City Council / Elected Officials
Contact | Bios | Standing Committees | Ad Hoc Committees | Appointments to External Agencies
How to Contact Your City Council
Address:
1950 Parkside Drive, MS/01
Concord, CA 94519
Phone: (925) 671-3158
Fax: (925) 798-0636
citycouncil@ci.concord.ca.us
Important Note:
For correspondence sent to City Council, City Clerk or City Treasurer, please put "Attention" followed by the name of the specific elected official.
Elected Official Bios
Mayor Guy S. Bjerke
Guy Bjerke, a Concord resident since 1989, was appointed to the City Council in September 2007 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Councilmember Michael Chavez.
Bjerke chairs the Policy Development & Internal Operations Committee, and serves on the Housing & Economic Development Committee. He represents Concord on TRANSPAC, the regional transportation planning committee for central Contra Costa County. He is the City's representative on the Central County Literacy Coalition and the Mt. Diablo School District Safe and Drug Free Schools Task Force Advisory Board and the alternate representative to the Citizen Corps Community Emergency Response Team.
Bjerke served on the Concord Planning Commission from 2001 until his appointment to the City Council in 2007, and chaired the commission for two years. Bjerke also served on the fundraising committee for the Concord Youth Sports Foundation from 1997-2000, is a 2006 graduate of the Concord Citizens Leadership Academy and chaired the Concord's Budget Review Committee in 1994.
Bjerke has a B.A. in Government from CSU, Sacramento. He is employed by the Western States Petroleum Association as its Bay Area Manager. He and his wife, Denise, have two children.
Vice Mayor Helen M. Allen
Helen Allen, a life-long Contra Costa resident, was elected to the Concord City Council in 1993 and re-elected in 1997, 2002 and 2006. She served as Mayor in 1995, 2000 and 2004, and as Vice Mayor in 1994, 1999, 2003, and 2008. She chaired the Concord Redevelopment Agency in 1997, 1998, 2007 and 2009.
Allen chairs the Infrastructure & Franchise Committee and serves on the Policy Development & Internal Operations Committee and the Infrastructure & Franchise Committees. She represents the City on the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) General Assembly. She is the Contra Costa County Mayors' Conference representative to LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission).
Before being elected to the City Council, Allen served on the Concord Planning Commission from 1987 to 1993. In 1995, she was named "Woman of the Year" in the 7th Senatorial District. Prior to moving to Concord, she served on the Clayton Planning Commission from 1974 to 1980 and was elected to the Clayton City Council in 1980, serving as Mayor of Clayton in 1980 and 1981.
Allen is a member of the California Symphony Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Councilors for the Concord campus of Cal State University East Bay. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA degree and has a lifetime teaching credential. She taught in local schools for 36 years and is retired from the Pittsburg School District.
She and her late husband have one son, Jim, and two grandchildren.
Councilmember Laura M. Hoffmeister
Laura Hoffmeister, a lifelong Concord resident, was elected to the City Council in 1997 and reelected in 2002, and 2006. She served as Mayor in 2001, 2005 and 2009, Vice Mayor in 2000 and 2004 and Chair of the Concord Redevelopment Agency in 1999, 2003, and 2008.
Hoffmeister chairs the Neighborhood & Community Services Committee and serves on the Infrastructure and Franchise Committee. She represents the City on the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority serving as Chair in 2007. She also represents Concord in the League of California Cities East Bay Division and serves on the League's statewide Environmental Policy Committee.
Hoffmeister is active in her support of the various veterans and support organizations including VFW Post 1525 – Clayton Valley; Blue Star Moms and Diablo Valley Veterans. She is a past recipient of Contra Costa Women's Hall of Fame Community Leadership Award.
Prior to election, Hoffmeister served as Chair of the Redevelopment Advisory Committee (RAC), Vice Chair of the Design Review Board, and was an active member of the Economic Development Task Force, Main Street Committee, County Connection Citizen Advisory Committee and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce.
She formerly served on the boards of the Concord Historical Society, American Association of University Women, and is a graduate of Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce's "Leadership Concord" Academy.
She holds a BS degree in City and Environmental Planning from the University of California, Davis.
Councilmember Mark A. Peterson
Mark Peterson was elected to the City Council in 1995 and re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He served as Mayor in 1998, 2003 and 2007, as Vice Mayor in 1997, 2002 and 2006, and as Chair of the Redevelopment Agency in 2001 and 2005.
Peterson chairs the Housing & Economic Development Committee and serves on the Recreation & Cultural Affairs Committee. He represents the City as the alternate to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) General Assembly. He chaired the Mayor's Green Ribbon Task Force on Sustainability in 2007.
