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The three candidates running for San Ramon mayor in the Nov. 3 election shared their priorities for office and debated redevelopment, traffic and other pressing issues facing the city at an election forum held last week at Bishop Ranch.
Incumbent Mark Armstrong was joined by challengers Emma Chigbu and Paschalis Ntatsos at the Roundhouse Conference Center for the Oct. 7 event, which was hosted by the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce and moderated by DanvilleSanRamon.
The forum served as an opportunity for Armstrong to highlight his record over the course of his first term as mayor and six-year tenure in city government, for the two challengers and political newcomers to voice their perspectives on city affairs and for voters to compare and contrast the three candidates.
“We’re entering a period of significant change,” Armstrong said in his opening statement. “State housing laws are reshaping what cities can control. Bishop Ranch and our city core is evolving, and we’re going to strengthen our long-term finances, keep our communities safe and make sure infrastructure keeps pace with growth. And I believe those challenges require experience and steady leadership.”
Chigbu and Ntatsos agreed with Armstrong on the city’s changing character and other points in his campaign, such as an emphasis on public safety, mitigating the impacts of increased housing development and fiscal responsibility. But they differed with the incumbent on other points and each made their own pitch to the voters.
Chigbu, a Diablo Valley College student and debate coach who grew up in San Ramon and graduated from Dougherty Valley High School pointed to her own upbringing and education as a testament to the city’s strengths. She also said it makes her all the more sensitive to its challenges.
“That is why it has always broken my heart when I hear about the families that are priced out that can no longer afford to live in our beautiful city, all the students that cannot get to their school places because we have not invested enough in public transportation and so many other things that we are encountering right now,” Chigbu said. “As we enter into this season of reflection on what we have already been doing in San Ramon, I believe that it is time for a new perspective and new leadership.”
Ntatsos, a former competitive swimmer and ElitSwim CEO, said he first turned his attention to city government amid the emergence of long-term budget deficit and cuts to city staff and services.
While many of those services were restored with funds from Measure N, the 1% sales tax measure passed by voters in 2024, Ntatsos and the other two candidates emphasized the need for long-term adjustments, with the temporary measure due to sunset after 10 years.
“Three years ago I received an email which says our city has a deficit,” Ntatsos said. “Which was a surprise for me, as I wasn’t involved at all in the civic center matters, and it was a challenge for me to accept. Three years later, I’m standing before you.”
Ntatsos said he has undergone a crash course in local government in the last three years, graduating from the city’s Planning Academy and Government 101 courses and the San Ramon Police Department’s Community Academy.
“I created great friendships; I learned the system, and I saw its vulnerabilities and places where you can change, correct and get updated to the point that we can all be proud that we are residents of this beautiful city,” Ntatsos said.
Both Chigbu and Ntatsos pointed to new housing projects, business turnover and traffic amid the ongoing redevelopment of Bishop Ranch as prominent topics of concern for residents in recent years.
However, Armstrong noted that many of the changes residents are seeing have been in the works for years, and all were subject to analysis and review by the city.
“We’ve had in our general plan for quite some time the idea of building out the city core area, so this is not a new concept,” Armstrong said. “You can see it recently, but just even back in 2020 we approved the CityWalk Master Plan that was for 4,500 unit development. That master plan was open to the public. It had all the requisite public hearings and environmental review, so there’s no surprise there.”
Armstrong reiterated that the goal of concentrating new housing in Bishop Ranch is to “protect our existing neighborhoods” amid geographical constraints, the state’s push for more housing and the ongoing challenges of ensuring that infrastructure keeps up with new needs.
Nonetheless, Ntatsos called the ongoing changes to Bishop Ranch “partial development” that he said had not been properly thought out, with the exception of the Orchards project on the former Chevron Park site.
“Everything else has been built up partially in the last two to three years without understanding the strain they can put on the current traffic, schools and water system,” Ntatsos said.
Ntatsos also said the new developments in Bishop Ranch lacked a “good architectural aesthetic” and called for greater walkability in the rapidly transforming neighborhood.
Chigbu said the redevelopment of Bishop Ranch poses both benefits and drawbacks but remains optimistic about its future, providing resident input is taken into account in real time.
“I believe that the city council has an incredible challenge ahead of it, but I believe that we are more than equipped to do what is necessary,” Chigbu said.
Chigbu’s other suggestions included considering changes to the traffic light cycles in the neighborhood and increased coordination with the school district to mitigate traffic impacts as the city and district seek to attract new families.
Armstrong said those considerations were already part of his existing work and that they would continue to be, though he noted traffic concerns are not new to the neighborhood.
“Back when Chevron was here in full force, the traffic actually was worse when you look at the commute times in the morning or in the evenings,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong said work would be ongoing to mitigate the impacts of increased traffic in the years and decades ahead, but he added that the city took traffic into account in concentrating new housing in Bishop Ranch.
The three candidates agreed on the need for continued economic development in the region – and increased job prospects locally – as paths that could reduce traffic congestion coming in and out of the city.
While Armstrong noted that the transformation of Bishop Ranch – and each project associated with it – have been subject to public notifications and hearings before decisions are made, Chigbu and Ntatsos called for increased community engagement and public information with more approachable language.
“It cannot simply be for the city council to understand,” Chigbu said. “It must be that everyone is able to read this information and understand how it may impact them.”
Chigbu also called for efforts to more broadly engage residents of various ages and demographics.
“That includes our young professionals, that includes young families and that includes everyone who will be incredibly impacted by this new season of San Ramon,” Chigbu said. “It’s not enough that the city hall meetings are just open. If we are not intentionally engaging people and inviting them into this conversation, we lose out on so many perspectives that will be crucial as we go into this new time.”
Ntatsos said that despite spending the past several years learning about the city government’s processes, he continued to find some information from the city challenging to understand.
“Anything that includes communication with the city – simplify the language,” Ntatsos said. “Don’t hide elements that are not supposed to be there, and be transparent with your residents.”
Armstrong pointed to his ongoing community engagement efforts and conversations with residents and noted that communicating with constituents is part of the mayor’s job.
“Engagement with our residents needs to start long before we have a city council meeting,” Armstrong said.
While noting that community engagement is an ongoing process, Armstrong said the city’s existing processes are aimed at fostering input from residents and providing information transparently.
“What I’m trying to say is that I do engage with the public, so my participation is transparent,” Armstrong said. “Their communication to me is understood, and our council meetings are a two-way communication.”
Other topics covered at last week’s forum included public transit funding and the Regional Transit Measure on the upcoming ballot, recent high-profile property crimes and arts and cultural programming.
A video of the event is available here.
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