I am excited to announce my candidacy for Brentwood City Council. I am running to ensure that Brentwood reflects the aspirations, desires and best interests of its citizens. I believe I can bring a wealth of experience, energy, informed decision making, and a grass-roots style of government to our City Council.
It was my honor and privilege to come to Brentwood with my family in 1990 to serve as principal of Liberty High School. Currently I serve the students, staff, parents and our community as assistant superintendent.
I have been involved in numerous volunteer roles in our community, including serving as a board member of the Brentwood Police Activities League; the East Contra Costa Transit Authority; A Place of Learning, which provides mentoring and tutoring; the Brentwood Diversity Committee; and the East Contra Costa Business/Education Alliance, which brings educators and businesses together to better prepare high school students for career training and college.
I am also a member of the Brentwood Rotary (past president), the Brentwood Art Society, the East Contra Costa Historical Society, the Brentwood Chamber of Commerce, and Brentwood Runners Everyone Welcome. In 2009 I was honored to be selected as Brentwood’s Citizen of the Year.
These are exciting and challenging times for our city. Brentwood is a wonderful place to live and work. In order to remain a great place, we must continue to move forward by working together in a direction that benefits and supports our residents and business owners. We are doing well, but I believe we can always improve. I look forward to the opportunity to make this a reality.
I believe it is important to our city’s vitality to attract new desirable businesses, especially downtown, to help ease the tax burden on residential taxpayers and to create new high-paying jobs.
Continuing to provide quality education is another important issue to me. I will be anxious to cooperate with and assist school authorities in providing the finest school system for our children.
Public safety, whether it be police or fire protection, is paramount to the essential needs of our citizens. Promoting environmental sustainability and quality growth are important to our city’s future and our well-being. These are all vitally important issues to me and to our community.
My wife Gretchen and I have been involved in our community for many years. We have always strived to make Brentwood a great place to live, work and play. In order to take a more active role in this pursuit, I ask for your support as I seek election to our City Council.
I believe in a politics of hope and opportunity. I believe and know that public service has the capacity to bring people together to enrich all of our lives. I want my candidacy, and if fortunate enough to serve, my time in office to demonstrate that politics and public service can be an uplifting and creative force for improving our community and its legacy.
I’ll be running through your neighborhoods this spring to meet you and listen to your concerns as well as opinions on city issues. I would be honored to have your friendship and support as I officially declare myself a candidate for Brentwood City Council.
Gene Clare, Brentwood
You were one of the board members at Tri Delta Transit who junketed to New Orleans last summer at taxpayer expense as reported right here in The Press. You did this despite the Authority's financial difficulties that resulted in cuts in service, including the elimination of senior buses.
Please do not claim that you have Brentwood's interests at heart. Your real interest is self aggrandizement and taxpayer funded vacations.
Please get out of public life. It’s people like you who give politicians a bad name. You actually believe your own press!