Councilmember Mark Salinas publicly announced in August his plans to run for mayor of Hayward after Councilmember Francisco Zermeno made his bid in June.
Until recently, Salinas and Zermeno were the only confirmed prospects after Mayor Michael Sweeney said in July that he was not running for re-election after his second term ends in 2014. Recently, Councilmember Barbara Halliday joined the mayoral race in a public confirmation on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Mark Salinas was elected to city council in 2010 and also serves as the mayor pro-tempore. He is on the board of several committees including the Council of Economic Development, Technology Application, and the Library Commission. His commitment
towards the community and children got him involved with the Kid’s Breakfast Club, a program that works to feed economically disadvantaged children and families in the greater Bay Area.
Salinas said his campaign agenda would focus on economic development by branding the city as a pro-business city. This will attract and encourage large companies and entrepreneurs to build their business in Hayward.
He wants to develop citywide green initiatives that would make Hayward an environmentally friendly city.
Additionally, his platform includes increasing public safety by creating partnerships and working with police and enforcement agencies in Hayward and neighboring cities.
Salinas is currently the youngest candidate on the ballot and said he hopes to represent and serve Hayward residents of all ages and ethnicities.
Salinas has a bachelor’s in Latino studies and a master’s in educational administration and public policy from San Francisco State University. He lives in Hayward and currently lectures and teaches classes at Cal State East Bay.
Salinas and his running mate, Councilmember Zermeno are involved with the Hayward’s Business Latino Roundtable, a group founded by Councilmember Zermeno. The group is a consortium of local business owners that meet to discuss issues and solutions to address the challenges of operating a business in Hayward.
Councilmember Salinas wants to concentrate on developing an “Education Economic Corridor,” in an area surrounding CSUEB that encompasses Mission Boulevard, Tennyson and Carlos Bee.
“It would be a place to get food, supplies, materials, have a conference center, hotels and places where students can hang out,” said Salinas, “Retail, computer stores, all the things that an education economy would need.”
While Councilmember Zermeno’s plans for Hayward aim to fill the vacancies in an area he calls the retail rectangle. He said the vacant lots at Mission Boulevard, Tennyson, A Street and Hesperian deter people from wanting to open a business and impede on the city’s plan for economic growth.
Councilmembers Salinas and Zermeno both talk about the advantage of two colleges in one city, Chabot College and CSUEB brings a student population but there needs to be more jobs and safer streets in order to retain residents after they graduate.
To promote public safety and achieve lower crime rates, Councilman Zermeno said Hayward should increase the police force adding 50 more police officers to the force. He said the funding could come from federal grants that the city could apply for.
On September 17, Hayward successfully applied and received a grant from the Community Oriented Police Services, C.O.P.S, to fund two new officers, according to Congressman Eric Swallwell.
Councilmember Salinas said he is pleased with the grant and also highlights reports that show a decline in more serious crimes over the last two years due to the efforts from the current police department staff.
“Any crime is unacceptable but lets not neglect to celebrate our successes thus far,” said Salinas.
While there is still time for more candidates to join the race Salinas said he is not concerned. He will be concentrating on his own campaign and remains focused on what he needs to do to reach the community.
“We need to elect a mayor that is representative of the entire city of Hayward, a mayor that is born and raised in Hayward,” said Salinas.
