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The Dublin City Council voted unanimously Monday night to name Parks and Community Services Commission member Janine Thalblum as the city’s newest council member, filling the seat left vacant earlier this year upon the death of Vice Mayor Don Biddle.
Thalblum was the council’s top choice from 10 candidates who applied for the open council position, a list that included two former council members, four other current or former city commissioners, a school committee volunteer and two residents looking to get more involved with city government.
An Army veteran and Dublin resident for 20-plus years, Thalblum is expected to only serve on the council until this December after telling the four other council members she would not seek a full four-year term at the polls this November when Biddle’s council seat is due up for regular election.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to represent the citizens of Dublin as a council member. I understand full well the time and dedication the position entails and am committed to focusing the next nine months in that effort,” Thalblum told the Weekly on Tuesday.
The City Council had been down to four members since Biddle died Feb. 21 after a brief battle with aggressive pancreatic cancer.
Biddle, 80, had served on the council since December 2008, when he was appointed to fill the seat left vacant when voters elevated Tim Sbranti to mayor. Biddle, who was elected to full terms in 2010 and 2014, was due to be termed out at the end of this year.
The council met in the weeks after Biddle’s death and decided to pursue appointing a new council member to fill the seat, rather than calling a special election this spring.
The application questions included asking candidates whether they would be willing to commit to not running for City Council this November, making the appointment a true temporary position to only fill the duration of Biddle’s unexpired term.
The city solicited applications from March 21-28, and 10 candidates threw their hat into the ring.
Thalblum’s local service resume includes sitting the past three years on the Parks and Community Services Commission and a term as president of the Dublin Rotary Club. She previously served on the city’s Commercial Development Task Force and completed Dublin’s leadership academy, “Inside Dublin,” and the Dublin Police Services Citizens Academy.
In addition to Thalblum, the candidate list included former two-term councilmen Tony Oravetz and George Zika and current city commissioners Robert Bennett (Heritage and Cultural Arts Commission) and Stephen E. Wright (Planning Commission).
The other candidates were Shawn Costello, former housing commissioner; Lynna Do, former planning commissioner and current vice chair of Alameda County Mental Health Board; Bob Greenberg, a self-described “concerned citizen” who recently retired but had no city government experience, Jeffrey Hall, a member of Dublin’s school bond and parcel tax oversight committees; and Shawn Kumagai, a Navy reservist who also serves as a local representative on the California Democratic Party’s State Central Committee.
All candidates except Kumagai committed to not running for election to the council in November.
The four sitting council members reviewed the applications, reached out to candidates if desired and entered Monday night’s special meeting with two preferred candidates each. They decided their selection process would not include public interviews.
During the meeting, each council member shared their top two choices on a ballot. Thalblum and Kumagai each received two votes, while no other candidate received more than one, according to Shari Jackman, city public information officer.
“Immediately, the discussion really centered on Janine Thalblum, and after a short while, Councilman Gupta made a motion to approve her as the new council member. It was seconded, and she was a unanimous selection,” Jackman added.
Thalblum was then formally sworn in to office. Her first full council meeting is set for this Tuesday night, when the council has a regular meeting scheduled.
