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For more than 25 years, Dave Hudson has been a familiar face on the San Ramon City Council dais and around town. But not for the past two months or so, and his absence is felt.
Hudson, who was re-elected San Ramon’s mayor in 2022, has not attended any council meetings since Jan. 10, nor has he conducted any city business since he suffered a stroke in January while representing the city at the annual Mayors’ Conference in Washington, D.C.
He had just started his second consecutive two-year term as mayor, and held a council seat for 23 consecutive years before that. He also has seats on more than 30 local and regional boards and commissions addressing issues such as traffic, air quality, housing and economic development.
That is a lot of institutional knowledge and connections.
Vice mayor Mark Armstrong has assumed the mayor’s duties on the council. He and other councilmembers are filling in for Hudson on the plethora of boards and commissions. The State of the City event originally scheduled for Feb. 7 has been postponed indefinitely.
It’s postponed indefinitely because there is no timeline for Hudson’s return.
Everyone – city staff, his fellow councilmembers, his colleagues on the boards and commissions, residents – wants him to take the time he needs to recover.
But with all that’s happening in the city, the mayor’s long-term absence is just not sustainable.
Aside from the fact there is a potential for a two-two council vote and no mayor to break the tie, a city the size of San Ramon, with the opportunities and challenges it will face in the next several months, needs a five-person council.
Among the opportunities and challenges is hiring a new city manager. After six years as the city manager, and 16 total with the city, Joe Gorton retired in January. Gorton’s Deputy City Manager, Steven Spedowfski, was named interim.
Then there are the proposed housing developments, strong opposition to one development and the continuing tension between the Planning Commission and the city planning staff.
A discussion on Hudson’s status was on Tuesday night’s meeting agenda, and the outpouring of respect, support and well wishes during public comment was immense.
The council should be commended for agendizing the topic. The Brown Act prevents them from discussing it among themselves outside of a meeting and not addressing the unfortunate situation is not responsible.
City Attorney Martin Lysons started the discussion by outlining options, such as Hudson’s remote participation in meetings (with special requirements for closed session).
A few speakers during public comment questioned why the discussion was even taking place. Perhaps they felt it was disrespectful to even consider not supporting Hudson by allowing him time to get his strength back and return to his duties.
What might have set some of the speakers on edge was Lysons’ explanation of another option – “the 60 day rule.” The municipal code states “If a Councilmember is absent without permission from all regular city council meetings for 60 days consecutively from the last regular meeting he or she attended, his or her office becomes vacant and shall be filled as any other vacancy.“
Hudson’s absence March 14 was not excused, nor was his absence Tuesday. I do not believe this was done out of disrespect or callousness, but as a way to push the issue to the forefront and on the agenda for discussion. (And Hudson can be excused “retroactively,” according to Lysons.)
After much discussion, it was decided that an ad hoc committee of Armstrong and Councilmember Marisol Rubio would work with Lysons and Spedowfski to draft a letter to Hudson on behalf of the council documenting the discussion and encouraging frequent updates on his recovery.
Armstrong told me, speaking on his own behalf and not that of the council, about a recent conversation he had with Hudson.
“He says he is progressing well, working hard in his rehabilitation from his January stroke and is eager to return to an active role as mayor,” Armstrong said. “I again reiterated the outpouring of concern and well wishes from those I have been interacting with and he is very appreciative of everyone’s concern. He is following current developments on city issues and understands we have several important issues in the near- and mid-term.”
Like many others, I hope arrangements can be made for Hudson to participate remotely when he is ready and be back in the middle seat on the dais soon.
Gina Channell Wilcox has been the president and publisher of Embarcadero Media’s East Bay division since 2006. Her “Around the Valley” column runs twice a month.
