DUBLIN — Sue Wakamoto-Lee is a candidate for one of two openings on the Dublin City Council in the Nov. 4 election.
Wakamoto-Lee, who ran unsuccessfully for the council in 2002, is now competing with two incumbents, Vice Mayor Don Biddle and Councilmember Abe Gupta.
A 20-year resident of Dublin, Wakamoto-Lee has a bachelor’s degree in economics from UCLA and attended the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She is vice president of employee benefits at One Risk Group. She and her husband Bryan, a corporate accountant, have two children. Their son is a senior a Dublin High School and will graduate from its Engineering Academy; their daughter is in the fifth grade at Dublin Elementary School.
Wakamoto-Lee said she will “strive to make Dublin a place to which my kids will come back and call their own.”
“Sue Wakamoto-Lee knows that Dublin is the best place to live, not just in the Tri-Valley, but in the entire region and will work for that to remain true,” her campaign said in a statement. “She knows the city well, having lived in many neighborhoods within the city, including the hills in the western region, the downtown area around Village Parkway, and now east of Dougherty Road.
“With a background in the health insurance industry, she has worked her entire career helping individuals and employers gain access to healthcare. She now utilizes that experience in a broader spectrum as an inaugural member of the Human Services Commission, after serving on its predecessor, the Human Services Task Force.
“During her two terms as a parks commissioner in Dublin, Sue served as chair for five of the eight years. Her time on the commission resulted in the community dog park, the beginnings of the Heritage Center, including the move of the Kolb Family Ranch buildings, replacing all of the non-compliant play structures in our neighborhood parks with safe ones, the continued development of Emerald Glen Park, the demolition and reconstruction of the Shannon Community Center, and the design and construction of the award-winning Senior Center.”
“I am supporting Sue because she has a proven record of service to the Dublin community,” said former Dublin Mayor Janet Lockhart. “She worked as a commissioner on our Parks and Community Services Commission for eight years to design the standards acceptable for Dublin parks. As a current commissioner on our newly formed Human Services Commission, she has refreshed her commitment to Dublin. Sue knows and cares about our community. We need her voice on the Dublin City Council.”
“I am supporting Sue Wakamoto-Lee for Dublin City Council because she is smart, informed and a good consensus builder,” said former Dublin Vice Mayor Claudia Pendo McCormick. “She will bring Dublin together as a progressive community with insight and integrity.”
Other endorsers include Dublin San Ramon Services District Board President Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold.