On Friday, December 10, Belmont Council Member Davina Hurt and Burlingame Council Member Michael Brownrigg expertly led Leadership CORPS’s Civics Day: Being a Good Community Citizen.
It’s So Important
A compelling Question for the Day shaped Civics Day: How do we rework inequitable institutional/structural frameworks for civic participation that serve some, but not all, while also concurrently working in these systems for the betterment of all?
Through sessions including “The Power of the People in San Mateo Government” and “Historical Role of Race, Privilege, and Redlining, and Those Influences on Civic Participation,” the Leadership CORPS Class of 2022 learned a lot and heard straight talk from a diverse group of elected officials and community leaders including Senator Jerry Hill, SMC County Manager Mike Callagy, Half Moon Bay Councilmember Joaquin Jimenez, City of San Mateo Councilmember Amourence Lee, and many more.
Panelists and presenters shared their passion for public service, giving both big picture, countywide views and the local city perspectives. They invited the Class behind the scenes of their individual domains, giving insights into the hierarchy of government management, budgeting principles and practices, and the ways that they and their teams are working to focus their institutions on addressing racial equity every day.
The commitment of leaders to serving the needs of every person in San Mateo County came through during the entire day, as the challenges stemming from the vast diversity in SMC were in the forefront.
Feeling Inspired
And this Learning Day was held at the beautiful Cooley Landing Recreation Center in East Palo Alto with the beauty of San Mateo County spread out before the group. We thank Antonio Lopez, East Palo Alto Councilmember and member of the Leadership CORPS Class of 2022, for arranging this inspiring site.
After a full day of discussions that were authentic and powerful, participants left feeling both thankful for our leaders and invited to get into action. We’re looking forward to January’s Learning Day: Human Services: Addressing the Needs of all Members of our Community.
Our Heartfelt Thanks
LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SMC is grateful to our Civics Day Leaders and to each presenter and panelist:
- Michael Brownrigg, Burlingame City Councilmember
- Mike Callagy, San Mateo County Manager
- Drew Combs, Menlo Park City Councilmember and Facebook Executive
- Karen Cunningham, Brisbane City Councilmember
- Jovan Grogan, San Bruno City Manager
- Jerry Hill, Senator of California
- Davina Hurt, Belmont City Councilmember
- Joaquin Jimenez, Half Moon Bay City Councilmember
- Amourance Lee, San Mateo City Councilmember
- Jon Mays, San Mateo Daily Journal Editor
- Adam Rak, San Carlos City Councilmember
- Carlos Romero, East Palo Alto Mayor
- Cecelia Taylor, Menlo Park City Councilmember
Leadership CORPS is LEADERSHIP COUNCIL SMC’s experiential community leadership program framed around county-wide issues. Class members engage in a 10-month, 1 day per month, program via shared experiences, strengths-based coaching and individual learning opportunities. They build relationships with the leaders in their cohort as well as influential leaders in our county. Applications for the CORPS Class of 2023 begin in March 2022.
