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A late addition to the pool of City Council candidates, Greg Coladonato announced he is running, despite being only halfway through his first term as a local school board trustee.
Coladonato, 44, says he has no qualms with leaving his position on the Mountain View Whisman School District Board of Trustees if he were elected to a council seat. He describes his mission on the school board as completed, with the board having finished a five-year strategic plan and hiring district administrators he says are excellent.
The city is confronting a set of tougher challenges and he feels it could benefit from his leadership, Coladonato said.
“I’m confident the school district is going in the right direction now, rather than two years ago,” he said. “The issues facing the city are in more dire straits than the issues facing the school district.”
Chief among the these woes is Mountain View’s housing shortage, he said. Coladonato says he is shocked that tenants have experienced rent increases of 50 percent or more in recent years. Something needs to be done to help Mountain View’s large renter population, he said.
However, Coladonato is not a fan of rent control, the solution being offered by tenants’ advocates in this November’s election. Such a measure could ultimately reduce the quantity of Mountain View’s affordable housing, perhaps by pushing owners of older apartments to redevelop as a way to sidestep the regulations, he said.
“The good intentions of many people in favor of rent control may not be met by their desired effects,” he said.
In part, Coladonato believes the City Council should have made a stronger effort to broker a common-ground solution between landlords and tenants. Instead, he describes a “nasty fight” shaping up this November in which both sides distrust one another.
Coladonato said Mountain View could be doing more to address the housing crisis. He believes that the city needs to make it easier for homeowners to build secondary units, which some cities are considering as one of the simplest ways to quickly create new low-cost housing. He suggests that the city’s zoning should also get a second look to ensure that residential growth isn’t being needlessly restricted.
“I feel like there’s more creative ways to add housing to the mix at all different levels,” he said.
Coladonato moved to Mountain View in 2009 and worked at Google as a product manager. He has an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and applied physics. Soon after coming to Mountain View, he became immersed in local government, serving on the city’s Human Relations Commission for about three years and helping start the Slater neighborhood association.
Borrowing an idea he liked from Palo Alto, Coladonato and his wife in 2013 started a “Repair Cafe,” a free event for people to bring malfunctioning gadgets to allow local tinkers to try to fix them. He helps organize about four Repair Cafes a year.
He describes his current profession as an entrepreneur, engineer and investment-portfolio manager. He is married with three children in local schools.
Mountain View has four City Council seats up for election this November. The other candidates are local resident Ken “Kacey” Carpenter, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Thida Cornes, former council member Margaret Abe-Koga, Planning Commissioner Lisa Matichak, Human Relations Commissioner Lucas Ramirez and incumbent council members John McAlister and Chris Clark.
Email Mark Noack at mnoack@mv-voice.com
The incumbents have a record – of bad decisions and self-aggrandizement. They should take one last trip at public expense to Washington DC or China and then get ready for life as former officeholders.
I don’t like his condescending attitude and hostile mannerisms on the school board and I would like them even less on the City Council. But this definitely reveals what I’ve long thought– that he has delusions of grandeur and sees himself deserving a bigger platform.
There are way better choices for either office.
Greg is very passionate about many things and when he sets his goal to an issue, he sees it through. This will be a good quality on the city council paired with his leadership skills and “get it done” attitude. I think the City of Mountain View will do well to have him on the council.
I’ve been following the school board meetings for the last few years and am impressed with what Trustee Coladonato has brought to the table. He has a sharp mind and is not afraid to fight hard for what he believes is right. Though it would be a loss for the School Board, I agree that the schools are in good hands with Dr. Rudolph. Mountain View would benefit tremendously with Coladonato on the City Council.
I’ve known Greg personally I think for over 10 years. Although we may not agree on all topics all the time, Greg definitely makes me think and often brings a different perspective that I might not have considered.
I can see how Greg might come across as condescending, but I would never describe him as hostile or having hostile mannerisms.
People running for public office may have longer term political aspirations, but I hardly call running for city council as having delusions of grandeur, especially someone who has been on the school board and serving on the Human Relations Commission.
I am appreciative for anyone who runs and serves on the City Council, because it is a thankless “job” that for the amount of time required, is definitely a less than minimum wage job.
Wow…”No Thanks” has an axe to throw. I guess he or she is one of those who had to perform rather than just stay the course from 9 to 5.
Greg is nice guy who has done a lot for the community and addresses problems, which those who are the target find most onerous and vexing.
We need a leader like Greg who has and will continue to make the hard decisions, not someone who will stay the course or cave for the sake of simplicity and the entrenched.
GREG HAS MY VOTE! I like the man.
I have know Greg for over 15 years, and have found him to be a man of integrity. He is very sharp and when I have discussed things with him, he can bring up angles that I haven’t thought about. I think this skill is very valuable for someone on the city council. Someone like this can foresee some unintended consequences of a proposal, and point it out to the rest of the council.
I believe that Greg Coladonato’s leadership would be a real asset on the Mountain View City Council.
A libertarian carpetbagger who cant commit to something for the long term, is condescending and arrogant to his fellow elected officials? Not to mention Steve Nelson ally? No thanks
I am all for Greg vacating his seat on the school board. However, I’m not sure unleashing him on the city is the answer. Mountain View doesn’t need him or anyone with ties to Steve Nelson!
Oh, so the school district is now moving in the right direction, in his opinion? With abysmal and worsening teacher retention rates? Plus, thanks to Coladonato, a brand-new unfunded mandate to open a ninth school that the district doesn’t need and can’t afford! Ridiculous.
This board member has done more damage than good, so good riddance.
But let’s not promote him to the city council!
