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Mountain View’s City Council race is wide open this year with a trio of seats up for grabs in the November election.
The top three vote-getters in the Nov. 3 election will replace outgoing City Council members Alison Hicks, Ellen Kamei and Lucas Ramirez. All three will leave office in January after serving two consecutive terms. They are not eligible to seek reelection until 2028.
Candidates have until Aug. 7 to enter the race, and three have already thrown their hats into the ring, according to documents filed with the city. Mountain View residents Robert Cox, a retired Intel project lead, Silja Paymer, a Los Altos High School teacher, and Erik Poicon, a longtime community organizer, are the first to submit campaign finance paperwork.
Cox and Paymer are new contenders while Poicon ran unsuccessfully for City Council two years ago. At the time, there were nine candidates vying to fill four council seats.
It is likely that more contenders will enter this year’s race before the formal nomination period closes in August. Write-in candidates have until Oct. 20, according to city records.
Whoever is elected to the dais in November will join Mayor Emily Ann Ramos and City Council members Chris Clark, John McAlister and Pat Showalter, who were all last elected in 2024.
Robert Cox
Robert Cox, a retired engineer, is no stranger to local politics. Currently, Cox serves on the Rental Housing Committee, which oversees the city’s rent control laws. From 2013 to 2020, Cox served on the Environmental Planning Commission, an advisory body that makes recommendations to the City Council on land use issues, including housing development proposals.
Cox is also involved in local neighborhood groups and associations, such as the Mountain View Historical Association, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter and Livable Mountain View, a historical preservation advocacy group. Cox recently opposed state Senate Bill 79, which allows for denser housing near major transit stops.
“I’m a ‘housing and’ candidate, not a ‘housing only’ candidate,” Cox told the Voice, adding that he believes new housing should be built with other amenities like parks and supportive infrastructure.
Silja Paymer
Silja Paymer, a Los Altos High School physics teacher, is running on a platform that emphasizes her experience as a community advocate for sustainable growth. Paymer is a founding member of GreenSpacesMV, a local environmental group, and an initiator of the Cuesta Pollinator Habitat, which seeks to bring native wildflower habitat to the Cuesta Annex, an open space area next to Cuesta Park.
Paymer is also an advocate of transportation safety and says she wants to promote strategies to make streets “safe for all,” especially for children and students traveling to school.
“Right now, Mountain View is facing important decisions about growth, housing, transportation, public safety, infrastructure and how we balance progress with quality of life,” Paymer said in a press release announcing her candidacy. “I’m stepping up because I believe we need transparent, community-centered leadership that prioritizes our children and the environment.”
Erik Poicon
Erik Poicon, a longtime community organizer, filed finance campaign paperwork this month indicating his intention to run for City Council. Reached for comment, Poicon said he was traveling and would respond at a later time.
Poicon serves on the city’s Human Relations Commission, an advisory body that weighs in on economic, political and social issues.
When Poicon ran for City Council in 2024, he campaigned on issues related to housing affordability and climate change. Strengthening public services and safety also were top priorities for Poicon at the time.
My husband and I are always amused at people who are “too busy” because they are traveling. Aren’t you sitting on a plane for hours? Why does work stop when you change locations? Do you check your email less? Of course maybe he is on vacation.
I look forward to learning more about these people in this esteemed paper.
That Robert Cox is running for Mountain View City Council is very good news for residents. Robert is very knowledgeable of City and State requirements. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to stay informed on MV City issues. Robert has done this for years. I’ve known Robert for over 10 years as he has been on the board of our neighborhood association in Old Mountain View (OMVNA). I will be happy to vote for Robert.
Robert’s in-depth knowledge of how the city actually works was instrumental in helping us to defend our neighborhood of Stierlin Estates against the city’s massive redevelopment effort know as the Terra Bella Visioning Plan. I know of no one who is better qualified to serve on the City Council who will put the interests of current residents first. I’m glad that Robert is running and heartily support him.