On December 5th, John Reed became Mayor of Fairfax, the fourth Green in a row to be Mayor there. Reed is also the fourth Green on the five member Fairfax Town Council, where Greens have made up a majority since November 2009.
Reed, 54, has actually been registered Green twice and rejoined the Green Party earlier this year, after having been Green in the 1990s and Democrat in the 2000s. On June 9th, Reed re-registered Green and
wrote this statement explaining his political path, including these excepts about the Green Party:
"After reading “Silent Spring” in 6th grade, I became an avid environmentalist. Thrilled with the first Earth Day in 1969, I had found my tribe...Initially there was no Green Party. Imagine my joy when it started....The Green Party represents many of the views I hold dear. I believe that nothing is more important than dealing with climate change. Other things that the Green Party endorses are also very worthy, but this one issue rises above all."
Thinking globally and running locally. Reed was
elected to the Fairfax Town Council in November 2009. A filmmaker by profession, Reed has made his mark in office promoting fair and inclusive public process, expansion of bike paths, helping pass the city's general plan to institute green planning principles, and moving the city's funds to a local bank and beginning a local currency to promote community-based economics.
Reed's primary goals as Mayor are:
• Giving residents access to tools that lower carbon footprints and greenhouse gasses, thus reducing global warming.
• Providing more Bicycle and Pedestrian Infrastructure.
• Legally establishing the rights of the public to use the network of pedestrian paths throughout town in perpetuity.
• Dealing with important staffing issues in Town Hall.
It didn't take Reed long to move on this agenda. At his first meeting as Mayor, he announced that $300K in funding had just been secured for some long needed bike lanes and pedestrian improvements in the center of downtown.
The first Green elected to the Fairfax Town Council was
Tremaine in November 1999. He served three four-year terms until 2011.
Bragman joined the council in 2003 and is currently serving his third term.
Hartwell-Herrero was elected to her first term in 2009 and
Ryan O'Neil the same in 2011.
Tremaine also served as mayor three times, from 2003-2004, 2006-2006 and 2009-2010.
Bragman served two consecutive one-year mayor terms from 2006-2008 and then again for another year from 2010-2011.
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See here for more about the Marin County Green Party
In Fairfax and the majority of other small to medium sized cities in California with City Council/City Manager styles of government, the Mayor is elected by the City Council from within the City Council, in contrast to Mayor/City Council styles of government, where the Mayor is a separately elected chief executive, often with veto power over the City Council.
