San Ramon council appoints Richard Adler to fill District 2 vacancy after four interviews and public comment

Mayor Mark Armstrong and the San Ramon City Council appointed Richard Adler to the District 2 seat on a 3-1 vote Friday after interviewing four finalists and hearing public comment about how the city fills council vacancies.

The council opened the meeting by taking public comment before the candidate interviews. Three speakers addressed the council and the city clerk reported 76 written comments had been submitted. Susie Ferris Inderkum, one of the public speakers, urged the council to adopt written policies and reserve funds so a special election, rather than an appointment, would be possible: “The general fund reserve policy be modified to set aside funds for a special election … written policy documentation be generated for both a special election process and an appointment process,” she said.

Why it matters: The council must fill the November vacancy created when a council member was elected mayor. The appointment determines who represents District 2 until the next election and touches on broader community concerns about transparency, whether “safe seat” practices favor certain candidates, and how the city budgets for contingencies such as special elections.

The interview process: Council members called four shortlisted candidates — Richard Adler, Kyle Levy, Baljit (Baljeet) Sewell and Tiffany Urichu — to two-minute opening statements followed by a round-robin series of 12 questions (three per council member). Each answer was limited and the packet noted the council intended roughly 45 minutes per candidate. City staff confirmed the council had screened 21 initial applicants and shortlisted four for the public interviews.

Public comment and community concerns: Speakers and multiple written commenters raised two recurring themes: a request that the council allow or fund a special election rather than an appointment in certain vacancies, and criticism of the so-called “safe seat” tradition, where a previous election’s top vote-getter is informally favored for appointment. Shiroj Kathrani urged the council to “hear their voices and do the right thing by appointing” candidates residents had supported in prior elections. Anthony DeAngelis said the public’s trust could be eroded if the council did not handle the vacancy transparently.

Council deliberation and vote: After hearing the candidates, council members completed written rankings. The clerk reported a combined tally of the rankings before the formal motion: Richard Adler 13 points, Kyle Levy 12, Tiffany Urichu 11 and Baljit Sewell 4. A motion to nominate Richard Adler carried on a roll-call vote of 3-1 (Council member Joanna — yes; Council member Rubio — yes; Council member Veroz — yes; Mayor Mark Armstrong — no). The council directed staff to swear in the appointee at the next regular council meeting.

What candidates emphasized: Adler, a long-time San Ramon resident and former senior advisory commission chair, emphasized local volunteer experience and community institutions, saying, “I am Richard Adler. I’ve been a proud citizen of San Ramon for approximately 28 years.” Kyle Levy highlighted commission service and operational familiarity with local government; Baljit Sewell emphasized long-term neighborhood ties and PTA and youth sports leadership; Tiffany Urichu spoke from a legal and public-service background as Contra Costa deputy county counsel and emphasized outreach and constituent engagement.

Next steps and city response: The council scheduled ceremonial swearing-in at the next council meeting. Council members also acknowledged the written requests for policy changes; Mayor Mark Armstrong said the council had the public comments “before us” and that the council “will be making a decision tonight” on the appointment. Council members indicated they plan to consider public feedback about vacancy procedures and any budgetary implications during future meetings and budget sessions.

Ending: The appointment fills District 2’s interim seat until the next election cycle; the council’s vote settled the immediate representation question but left open the broader community demand for formalized vacancy and special-election procedures. The council asked staff to proceed with administrative steps for Adler’s swearing-in and retain the public comments in the record for possible follow-up.