Concord, Meet Your New Mayor

CONCORD, CA — Each December, shortly before the holidays, Concord's city council chooses a mayor and vice mayor from among its members for the coming year.

On Tuesday, as part of this annual selection, outgoing Concord Mayor Carlyn Obringer passed the gavel to Laura Nakamura after the council selected Nakamura to take over the role. This will be Nakamura’s first term in that role. She represents District 5.

In addition to naming a new mayor, the council selected Councilmember Dominic Aliano as vice mayor.

Concord is divided into five districts, with council members serving overlapping four-year terms. Concord residents vote for city councilmembers in district-based elections. Councilmembers choose the mayor and the vice mayor.

Before the transition on Tuesday, Nakamura recognized Obringer for her year of service, highlighting efforts to create more green spaces in the city with community events that helped residents plant more than 200 trees in Concord's parks.

Raised in Pleasant Hill, Nakamura moved to Concord in 1988. As a cardiac sonographer, she served as a steward of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) and on several regional boards, including the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission, the Marin Clean Energy Board of Directors, and the Growing Healthy Kids Board of Directors.

As one of her last acts, Obringer presented the Mayor’s 2025 Community Service Award, recognizing Walter Eichinger, vice president of the Brendan Theatre Corp. and the president of the Todos Santos Business Association, for his “advocacy and contributions to improving downtown Concord through cleanliness and security initiatives.”

Eichinger championed a pilot day-porter program and the addition of a downtown security guard at Todos Santos Plaza to improve conditions in the downtown area following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.

Obringer described Eichinger as a steadfast advocate for downtown Concord, noting his active participation in community events, support for local organizations, and assistance to fellow businesses. She said she was grateful on behalf of the city for his ongoing and future contributions to downtown improvement, saying, "Thank you for all that you’ve done, what you’re continuing to do, and what you will do for downtown Concord."

You can find your district here.

Upcoming Concord meetings and cancellations:

• Thursday, December 11 - Design Review Board: Agenda
• Wednesday, December 17 - Concord/Pleasant Hill Health Care District Grant Committee - Cancelled
• Wednesday, December 17 - Planning Commission - Cancelled

Read More:

The Gavel Will Be Passed: Time For A New Concord Mayor