Welcome!

My name is Mark Olbert, and I’m a former member of the San Carlos, California City Council. This was my site for staying in touch with my constituents. My last day on the Council was December 14, 2020. 

It’s now a platform I use to address local and regional issues that my neighbors may find interesting. 

Here you’ll find my blog, links to articles about municipal issues, and material that will help you understand my Council work and my current views. All these can be accessed through the menu links at the top of every page.

If you’d like to be automatically notified when new content is added to this site just click the Subscribe button at the top of any page. If you’re already a subscriber you can use the Subscribe button to edit your subscription options.

Enjoy! And if you have a moment, drop me a line to let me know what’s on your mind.

That Vision Thing

An important part of a city council’s responsibility is identifying, evaluating and pursuing (when appropriate) strategic goals for its community. In the past in San

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Trash Talk

December brings shopping madness, holiday cheer, snow (at least where I grew up in New York), and, in San Carlos, new trash rates. I suppose

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Sewer Surprise

People who work in organizations know the “no surprises” rule is key to running an effective operation. Surprises cause disruption and confusion, which is rarely

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More Dialog, Less Tension

This posting originally appeared as an op-ed piece in the San Mateo Daily Journal on August 11, 2012. You can see the published version here.

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A Not So Clean Sweep

When people ask me how I like being on the Council, I tell them it’s great, in large part because there’s so much to learn.

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