Editorial: Brian Colbert’s experience makes him best choice for District 2 supervisor

In March, in a race for District 2’s seat on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, San Anselmo Town Councilman Brian Colbert was the top vote-getter.

He received 43.6% of the vote, far ahead of three challengers – all of whom brought strong qualifications and political experience to the race to succeed Katie Rice, who has held the job since 2011.

His closest rival was former Kentfield School Trustee Heather McPhail Sridharan, who got 26.3% of the vote and is now facing Colbert in a run-off in the Nov. 5 election.

Both bring to the race strong qualifications, impressive endorsements and well thought out opinions on the issues facing the county, the Ross Valley-based district and Marin’s governance.

What Sridharan lacks on her local resume, she makes up with her enthusiasm to take on the demanding job.

But Colbert’s strong showing in March and his endorsements from Rice and three other county supervisors – Eric Lucan, Stephanie Moulton-Peters and Mary Sackett – San Rafael Mayor Kate Colin and many former San Anselmo mayors reflect the local and regional experience he would bring to the job.

Rice’s strong endorsement of Colbert is significant. She knows the breadth and responsibility of the job. She has more than 20 years experience, both as an aide to the late Supervisor Hal Brown and as a supervisor. She knows the community, its regional connections and its political variabilities. She says Colbert is the best candidate for the job.

Colbert, who is serving his second term on the San Anselmo council, has served on the boards of the Ross Valley Fire Department, the Transportation Authority of Marin and the Marin Transit District. He’s a former president of the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers. That decision-making experience makes him the stronger candidate.

On the San Anselmo council, he proved his local leadership by spearheading the Reimagining Creek Park project, a plan to turn the San Anselmo Creek flood control work into a larger downtown park.

Colbert, a lawyer turned entrepreneur, has also been active in efforts to strengthen San Anselmo’s economy.

He and his family moved to San Anselmo in 2011 and Colbert quickly became active in civic affairs.

He’s a strong voice for building housing needed in our community and wants to replace the beleaguered county-led Ross Valley flood control project with solutions-oriented improvements, but without renewal of the controversial tax.

The two candidates differ on the future of San Anselmo’s downtown bridge. Sridharan says it should be repaired and preserved. Colbert says it needs to be removed because it impedes the flow of stormwater, contributing to downtown flooding.

On the county’s ongoing challenges with homelessness, Colbert says, solutions need to be based on public safety and empathy. But that includes not allowing encampments in parks, where they infringe on others’ right to use their parks.

If elected, Colbert would be the first Black member of the county Board of Supervisors. African Americans have held countywide positions, but there has not been much racial diversity on the county board. His understanding  of generational discrimination comes from firsthand experience.

Sridharan’s local roots are deeper than Colbert’s. She’s a member of a longtime Marin family and was raised here, graduating from Marin Catholic High School.

She has proven herself to be a strong school board member, succeeding in bridging sharp political divides.

But serving on the board of a small school district is much different in its size and scope. We don’t doubt she could do the job well, but her learning curve is going to be steeper than Colbert’s.

Colbert’s experience and focus on economic development is also an advantage and a lens needed on the county board that’s important in the wide array of services, programs and responsibilities headquartered at the county Civic Center.

The IJ editorial board recommends Brian Colbert in the Nov. 5 election of a new county supervisor for District 2.