Mountain View Whisman trustee Devon Conley announces candidacy for City Council

With a background in education and city planning, Devon Conley, president of the Mountain View Whisman school board, has announced her intentions to run for City Council ahead of the November 5 election.

It has been nearly two decades since Devon Conley first settled in Mountain View, after driving down weekends to conduct a project for her city planning degree while a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley.

“I fell in love with the general plan. I don’t know that every City Council candidate would feel the same way about the general plan, but I was really impressed,” Conley laughed, adding that she was particularly taken by the economic diversity of the city that was built into the plan.

Since those weekend forays, Conley has put down deep roots in Mountain View and has served the city in several capacities that blend her experiences as an educator with her city planning background.

As a longtime educator, Conley has taught at a wide range of public school districts in the Bay Area, including at Stevenson Elementary School – experiences that Conley says has profoundly shaped her understanding of how communities prepare for their future.

In 2018, Conley was elected to the Mountain View Whisman school board on a platform that highlighted her commitment to underserved students, and has served as the board president this past year.

Deeply committed to issues of equity, Conley has identified thriving neighborhoods, public safety and healthy communities as the three pillars of her City Council campaign.

“I want Mountain View to be a place where there are thriving neighborhoods that are family friendly, where we have a high level of public safety,” Conley said, adding that pedestrian and bicycle safety and climate resiliency are part of these priorities.

Conley described her vision for the city as adhering to the “popsicle rule,” an urban planning concept that says an 8-year-old should be able to ride their bicycle and purchase a popsicle in their neighborhood and get home safely before it melts.

“I don’t know if that’s something that’s true for every neighborhood in Mountain View, that kids can navigate the streets safely, that our small businesses are thriving,” Conley said, noting that this was part of her vision for healthy communities too, where there are strong connections and everybody has access to what they need.

A big advocate for green spaces, Conley has served on the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission and points to her track record of leading sustainability initiatives for the school district. Funding has been set aside for every school to “green” their outdoor spaces and become more climate resilient, Conley said, adding that these spaces are open to the public during after-school hours.

Conley also identified expanding access to child care as a campaign priority. “High quality child care is critical for children’s well-being and growth. It’s also good for the economy and it supports working families,” Conley said.

The city could do more to include child care services in new development projects, as seen with its plans for an affordable housing project at 87 E. Evelyn Ave., Conley said. She also identified other potential partnerships with nonprofits and government agencies to increase access to child care services, including the idea of taking over the child care sites that Google plans to close this year.

In regard to housing, Conley supports more family-friendly options, like stacked flats with two and three-bedroom units. This is more accessible for families with children and seniors, she said. Conley also referred to the school district’s plans to build affordable housing for its teacher workforce, which is set to open next year, as an example of the kind of policy work that can help maintain a diversity of housing options, she said.

Other equity-focused initiatives that Conley supports and co-founded, include her work with the Digital Equity Coalition that aims to ensure that everybody has access to broadband. The initiative emerged from the pandemic when it became clear that students who didn’t have access to the internet would not have a seat in the classroom, she said. Since then, Conley has been advocating at the county level for short and long-term solutions to bridge the digital divide.

Still, Conley was quick to point out that much of the policy work that she has implemented, particularly as a school board member, has been part of a larger collaborative effort.

“In reality, when you’re in elected office, you’re part of a team. You’re one of a group of decision makers, you’re only one vote, and you always have to be able to build coalitions and collaborate to get anything done,” she said.

If elected to City Council, Conley plans to continue to draw on this approach to get policies implemented, she said. She also acknowledged that if elected to council, she would need to resign from her position as a school board member.

Other candidates who have publicly announced that they plan to join the race include incumbent Mayor Pat Showalter and City Council member Emily Ann Ramos who announced her campaign last week. Former City Council member John McAlister and Nick Hargis, a congressional aide for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, kicked off the campaign season in early May.