Meet Marin District 1 Supervisor Candidate Mary Sackett

MARIN COUNTY, CA – Mary Sackett, an attorney and who serves as current District 1 Supervisor Damon Connolly's aide, is among three candidates in the District 1 supervisor race.

San Rafael City Schools Board of Education member Gina Daly and construction business owner George Saribalis are the others.

The candidates are running to replace outgoing Supervisor Damon Connolly, who is running to replace outgoing District 12 State Assemblyman Marc Levine.

Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates in selected races, including this one.

Age (as of Election Day)

46

Party Affiliation

This is not a partisan race

Family

My husband Shawn is a small business owner, with a PetStop franchise, electronic pet containment. We have been married for 19 years and have two children, ages 13 and 11.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

J.D., West Virginia University. B.A., Geography, University of Iowa.

Occupation

Aide to Supervisor Damon Connolly, 5 years. Attorney.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

None

Campaign website

sackettforsupervisor.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

I’m running because I want your family and mine to thrive. I’ve been working for the past 20 years to make Marin an even better place for families, seniors, small businesses, and everyone who calls our county home. We need environmental champions on the Board of Supervisors who will work to save the planet and protect our community from climate change. We need pragmatic problem-solvers who know the issues backwards and forwards. I’ve been working for Marin all day every day for the past five years, and I’ll be ready on Day One to improve our county and the lives of the people in it.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I believe in service above self. I have strong relationship with residents, I know the neighborhoods, I know the Departments Head and Directors, and I know the front line staff. These relationships have been built over time, with trust, and with my can-do attitude and work ethic. My first-hand knowledge of county operations and the Supervisor’s role means that from day one, I will optimize county services to best serve the residents of District 1. My strategy is straightforward discussions, transparent interactions, and hearing diverse perspectives before moving forward. I have not held elected office, and will bring a new perspective to the Board. Of the candidates in this race, I have the most experience for the office.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

1. Climate change: Ever present drought and wildfire threats must be addressed with all haste. Maintaining our partnership with fire districts to create evacuation plans and continuing to manage our open space to decrease wildfire risk while preserving habitat is a priority for me. Likewise, partnering with Marin Water to promote water conservation, expanding reclaimed water, and to developing sustainable new sources of water is key to surviving a future with scarce water resources.

2. Safe Roads: I’m a huge proponent of creating safe roads for all users; safe walking and bike access to schools takes cars off the roads; dedicated bicycle lanes that connect to public transit and office centers are another tool for reducing congestion. Road building and transportation projects must include infrastructure that supports electric transportation of all types. First and last mile connections can not be an afterthought, but must be robust. Also, as we rapidly adopt EVs, many residences don’t have charging infrastructure. The County and TAM need to continue to plan for the infrastructure needed to support electric transportation, including ensuring that the existing charging infrastructure is functioning.
3. Economic vitality: We need to support our local, small and medium sized businesses. The pandemic has hit this community hard and we must develop ways to drive business to the area to spurn economic recovery. It is incumbent upon all of us to spend our dollars locally. Downtown San Rafael is closely connected both economically and geographically to the Canal, and encouraging harmony between the downtown business community and Canal residents is key for San Rafael to reach its full potential of economic vitality.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Having lived in Terra Linda for 20 years and working within Marin for twenty years, my experience in this community is wide and deep. I have been active in a number of community based organizations and County wide initiatives. I practiced law, as a civil litigation attorney for 13 years in Marin and throughout Northern California.

I was part of the founding team of Drawdown:Marin (now known as MarinCAN), working to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions through building codes, phasing out fossil fuels in transportation, carbon sequestration, and biomass Recovery. As part of Clean Marin, I lead the formation of a task force to look upstream of litter, focusing on producer responsibility and vendors, laying the groundwork for the single use plastics ordinance that the Board of Supervisors passed on May 10th.

I was matched with a young girl through Big Brothers Big Sisters for over a decade, and in 2010 was named Big Sister of the year for both Marin County and the State of California. I watched her family struggle with food insecurity, chronic homelessness, and school absenteeism, giving me a first hand understanding of the problems endemic to San Rafael’s Canal neighborhood.
I’ve worked at food pantries and served on the board member of a LIFT-Levantate, dedicated to addressing food insecurity in low income households in Marin.

In short, I have experience inside and outside of County government, and will bring all of that experience and the corresponding relationships to the Board of Supervisors.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Listen.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am not flashy. I’m hard working and committed to the residents of Marin County. I strive to lift up others whenever possible and will continue to do so if elected Supervisor. Every day I endeavor to leave the world better off than it was the day before, and to have a minimal impact on our limited resources. I commute bike to work as often as possible, and have led Safe Routes to Schools efforts at my children’s schools.

For a two minute summary of my positions, please watch my campaign video.

CHECK OUT THE FULL CALMATTERS 2022 VOTER GUIDE HERE.