Greg is one of the rare people with great analytical skills and keen insight and intuition. This is complemented by his strong sense of commitment and determination to confront and unravel complicated problems in a way that seeks consensus. He would be a great addition to the Mountain View City Council, particularly at this time when we are faced with the difficult problems of runaway housing costs, and conflicting development needs. We need leaders in our community who have the optimism that good solutions can be found, and who have the integrity to do the right thing in the face of divisive political pressures. Greg is definitely our choice and has our vote.
Do those of you that support Greg Coladonato as a member of the City Council also support his decision to potentially leave his school board seat halfway through his term? The District might be moving in the right direction but all his leaving would do is trigger the need for another appointment of a new trustee. That disrupts the work of the Board and the District and distracts everyone from what should be the main focus: educating our children.
If he really would be an asset to City Council (which I personally doubt), then he will be just as much of an asset in 2018. The city isn’t going to solve all of its problems in two years, there will be lots for him to do.
@Question
“Do those of you that support Greg Coladonato as a member of the City Council also support his decision to potentially leave his school board seat halfway through his term?”
In FACT, that is exactly WHY I and many other MVWSD parents (who have been paying attention to the MVWSD Board since at least the start of 2015) do indeed want to see Greg Coladonato as a member of the City Council, so that he wont be a part of the MVWSD and some of us also believe that his particular brand of behavior and agendas as a Libertarian nit-picking professional politician “carpetbagger” is just what the Mountain View City Council could benefit from now and for the next few years.
Basically, we see his election to the MV city counsel as a true win-win.
Win to get him off the MVWSD Board and win to get him into the MV City Council.
For anyone concerned about Greg on the City counsil, please remember that there are not just 5 members, there are quite a fe more, so the damage he was able to do at the MVWSD was the direct result of the MVWSD Board only being 5 trustees, so one guy could have maximum negative impact.
I think his potential for good will be useful and effective on the City Council, but his potential for bad will be mitigated by the numbers of other members.
So, basically we repeatedly asked Greg and Skelly and Goldman and the rest of the MVWSD Board to find us a win-win-win solution, and now they have offered the voters one.
Nelson not running.
Lambert not running.
Colodonato leaving half-way to gain higher office.
Jose Gutierrez running to be elected to the seat he was appointed to.
3 new people joining the MVWSD. (maybe some elected some appointed)
1 Libertarian nit-picker on the MV City council.
I call that a nice series of wins!
I am also an MVWSD parent who has been paying attention to the Board. We can agree to disagree.
I was hoping the could avoid a repeat of the distraction of having to talk about an appointment schedule, recruit people to apply, and hold special meetings to choose a new trustee. In two years, we would have the chance to vote Greg off if we want to, without causing disruption to the workings of the board.
Greg is right, there are unintended consequences for rent control. His scientific background leads him to look at all sides of the problem.
As a landlord who has rarely raised rents for long time tenants, the proposed regulations will make me increase rents to the maximum allowed every year until I reach the going rent (I’m between 25 and 45% below market right now). That is because if I decide to sell, the new owner could not raise rents either, so why would anyone want to buy an apartment complex where he could not charge the going rate? It will take me 10 years to get to today’s rate, assuming maximum permitted increases by the new ordinance. I’m sure rents in 10 years won’t be the same as today. It would make more sense to sell the property for non-rental housing.
Incentives to increase rental housing to increase supply would be a better solution. Maybe we need a physicist on the Council to analyze this problem!
To the landlords posting here. You do not represent me, nor the other landlords I know. You depress the rent prices and really tick us off.
I raise my rents to the highest in my neighborhood. As the market goes up, I raise it over and over again. I lose tenants as they are forced to leave, but that’s not my problem. In fact, I make money with the move out as I charge “damages” at very high rates and pay day workers to do the work. Hee hee!
My folks left me this property and now I don’t have to work. My property manager works and I don’t. Aside from re-carpeting and re-painting, there have been no upgrades for twenty years now. More $$$ in my pocket!
The best part is that while the fair market value for this property is five million or more, the taxes are calculated based on 250k!!! Thanks to all the newer residents for paying my bill for services and schools!
Please do not pass rent control. Poker is my hobby and while I’ve been lucky, the tide may turn. I may need to squeeze even more rent money from my tenants.
Thanks for listening.
I’ve watched Greg on the school board for the past couple years. I have to say, I’m not a fan. Like Steve Nelson, he seems to enjoy getting a rise out of his fellow trustees. He has a “in the weeds” personality, which is not desirable when you are on a leadership board. Boards are for setting policy and direction, not for the daily minutia of staff work. Greg is not open to differences of opinion and is rigid in his ideological beliefs (rightward). He’d rather argue his point than put the good of the organization ahead of him. I can’t imagine him on the Council and will not be supporting him in any way.
Greg is an independent thinker. He will not go with the flow , just to follow. Council needs independent thinkers that can rise above the silliness of the mob that shows up to council meetings demanding council solve every problem. He needs to be able to work with others as Inks did.
Thanks for this well-written article, Mark.
I would just like to set the record a little bit straighter — I didn’t and wouldn’t say anything like, and certainly didn’t mean to imply to you, that “my mission on the school board is complete”.
I stand by my belief that the school district is in better hands now than it’s been in the past, and that having our first strategic plan in a decade is a great benefit to productive work at all levels in the district, for the benefit of our 5000 students and their families.
And, finally having a district-wide, comprehensive Measure G budget allocation that includes all major essential construction priorities in the district, was one of the primary district deficiencies that motivated my run for the school board in 2014. I am proud of the good work we have done over the last two years to develop a responsible plan to invest our taxpayers’ commitment to building and updating our schools.
In contrast, there are a number of critical areas in which I think the City Council is on the wrong track.
On a different note, our next Repair Cafe Mountain View is on September 25th, here’s the link for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/268122773574736/