How long have you lived in Piedmont?
I moved to Piedmont with my wife in 2021, to start a family and raise our children in Piedmont. My wife grew up in San Francisco and is a Cal graduate. I have lived in the Bay Area for 20 years and am very familiar with the East Bay and Piedmont specifically.
What do you do for work, either in or out of your home?
For 14 years I worked in business development and operations management in the Technology industry, primarily in eCommerce, online payments, and supply chain management. I have professional experience at eBay, Cisco Systems, and several startups.
In the last several years, I decided to transition my career to the energy / climate sector. I recently worked on a project to reduce wildfire risk in California.
Have you worked or volunteered in the Piedmont community (or elsewhere) previously? If so, in what capacity(ies)?
In 2004, I was Assistant Director of a grassroots political fundraising office which went door-to-door in Piedmont and neighborhoods across the East Bay raising money for the Democratic National Committee.
I am an active fundraiser for political candidates that represent the next generation of leaders in U.S. politics. For example, I have hosted fundraisers for Pete Buttigieg, Elissa Slotkin, and Joe Kennedy III. I have done volunteer Get Out the Vote work during election cycles.
What motivated you to run for office?
My daughter (age 4) started at Havens this year and my son (age 2) is not far behind her. We look forward to living here for decades to come. I’d like the opportunity to serve the community and contribute to making Piedmont a safe, affordable, welcoming, and happy place for not only our family but everyone else who already lives here or will be moving here.
What are your qualifications to be on the City Council? Any special skills or experience the voters should know about?
I have expertise in energy policy issues that are relevant to trying to create affordable choices for Piedmonters to electrify their homes, lower costs, and make their residences more valuable.
My business experience enables me to contribute to Council decisions on budgetary issues and to ensure that capital projects stay on track in terms of financial planning and projection completion timelines. If elected to Council, I will work to identify more options for public-private financing. I will explore adding new family-friendly businesses in Piedmont, such as a café, pizza, or ice cream shop, which will also create a new revenue channel for the city.
What do you see as the most challenging issues currently facing the city?
Addressing the rising cost of living, weather-related stresses on our aging infrastructure, and adhering to the state housing mandate – these three issues require the Council to review the city budget from top to bottom with a commitment to propose options that do not involve increasing taxes on residents.
What do you see as strengths of the Piedmont community?
In addition to excellent public education and maintaining a safe neighborhood, Piedmont residents have a common commitment to an engaged, inclusive, and diverse civic community.
What will be your top priority if elected?
I would be the youngest member of the Council. My goal would be to learn from other Council members and at the same time contribute the perspective I have as a parent of two young children. I believe the Council should make an extra effort to be transparent with and responsive to all residents concerning the important issues that need to be addressed in the near future.
Do you see yourself being especially involved in any particular city issue or program, whether or not it’s your top priority?
First, I would like to identify opportunities for the collective purchasing of home electrification products (to lower upfront costs) as well as access to additional financial incentives developed at the county and state level. Second, I would like to attract more family-friendly small businesses to Piedmont (e.g. café, pizza or ice cream shop). Third, I would work to ensure that Piedmont makes amends for the terrible events experienced
by the Dearing family.
Talk about any leadership roles you’ve held and what you learned from them.
My leadership experience has principally been in business roles. I have led initiatives that developed new consumer services and created new revenue channels. I have also worked in an international supply chain and found ways to reduce costs and reduce project completion timelines. I have learned lessons about the importance of clarity regarding objectives, openness to new ideas, honesty, and being transparent with all
stakeholders.
Share an example of your decision-making style.
Working in the technology industry, I have frequently been in situations where I worked on projects with a high degree of engineering and financial complexity. My approach is to learn and study the relevant topic areas and consult with a range of individuals from different backgrounds and skill sets. In order to develop the right solution to a complex problem, it is critical to first obtain input from individuals that represent a range of views.
What project have you worked on that you are especially proud of?
I take much personal pleasure in the steps my family has taken to make our home more sustainable and energy efficient. We modernized a house built in 1930 with a new electrical panel, solar panels, an EV charger, a smart thermostat, and an electric heat pump that provides both heating and cooling.
In my professional life, I am proud of my work as a creative business developer where I used my ability to identify unmet customer needs and develop creative solutions to produce revenue-generating, well-received products and services. I am equally proud of my work in supply chains and operational teams where I identified changes that saved money and reduced process time.
