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In preparation for pacific sun This week we’re spotlighting Sausalito and writing down a list of fascinating people to introduce you to. I immediately thought of the famous musicians, writers, artists, and restaurateurs who live and work in this beautiful village.
My thoughts then turned to Sausalito’s new mayor, Ian Sobieski, who began his term on the city council three years ago after winning his seat by just two votes. Indeed, it would be interesting to learn a little about the only man on the five-member council.
The Mayor is on stage with four exceptional women. Joan Cox, Jill Hoffman, and Janelle Kelman are successful lawyers, while Melissa Blaustein, an avid swimmer who swam the English Channel, leads a global coalition of startup organizations. .
Sobieski is no slouch either, serving as chairman of Band of Angels, America’s first high-tech angel investment group, which currently has more than 165 members investing in and mentoring early-stage startups. He joined Band of Angels in 1997, and shortly after its inception, Sobieski became the group’s managing director. He also spent a number of years as director.
Entrepreneurial investing has worked out very well for Sobieski, but it’s not what he dreamed of as a child. The son of a NASA rocket scientist, he had similar aspirations. After he graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in philosophy, he worked on designing missiles for the Army.
“The good kinds of missiles, by the way, are the ones that shoot down other missiles,” Sobieski said.
He also received a Ph.D. He received his PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Aerospace Engineering from Stanford University in the 1990s. But it put Sobieski in the heart of Silicon Valley during the dot-com boom and changed the trajectory of his career.
“The drama of entrepreneurship in the startup world captured my imagination and was a perfect fit for my skill set, which spans the technical and interpersonal aspects,” Sobieski said. “But I still have a passion for space and am a lifetime member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.”
Sobieski’s other passion, boating, led him to frequent Sausalito, which he calls “the best marine community in the Bay Area.” His involvement with sailing and powerboating began in his hometown of Hampton, Virginia, where his summer days were spent on the Chesapeake Bay.
In 2011, Sobieski bought a house in Sausalito. When he’s not conducting business for the Band of Angels or getting involved in city politics, Southaritan might find him riding a few personal watercraft in Richardson Bay.
“I love being out on the water on my 17-foot Boston Whaler, but my favorite thing to do is push my paddleboard off the docks at the Sausalito Cruising Club,” Sobieski said.
A former triathlete, he also enjoys sailing, kayaking, and mountain biking. Lately, I’ve been too busy to participate in rigorous training, so I’ve been participating just for fun.
Still, Sobieski still finds time to explore Sausalito, which he says packs a lot of flavor into its two square miles. Although the mayor admits that he eats lunch at the same restaurant almost every day, he has been unable to get the mayor to tell him his favorite haunts, no matter how many times he tries.
Of course, he’s very open to talking about local politics. Mr. Sobieski’s motivation for joining government came from his desire to serve his community.
“I thought my background and perspective might be helpful,” he said. “A healthy board has a variety of perspectives. I’m an engineer with a degree in philosophy and work in the private sector. I don’t think I have all the answers, but I do think I have a variety of perspectives in my deliberations. I would like to add another opinion.”
As a small city of only 7,000 people, Sausalito faces some major challenges, according to the mayor. The top three include aging infrastructure, the effects of climate change, and uncertain future spending. Fortunately, the city council is trying to address the problem, but there are no quick and easy solutions.
Like many municipalities, Sausalito has neglected its infrastructure due to years of underinvestment. Last year, the city passed Measure L, a tax that would bring in $24 million over eight years for infrastructure improvements.
The elements that make scenic Sausalito a destination for tourists from around the world – the rolling hills overlooking the bay – present their own challenges, including the risk of flooding, fire and landslides.
“Climate change is impacting our waterfronts and hillsides in different but profound ways,” Sobieski said. “We are conducting a comprehensive survey of the waterfront to assess land subsidence and sea level rise, and we are also conducting a comprehensive assessment of city-owned properties.”
Finally, he expressed concern that fluctuations in pension costs for city employees are making financial planning difficult.
“Our finance team is building models that predict our finances for 10 years instead of two years,” Sobieski said. “It’s imperfect, but it’s better than doing nothing.”
Mr. Sobieski spends more than 40 hours a week on his duties as mayor. And that’s on top of his daily work responsibilities. That sounds particularly demanding, and yet he insists he’s no different from his colleagues on the City Council, or anyone else for that matter.
“Everyone is busy with kids, work, family and health obligations,” he said. “I juggle my challenges as imperfectly as others juggle theirs.”
Perhaps trying to keep all those balls in the air is why Sobieski hasn’t decided whether to run for City Council again when his four-year term expires in December. And he seems interested in checking out other areas.
When I asked Sobieski where he would choose to live if Sausalito didn’t exist, he didn’t hesitate to throw out some ideas.
“Well, ski mountains have been my answer for the past few years, but catamarans in the tropics have come to my mind more and more,” Sobieski said.
Until then, there’s still work to be done in Sausalito. The mayor then appeals to residents for their cooperation. Although the city appoints volunteers to official boards and committees, Sobieski said the main ways people get involved are through Sausalito Beautiful Sausalito, Age Friendly Sausalito, the Rotary Club and Sausalito Working. -I think it means getting involved in community groups like the Waterfront Coalition, the Lions Club, and Sausalito. village.
“I think if we all have humility and take this seriously, we can collectively come up with better answers,” Sobieski said.
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