Meet Jean Josey, Candidate For Dublin Mayor

DUBLIN, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for Dublin Mayor and City Council with identical questions. Here are the responses from Jean Joey, a candidate for mayor.

Responses have not been edited.

1. What is your personal, educational, and professional background?

I grew up mostly in the Washington, D.C suburb of Annandale, Virginia. As a military brat, my family moved there when I was 9, then stayed until I graduated high school. I went to the University of Washington and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the Scientific and Technical Communication Program in the College of Engineering. After college, I moved back to Washington, D.C, but this time to the Maryland suburbs. I spent the next 11 years working as a technical writer and editor. I wrote and edited computer manuals, online help, training programs, and graphical user interfaces. My work included delivering corporate trainings and even coordinating my company’s annual user’s conference out of state. The last 3 years I was a sole-proprietor consulting for a variety of companies in the DC area.

My ex-husband and I were married for 30 years, and we raised our two children here in Dublin. Our daughter, Katie, a graduate Dublin High and the University of Arizona, is a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and lives in Arizona. Our son, Ryan, a graduate of DHS and Arizona State, lives in Dublin and works for a legal division of State Farm.

2. How long have you lived in Dublin?

24 years. I moved to Dublin with my family in 2000.

3. What brought you here?

We moved here from Maryland to be closer to my parents, who live in Sunnyvale. We wanted the kids (1 and 4 at the time) to grow up near their grandparents. We fell in love with Dublin. I love this community even more today than I did 24 years ago when I bought my house.

4. How have you been involved in the community?

When the kids were young, I was a school volunteer: room parent, Parent Faculty Club President, Secretary, Treasurer, Event Chair at both the elementary and middle-school level. I also served as School Site Council Chair and Every 15 Minutes Coordinator at Dublin High School, and served on many district-wide committees. In addition, I volunteered as a Soccer Assistant Coach, Girls Scout Leader, and Cub Scout den leader. I was honored with the School District Volunteer Recognition Award in 2012, and the Superintendent's Award in 2016. I was the City of Dublin Citizen of the Year in 2017. I was on the City of Dublin’s Fiscal Sustainability Task Force in 2017, and I have been involved in Dublin Rotary since 2019.

5. What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing Dublin? What are your plans for addressing them?

Some of Dublin’s challenges are unique to Dublin such as its continued growth, and others, such as public safety, are the same as those facing many other cities.

Public Safety: One thing residents of every city want for themselves and their families is safety. Dublin is a very safe city, but there has been an increase in property crime all over California, and Dublin is no exception. I will continue to protect the budget for our police and fire contracts, and give our first responders the tools and manpower they need. I will continue to serve on the California League of Cities Public Safety Policy Committee to push legislation, including the 10 crime bills that were signed by the Governor on August 16th, , and on the National League of Cities’ Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy Committee to stay abreast of best practices nation-wide – such as the drone-as-first-responder program we are bringing to Dublin. I will continue to push for Prop. 47 reform.

Growth: We were famously the fastest growing city in the state between the 2010 and 2020 census. Our percentage growth has since slowed tremendously, but that amount of sustained growth brought with it both opportunities and challenges. There is no question this growth stressed our infrastructure, and I will continue the work we have been doing over the last 6 years to improve traffic, build out our bike and pedestrian infrastructure, stratify our housing market. Our rapid growth also brought new perspectives and tremendous diversity to our city, and attracted entrepreneurs that have opened amazing new businesses, from high-tech start-ups to fantastic restaurants. Supporting and attracting businesses of all sizes gives our residents an opportunity to work near home. Continuing to fund some of Dublin’s award-winning pandemic-era business support programs, like the Small Business Navigator program and the Business Concierge Program, are budget priorities of mine.

Fiscal responsibility: A big part of Dublin’s current strategic plan centers on economic development, specifically the Fallon East Economic Development Zone and the Downtown Plan. Our neighboring cities north and south are responding to large deficits by putting sales tax measures on their ballots. In Dublin, we have been very fiscally conservative. We have managed our budgets well and planned for the future. Dublin has used developer fees to help build roads, parks, schools, and other city facilities. As we reach build-out, developer fees will become a decreasing source of our revenue, and areas like our planned downtown and the Fallon East Economic Development Zone are key to fiscal sustainability. The Fallon East EDZ will be home to a broad array of businesses, including research and development, advanced manufacturing, and clean/green tech. This much-needed diversification of our economic base will help the City of Dublin maintain fiscally sustainability. I will continue to budget conservatively and increase our revenues.

Downtown Plan: Another challenge that has faced Dublin for years is the lack of a pedestrian friendly downtown. We have been working towards the goal of a central gathering place for years, and we are finally at a point where a plan is coming together to provide a sense of place, with a nearly 1-acre park surrounded by restaurants and retail in the core of our downtown, along with residences and offices. The challenge facing our council is to ensure that we get it right and that the end result is the retail and dining district that our residents want and deserve. In the long term, not only will Dublin finally have a downtown we can be proud of, our downtown will also generate as much as $130 million dollars of revenue over the next 20 years.

Climate change: Dublin is not immune to the existential threat of climate change, and I will ensure we continue to lower our carbon footprint. We must continue to implement the policies we created in our Climate Action Plan of 2030 and beyond. I will keep finding ways to add parkland, greenspace, and bike lanes for our residents. I’m in favor of an open space buffer between the Fallon East Economic Development Zone and Doolan Canyon Road. I will ensure that we don’t look at housing, jobs, and transportation as individual problems, but as multiple facets of the same issue.

6. What makes you the best candidate?

I am the most experienced, knowledgeable and prepared candidate in this race. And I place high value on integrity and servant leadership. In the six years I have been on Council - including serving as Vice Mayor in 2022 - I have immersed myself in the City’s history, the workings of each department, policy, state law, and best practices through the California League of Cities and the National League of Cities. I have deep relationships city-wide, and as we transition to by-district elections, it will be important for the Mayor to be someone who can serve to unite the Council behind the “one Dublin” philosophy, which I have always espoused. I have a wide network of other mayors and councilmembers to share perspectives and practices. And I have built strong relationships with City staff, build on mutual respect.

While a Mayor’s ceremonial role is often the most visible to residents, preparation for Council business is critical and it is a job I take incredibly seriously. Conducting the business of the City is the bulk of the job. Not only do I have the most experience on Council, I am the lone candidate with extensive experience as a committee chair. I know how to keep our Council meetings running smoothly, and in compliance with state laws and proper procedure. I work to ensure that community voices are heard and I know how to build consensus for the important decisions we face. I take into account all of the information, including public comment, presented to us in meetings before carefully making decisions.

Finally, the Mayor makes all appointments to committees and commissions (Planning Commission, Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission, regional committees, etc.). As we transition to by-district elections, it is so important that these appointments are reflective of the diverse community that calls Dublin home. I will ensure that all districts are represented, that appointees on each committee are knowledgeable and qualified and that we are hearing from new voices and building the bench of future council candidates. Residents need only to watch a few council meetings (June 4th or August 20th for example) to see the differences in candidates (two of us at the dais, another in public comment).

8. Outside of politics, what do you enjoy doing?

I enjoy traveling, reading, hiking/biking, spending time with family and friends, and building things.

9. Any other comments?

Our city faces many big decisions in the next couple of years. Experience will matter greatly. Thank you for taking the time to read about all of the candidates. Please visit my website to learn more about my positions and to see the extensive list of elected officials and Dublin residents who have endorsed me for Mayor.

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