City Council members must navigate a wide range of community opinions and demands. How will you handle those pressures?
Listening and learning: these are the keys to handling any situation. Being on the Council means representing the whole community and working with others, especially including those with more experience on the Council. I would make a continuous commitment to listening to and learning from others.
What should the city’s priorities be when it comes to upgrading city infrastructure?
We must address the added stress that will come from extreme weather, such as the upcoming El Nino. For reasons that we all know, increased heat and more intense storms are unavoidable. It’s time for a reassessment of the capability of all our infrastructure to cope with future events.
Piedmont must improve its city sewers to meet obligations from a Consent Decree Order. The Regional Water Quality Control Board has requirements for stormwater management.
Piedmont’s scores on the Pavement Conditions Index (PCI) have declined in recent years. The Piedmont Safer Streets report recommended addressing crosswalk safety, bikeways, and speeding traffic.
Piedmont’s 2025 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) noted the near 100% likelihood of catastrophic wildfires occurring in the next year or every year. I support the Fire Department’s outreach work with residents to address hazards by switching from gas to home electrification and managing vegetation on one’s property to reduce wildfire risk.
The adoption of public surveillance technology such as Flock cameras has expanded in use across the country and has sparked community backlash in many localities, including here in the Bay Area. Some neighboring cities and counties have limited or removed Flock access, while others have continued to use or added Flock technology to their policing infrastructure. What are your views on Piedmont’s use of policing technology, including Flock?
There are legitimate uses of Flock for public safety, but we must focus on the use of Flock-gathered data for other purposes. I think my experience in technology companies may be helpful in reviewing the privacy safeguards Piedmont must impose on Flock data.
Piedmont is required by the state to meet new affordable housing goals, and the Moraga Canyon project is moving forward. What will you do to ensure that any development of hat site includes a focus on pedestrian and traffic safety?
Piedmont can benefit from new housing which can increase the tax base, increase and diversify student enrollment in Piedmont schools, and hopefully allow municipal employees (teachers, police and firefighters) to also live in Piedmont. Certainly, any new housing must comply with state laws and our local building codes. Planning should incorporate feedback from residents.
For the Moraga Canyon specifically, to be approved, a developer must meet specifications that are outlined in the Moraga Canyon Specific Plan (MCSP), which accounts for the impact to utilities, roads and pedestrian/bike pathways, stormwater drainage systems, and landscape. Given that Moraga Avenue is an escape route in the event of an emergency evacuation, if elected to City Council, I will examine planning for road traffic and AC Transit service. I will work to ensure that noise levels are controlled, wildfire safety standards are followed, and that the city continues to have a sports field and storage yard for equipment in that vicinity.
The MCSP notes that a “fiscal analysis found that the estimated annual, ongoing impact of the MCSP on the City’s General Fund was neutral to slightly positive.”
Given taxes from housing development, revenues cover increased costs related to safety and facilities. That said, I will seek feedback from residents regarding funding options for housing development.
Piedmont has recently received an award for its sustainability accomplishments and goals. The new all-electric pool is a testament to that progress. What would you do to further Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan?
New technologies are rapidly being made available for accelerating electrification and reducing energy costs. I work in this sector and I also have a Master of Public Policy degree with a focus in clean energy technologies. Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan is an important document that outlines actions that residents can take to increase energy efficiency. I want to make the most advanced technologies available to everyone at affordable prices.
Piedmont leaders have grappled in recent years with the city’s racist past, most notably by commissioning a memorial to the Dearing family, who were the city’s first Black residents and who were forced from their home in 1924. Is a memorial enough?
I appreciate the work to conceptualize and design the memorial, but I am not sure it is the best or only appropriate measure. I think the Council should talk directly to the Dearing family about their views. Another idea to consider would be to set up a scholarship fund to help with college tuition for Piedmont students from lower income and minority backgrounds.
Just for fun: What’s your favorite spot or feature of the city? (ie, a walking path, park bench, view spot, building, etc.?)
I love playing with our kids at nearby Dracena Park, surrounded by tall redwood and eucalyptus trees. Especially on afternoons in the summertime, with the wind blowing through the leaves and the sun shining, it is heavenly.
Do you have a website to share with voters? If so, please add URL below.
AdamHundt.com