Meet John Morada, Candidate For Dublin City Council District 3

DUBLIN, CA — Patch reached out to all candidates for Dublin Mayor and City Council with identical questions. Here are the responses from John Morada, a candidate to represent District 3 on the City Council.

Responses have not been edited.

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

John grew up on the east coast in Maryland. Civic duty was always part of his upbringing. His mother served as a civil servant in the Federal government, his father was an executive in a non-profit heritage foundation, and several generations of his family served in the military. John grew up with three brothers which meant a lot of sports in the family. And that harnessed a strong competitive nature yet imbued with fair sportsmanship. You will often find John in a tennis doubles match, or walking the golf course with friends at place throughout Dublin. John attended a private high school which led him to attend a private university, The American University, achieving a Bachelors of Science. John loves continuing his studies which lead him to get his MBA in Chicago. On a professional level, John is a long-term tech executive. Starting out as a consultant he spent time guiding Fortune 5000 companies on tech strategy and execution. He spent years designing systems and processes. The strong foundation of critical thinking allows John to see the big picture yet breakdown the inherent parts to be able to tackle problems in a digestible and organized way. Now, he is an arm chair investor with Bay Angels. He also serves as an Operating Partner.

2. How long have you lived in Dublin?

For over 12 years.

3. What brought you here?

My young family relocated to California from Illinois owing to work. My firm, PriceWaterhousecoopers,was located in San Jose. As part of the relocation package, the firm flew my wife out to look for houses. She fell in love with the hometown feeling of Dublin because it reminded her of the community environment where she grew up in Wisconsin. So Dublin is the only city we’ve ever known.

4. How have you been involved in the community?

• Board member of Dublin United Soccer League
• Board member of the neighborhood HOA
• VP of the Dublin High School PFSO
• Volunteer parent in the classroom
• Supporting my wife as Treasurer for the Dougherty Elementary PFC

5. What do you feel are some of the biggest challenges facing Dublin?

• Economic growth partnered with public safety.
• A balanced budget is the only way to go.
• Organizational health touches the heart.

6. What are your plans for addressing for them?

There are three main areas I want to address:

• Economic development but not at the expense of public safety. For example, the Fallon EDZ will be very close to three (3) elementary schools and one (1) high school. Let’s not the increase in traffic be the cause of casualties for our families who walk their kids to school. I will work with our police services to add cameras and data analytics to measure the traffic patterns. And where we find hotspots, we can work to assign the appropriate enforcement in those areas.
• Sustaining a balanced budget is very important because we cannot let our growth turn itself into a deficit. With 17 years in the commercial sector, I know overspending hurts business. I support Dublin's balanced budget and will ensure fiduciary oversight. I'm eager to work with the Council and City staff, leveraging my experience to maintain financial health and strengthen our Service Continuity Reserve.
• Building greater citizen well-being through bikeable city programs. I want to work with our policy and fire services to deliver community programs to educate and enhance our city as a bikeable and walkable city. We also need to pair this with safety education so citizens know what safety gear keeps them safe of eScooters, eBikes and other fast moving recreational vehicles.

7. What makes you the best candidate?

Going to districting this year is a plus and minus. The good news is I get to focus on the direct and immediate needs of my constituents in my district. Since I have many friends as neighbors, I understand them with keen empathy because we all feel the growth of our beloved city yet are concerned with the challenges of this growth. I talk to them about a balance of these benefits and drawbacks. And I feel this is how I gain their support – through listening, learning and educating. We learn from each other, and I will be their voice.

On the negative side of districting is the inherent feeling of us v them. Meaning, the east side v the west side. I will collaborate with utmost passion with my fellow Councilmembers that this does not turn into a divide. I am someone who reaches across boundaries, whether virtual or actual, to ensure a fair opinion and understanding of the issues. I will always hear and learn about the issues across all of Dublin.

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

When not running for office, I play golf and tennis with friends. Also, I participate in fundraisers for organizations where I can blend my love of sports with helping raise money for a worthy cause. Also, I get involved with my youngest daughter’s school as a new member of the Dougherty Elementary PFC.

9. Any other comments?

This my first time running for office. However, this is not a foreign desire. Civic service has been in my family for generations. I hope to inspire my children as well to move into civic service as they mature through their careers. I see no better reward than building the next generation of our elected officials because we’ve set an unwavering standard.

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