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Dublin’s three mayoral candidates discussed public safety, delays on developing a downtown and what the city’s future will look like amid recent growth during a public forum earlier this month.
Hosted and moderated by the Pleasanton Weekly, the Oct. 12 forum featured incumbent Mayor Sherry Hu, City Councilmember Michael McCorriston and newcomer Kiran Mohammad.
Hu kicked off the forum by highlighting the achievements her administration oversaw over the past two years. Before winning the 2024 mayoral election, she served on the City Council for four years.
“My guiding principle is simple: listen carefully, collaborate openly and deliver results,” Hu said.
Hu is a first generation immigrant, parent and longtime resident of Dublin. She cofounded the Above & Beyond Leadership & Education nonprofit, which helps students and families develop leadership skills and engage with community, and has had other professional experience in engineering, finance and business.
Some of the achievements Hu touted included Dublin’s earned ranking as the best place to live in the state, lower property crime and the opening of several new parks and businesses.
She also pointed to the city’s $36 million surplus under her leadership.
“I offer proven leadership, and I have delivered results,” Hu said. “I will keep listening to your concerns, showing up for our community and making decisions with your quality of life in my mind.”
McCorriston has served on the City Council for six years, which included a six-month stint as appointed mayor after former mayor Melissa Hernandez resigned and before Hu was appointed in December 2024. He said his top priorities are preserving and enhancing the quality of life of Dublin residents.
“My campaign is based on putting residents first,” he said. “Listening to them, following up and getting results.”
A longtime Dublin resident, McCorriston said his professional experience is in the corporate financial world. He said he has the understanding of the city’s challenges necessary to execute many of his campaign goals.
“I deeply care about Dublin and its residents,” he said. “I have the experience, financial background and commitment to lead our city, and I ask, simply, for your trust.”
If elected, he said, he would focus on addressing what he said were rising crime rates; supporting first responders; addressing housing needs for seniors and young families; responsible growth while preserving open spaces; and being proactive when addressing projected structural deficits in the future.
Mohammad is a published researcher with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and an author who has also worked in the nonprofit sector. She currently works in human-centered systems design, which she said involves working with companies, individuals and small businesses to streamline finances and logistics and to assess organizational structures.
During the forum, Mohammad acknowledged she is a newcomer to politics, which she said makes her the perfect candidate.
“I haven’t spent years at City Hall, and I see that as a strength,” she said. “Fresh eyes and a clear vision without old habits or old loyalties.”
She said her two top priorities if elected would be addressing traffic, which entails everything from school drop-off congestion and infrastructure that doesn’t work anymore, and putting together a solid plan for the development of a downtown.
“Dublin doesn’t have a money problem, it has a follow-through problem, and I’ll put the basics first,” she said. “Finish what we started and publish what’s done and what isn’t.”
The candidates all addressed public safety, an issue that was recently thrust into the spotlight following the shooting of a Dublin resident and New York Times employee at the Dublin Sports Grounds.
McCorriston said the city needs to continue bolstering and supporting its first responders. He said as a council member, he’s worked on several initiatives to address issues like burglaries.
Mohammad said the city should look at using some existing funds to light up dark streets around town, invest in safer crossings and complete the city’s six emergency operations plans, which are meant to guide responses to disasters like wildfires.
Hu said Dublin’s top priority is public safety, adding that the city already has a plan to add more staff to its police department. She also said leveraging technology and working with communities is important.
Other topics the candidates addressed at the forum included traffic congestion and safety; downtown development in Dublin; economic development plans; and future housing developments.
To hear the candidates’ full answers to all questions, watch the video of the forum embedded above in this story and on the Pleasanton Weekly’s YouTube page.
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