City Clerk’s Office
DATE: April 27, 2026
TO: Council Appointments Review Committee
FROM: Wanda Wong, Deputy City Clerk
Heather Glaser, City Clerk
SUBJECT: Committee Openings
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council Appointments Review Committee set interview questions for the Downtown Committee and Human Relations Committee, interview applicants pursuant to City Council Policy K -2, and make recommendations for appointments to be considered by the City Council on May 26, 2026.
BACKGROUND
The City Clerk’s Office conducted a recruitment to fill openings on the Downtown Committee and Human Relations Committee. A summary of applicants for each body is included as Attachment 2 to this report.
Interview Process and Questions
Pursuant to City Council Policy K-2, interviews are to be conducted in a panel format. Applicants will be interviewed in groups by body, each applicant will receive the same amount of time to answer each question, and the questions selected by the City Council will be asked in randomized, round-robin order. Council may ask a limited number of clarifying questions in the event an applicant’s answer is unclear or otherwise not understood. Clarifying questions should not be used to allow an applicant an additional opportunity to expand on the original response.
Downtown Committee (DTC)
The Downtown Property Owner and/or Representative of a Business in the Downtown category has one term ending December 31, 2026, one term ending December 31, 2027, and two terms Committee Openings
April 27, 2026
ending December 31, 2028. One application was received. The DTC consists of 11 members. The names and term expiration dates for the current DTC members are as follows:
Name Term Expires
Downtown Property Owner and/or Representative of a Business in the Downtown Marisol Melara, Downtown December 31, 2028
Business Association
Business-at-Large
Pamela Baird December 31, 2027
Mike Kasperzak December 31, 2028
Peter Katz, December 31, 2028
Chamber of Commerce
Community-at-Large
Stephanie Lin December 31, 2027
Dennis Reiter December 31, 2028
Neighborhood
Jamil Shaikh December 31, 2026
City staff has determined that the applicant is qualified to serve on this body.
On October 27, 2025, the Committee posed the following questions to DTC applicants in the denoted time limit for each category:
1. 30 seconds: Why do you want to serve on the Downtown Committee?
2. Two minutes: What do you think of downtown Mountain View? How would you improve it? How would you balance the interests of businesses with those of the community?
3. One minute: The City has an Economic Vitality Strategy. How can the City assist downtown businesses?
Committee Openings
April 27, 2026
Human Relations Committee (HRC)
There is one term ending December 31, 202 6. One application was received. The HRC consists of seven members. The names and term expiration dates for the current HRC members are as follows:
Name Term Expires
Jocelyn Chadwell December 31, 2026
Elise Lester December 31, 2028
Joan MacDonald December 31, 2028
Erik Poicon December 31, 2026
Molly Smith December 31, 2028
Xavier Webb December 31, 2026
City staff has determined that the applicant is qualified to serve on this body.
On November 22, 2024, the Committee posed the following questions to HRC applicants in the denoted time limit for each category:
1. 30 seconds: Why do you want to serve (or continue to serve) on the Human Relations Committee?
2. Two minutes: What are the most pressing human relations needs in our community today?
3. One minute: What do you think the job of the Human Relations Commission should be?
Voting Process
Pursuant to City Council Policy No. K-2, a person appointed to serve on a board, commission, or committee may only serve on one body at a time. At the conclusion of interviews, the Committee may discuss the applicants before making a recommendation to be considered by the City Council on May 26, 2026.
Attachments: 1. Board/Commission/Committee Member Selection Guidelines
2. Summary of Applicants
3. Applications