Peterson served on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Community Youth Center and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He is an active volunteer with the Mt. Diablo Soccer Association and coaches high school Mock Trial.
Peterson obtained a BA degree in history from the University of Colorado and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Denver College of Law. He has worked as a Deputy District Attorney for the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office since 1984.
Councilmember William D. Shinn
Bill Shinn, a Concord resident since 1957, was elected to the City Council in 2004, reelected in 2008 and served as Redevelopment Agency chair in 2006, Vice Mayor in 2007, and Mayor in 2008.
Shinn chairs the Recreation & Cultural Affairs Committee and serves on the Neighborhood & Community Services Committee. He represents the City on the East Bay Division of the League of California Cities, TRANSPAC (the regional transportation planning committee for central Contra Costa County), the Citizen Corps Community Emergency Response Team and is the alternate to the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority and the Central County Literacy Coalition. He serves on the Countywide Committee on Ending Homelessness, chairs the County Parole Commission, is a hearing officer for Dangerous Animal Determinations and chairs the East Bay Regional Communications System.
Shinn retired from the Contra Costa County Sheriffs' Office after 29 years of public service. He attained the rank of Commander, having worked his way up the ranks from Deputy Sheriff, Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain. As Commander, he managed the County Detention System, and security for Superior Court judges and courthouses.
Shinn served as chair of the Concord Human Relations Commission from 1999 to 2003. In 2003 and 2004, he served as a member of the Concord Planning Commission. He is a U.S. Navy veteran, and graduated from Mt. Diablo High School in 1959. He later earned degrees from Diablo Valley College (AA), Sacramento State University (BA-Sociology and Criminal Justice), and Golden Gate University (MPA). He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He and his wife have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.
Concord City Clerk Mary Rae Lehman
Mary Rae Lehman has been a resident of Concord since 1981. She was elected City Clerk in 2002 and re-elected in 2006. She received an Associates Arts degree from Contra Costa College in 1998, became a Certified Municipal Clerk in 2008, and is employed as the Administrative Services Coordinator in the City Management Department.
Lehman was raised in a farming community in Iowa and attended Nettleton Business Training College following graduation from high school. She is the mother of four children and enjoyed the luxury of being a stay at home mom and community volunteer during their youth. She loves music, has directed and participated in numerous choral groups, and was a member of Sweet Adelines. In her spare time she hikes and enjoys doing arts and crafts.
Concord City Treasurer Thomas J. Wentling
A native of Concord, Thomas Wentling has served as City Treasurer since 1986. He had served on the City Council from 1970 to 1974, as Councilmember and Vice Mayor.
Wentling has been active in the Concord business community for over 40 years. He owned and operated a small chain of camera stores located throughout Contra Costa County until he sold the business in early 1997. He has served the community as past president of the Concord Chamber of Commerce and Concord Rotary Club, and as past chairperson of Concord Community Development Committee. During his many years of service to the Diablo Valley region, he has been involved with numerous committees benefiting the community, and has also been active in his field as president of Photo Marketing Association International.
Council Standing Committees
There are currently five standing City Council Committees, each of which is made up of two Councilmembers. The committees meet monthly to review issues such as those shown below. The committees then make recommendations to the City Council for action on items they have considered.
The Mayor makes new committee assignments following the reorganization of the City Council at the end of the calendar year. Committee members serve one-year terms. Committee agendas are available on the City's Web site. For more information, call (925) 671-3495.
| Committee | Chair/Member | Meeting Time |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure & Franchise Agenda | Peterson/Bjerke | 1st Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. |
| Infrastructure & Franchise | Allen/Hoffmeister | 2nd Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. |
| Neighborhood & Community Services | Hoffmeister/Shinn | 4th Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. |
| Policy Development & Internal Operations | Bjerke/Allen | 4th Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. |
| Recreation & Cultural Affairs | Shinn/Peterson | 2nd Thursday at 5:30 p.m. |
| Ad Hoc Committee | Chair | Member |
|---|---|---|
| Los Medanos Working Group | Shinn | Hoffmeister |
| Economic Vitality | Bjerke | Hoffmeister |
| Appointments to External Agencies | Appointee | Alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Association of Bay Area Governments General Assembly | Allen | Peterson |
| Central Contra Costa Transit Authority | Hoffmeister | Shinn |
| Central County Literacy Coalition | Bjerke | Shinn |
| Citizen Corps Community Emergency Response Team | Shinn | Bjerke |
| East Bay Division of League of California Cities | Shinn | Hoffmeister |
| Mt. Diablo School District Safe and Drug Free Schools Task Force | Bjerke | |
| Transportation Partnership and Cooperation Regional Committee (TRANSPAC) | Shinn | Bjerke |