement. Piedmont is challenged to meet an allocation of 587 new units. Piedmont began a process to meet state mandates by considering lot size minimums, ADU guidelines, multi-family housing, zoning, and other ways to identify options for new housing while maintaining the essential character of Piedmont. A Housing Advisory Committee drawing on resident experts was formed. Since 2021, Piedmont Council/Planning staff hosted 70 public meetings/workshops on housing related issues and published 29 news releases. Outreach also included a variety of online, print, and digital engagement tools. The City regularly set up information tables at community events. The website: PiedmontisHome.org was designed as a clearinghouse for information and is regularly updated. It is human nature to focus on a topic when it comes close to decision. We have reached that moment. All voices matter.
Piedmont has recently received an award for its sustainability accomplishments and goals. What would you do to further Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan?
We have 3 immediate priorities to further Piedmont’s Climate Acton Plan: 1. Because City buildings are the greatest source of carbon emissions, we established a Building Electrification Task Force to guide corrections. 2. We have approved, funded and will soon begin construction on public EV charging stations 3. We have purchased electric emergency vehicles and continue to work toward full vehicle electrification.
The City adopted “reach codes” requiring all newly built single-family buildings, including new detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) use all-electric building appliances. Council was forced to repeal the portion of building codes that mandated all-electric appliances following a recent 9th Circuit Court ruling overriding local ordinances preventing gas appliances. Piedmont remains committed to encouraging homeowners to move away from natural gas and will work toward that goal.
What do you think about current recreational opportunities in Piedmont, and do you have other ideas for adding, subtracting or changing programs?
Our Recreation Department is a prized community resource. Leadership staff is creative and proactive in providing new and innovative programs to engage all ages and interests. Council recently had the honor to recognize the Sidekicks Program which buddies up high school students with neuro-diverse students. The annual Play Like A Girl event draws more participants every year. Looking forward, there is great enthusiasm and anticipation for new programming for all ages, inspired by the new Aquatics Center. It is important to recognize that PUSD runs PHS sports but the City Recreation Dept runs Piedmont Middle School sports programming.
Do you have a website to share with voters? If so, please add URL below.
http://www.connamccarthy.org
Is there anything else you’d like to share with voters about your candidacy?
VOTE. I encourage early voting by mail. Vote by mail ballots are sent beginning October 7 OR vote In-person during early voting October 7-November 4 OR Vote In Person on Election Day November 5
REGISTER TO VOTE: by mail postmarked by October 21 OR in-person during early voting October 7- November 4
OR in person on Election Day November 5.