Michael Baldwin is a finalist for a seat on the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) in 2015. Castro Valley Matters reached out to each finalist, asking them to provide a statement.

I would like to apply for a position on the Castro Valley MAC. I have been a Castro Valley resident since 2006, and own a local Castro Valley Insurance Agency. I am very involved in the local community in various circles, and I enjoy studying the history and impact of unincorporated governance.

I feel that the MAC has become too reactive in recent years, and not proactive enough with the community making it seem out of touch and aloof to the average resident. When the MAC was created back in 1981, MACs were a new concept but they were always meant to be a representative voice of the unincorporated residents. A sounding board for all local concerns and issues with the ear of the Supervisor. Lately, it seems that the MAC spends more time reacting to the “issues of the moment” brought to them by the relatively small group of residents who show up at MAC meetings to complain about something.

That ongoing feeling of distance between the MAC and the community is dangerous to the mission of the MAC. It threatens its legitimacy as the voice of the community, and because of that could very easily go away.

I feel that MAC members should be spending more time with the disengaged residents of town. Setting up a card table in front of the Safeway on a Saturday morning, or passing out free coffee to BART commuters would bring out scores of new issues and opinions from residents who’ve never even heard of the MAC. That’s the kind of issues I feel the MAC should be looking at, proposing solutions and sending it on to the Supervisor. When the town in general recognizes what the MAC is, and that it can actually help them, it becomes a legitimate benefit to the community.

Potentially, the MAC could replace one or two General Purpose meetings per year with a good old fashioned Town Hall meeting. No agendas, just a time for residents to discuss what matters to them, and brainstorm solutions with the ear of the MAC. The other GP meetings should also be expanded to include more topics and presentations.

I’ve seen other MACs statewide who spend a significantly larger amount of time bringing in other groups to speak at their General Meetings. The Salida MAC in Stanislaus County will regularly include status reports from the Sherriff’s, Fire, Library, and other departments regarding Salida. Their monthly meetings will include 3 or 4 of these reports every month! That kind of information generates interest, attendance, and engagement! We should do likewise.

Other MACs and advisory bodies engage the youth of their town. In Crescenta Valley, their MAC-like Town Council has created a “Youth Town Council.” They are a group of seven aged between 14-17 who seek to engage the local youth and bring a fresh perspective on local issues back to the Council. They are quite involved in local fundraising and charitable efforts and also act as a great way to connect the Council to the community and keep them relevant. With the attendance of Castro Valley High approaching 4000, finding 7 engaged youth who could help engage the community would be a great project for the MAC to tackle.

I feel there is just so much more that the MAC could be doing. It seems to many that with all the land use issues they deal with that they are simply a pre-test for the BZA. MACs are meant to be so much more to the community. I’d like to help with that.