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Chris Clark has held the distinction of serving as Mountain View’s youngest mayor. Now he is seeking a third term on the council, this time as a seasoned policymaker who is looking to fill one of the four open seats up for grabs this November.
“I’ve had multiple passions in life but two of the ones that I’ve tried to pursue over the last couple of years are a passion for technology and helping others,” Clark said.
Clark is the chief operating officer of the nonprofit OpenResearch, and about 16 years ago put down roots in Mountain View. Ever since then, he has been involved in local governance, serving on the City Council as well as the Environmental Planning Commission, an advisory group that weighs in on land use policies, which he was appointed to a second time in 2021.
Clark says he misses some of the wider community issues that City Council addresses, and that he is ready to dive back in to bring projects and plans to fruition.
When Clark was first elected to City Council in 2012, Mountain View was just coming out of a recession, and it was unclear where the economy was heading, he said. But things soon started to pick up, especially as tech companies expanded, and there was more demand for office and housing growth.
Since then, the demand for office space has softened and projects are harder to get off the ground. But there still are lessons to be learned from the rapid growth that occurred during the boom years, Clark said.
“One of the things over the next four years that I think voters are hoping for is that a lot of our infrastructure and things like transit, parks and open space and environmental sustainability can catch up,” he said, adding that he plans to focus on these issues if elected.
Clark said he has seen a lot of success with the city’s subsidized housing programs, with the number of units doubling over the last several years. But funding is drying up, he said, and it’s important for the city to keep seeking opportunities to redevelop empty lots and existing sites into more housing.
Clark has weighed in on these issues directly on the planning commission, expressing support for adding more density to multifamily residential areas to allow for a greater mix of housing types and uses.
Clark said he wants to ensure that different housing types are available for residents of different income levels. This includes entry-level home ownership opportunities like stacked flats and townhouses, which are bigger but not as expensive as single-family homes, he said.
“I think that’s one of the things that sets us apart too from some of our neighbors is that we’ve invested in having a diverse housing stock, and I think we want to make sure that we continue that, especially on the subsidized housing front,” Clark said.
Downtown Mountain View is another area to keep an eye on, Clark said. He viewed the pedestrian mall as a positive development but also noted that small businesses are struggling, and there are a lot of storefront vacancies. The city needs to keep step with other jurisdictions that have revitalized their downtown areas, he said.
Clark identified public safety as a top campaign priority too. “One of our primary responsibilities as a city is to make sure that people have the public safety apparatus that they need,” he said. It’s important for people to have responsive emergency services as well as basic services, like trash removal, he added.
While a familiar face to many Mountain View residents, Clark plans to run a strong ground game to reach out to voters during the campaign. “Our voters are pretty politically savvy and very well-informed. So, I found over the years that the best way to engage with them is to do so directly,” he said. For these reasons, Clark plans to go door-to-door and attend neighborhood meetings to get his message out, he said.
Clark joins a robust list of candidates who have announced their intentions to run for City Council. This includes incumbent Mayor Pat Showalter and Council member Emily Ann Ramos, former Council member John McAlister, Mountain View Whisman trustee Devon Conley, Human Relations Commissioner Erik Poicon, and Nicholas Hargis, a congressional aide for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo.