San José Mayor Acts to End Business-Labor Divide with Vice Mayor, Committee Nominations
San José Mayor Acts to End Business-Labor Divide with Vice Mayor, Committee Nominations
For Immediate Release:
January 5, 2023
Click for a photo of Councilmember Kamei
Media Contact:
Tasha Dean, Chief Communications Officer, Office of Mayor Matt Mahan, [email protected]
SAN JOSÉ, CA – In one of his first acts as Mayor, Matt Mahan took a substantive step toward unifying the City Council and moving the city past unproductive political divisions by nominating newly-elected, labor-endorsed District 1 Councilmember Rosemary Kamei as Vice Mayor. Mayor Mahan is also nominating all four returning Councilmembers to chair the Council’s standing committees and comprise the Rules Committee, which sets the agendas for Council meetings, with Councilmember David Cohen as chair.
“San Jose residents don’t care about labels, they care about results,” said San Jose Mayor Mahan. “Rosemary Kamei is collaborative, thoughtful, independent, has a ton of common sense and is a great listener. She is excited about assuming more leadership responsibilities than Vice Mayors traditionally have in San Jose and is committed, as I am, to putting unnecessary conflicts behind us, as we focus on driving results on homelessness, community safety and blight.”
Rosemary Kamei, who was elected into the San José City Council with over 60% of the popular vote, represents District 1 in West San José. Prior to her election to the City Council, Rosemary has long been known for her public service and contributions to the community. Over the last two decades, she has served as a Director of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, and Chief Development and Innovation Officer at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Rosemary holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from San José State University. On weekends, she enjoys cycling or hiking. Rosemary is the mother of two grown children, Ellen and Jonathan. She resides in District 1 with her husband, Tom.
"I would be honored to serve as Vice Mayor to the San José community and be able to have the opportunity to bring my expertise in governance and leadership to the San José City Council,” said Councilmember Kamei.
The City Council will consider the Vice Mayoral nomination at its January 24 meeting, as prescribed by the City Charter. The Vice Mayor is charged with chairing City Council meetings and performing other duties when the Mayor is absent.
Mayor Mahan also announced his appointment for City Committees, where he tapped committee chairs and Rules Committee members exclusively from returning and experienced councilmembers to champion a path forward for San Jose.
“Returning Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Dev Davis, Pam Foley and David Cohen have invaluable experience that’s essential for making the progress we all want,” said Mayor Mahan. “I know that each of them is committed to moving our city forward and identifying new approaches to our greatest challenges, from homelessness to public safety. I’m excited to work with them to focus our resources on delivering measurable outcomes for our community.”
The Mayor’s committee appointments will be voted on by City Council on Tuesday, January 10. 2023. Key appointments include:
Councilmember Kamei Media Contact: David Gomez, [email protected]
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About the City of San José
With more than one million residents, San José comprises the 10th largest city in the United States, and one of its most diverse cities. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world's greatest concentration of technology talent and development.