Gina wins Belmont City Council District 1 Election
Join us for Gina’s Swearing In at the December 13, 2022 City Council Meeting at the Belmont City Hall Council Chambers
This coming Tuesday, at the 6:30pm December 13 City Council Meeting, Robin Pang-Maganaris and I are officially joining current-mayor-and-newly-elected-mayor Julia Mates on the Belmont City Council! I'm looking so forward to working with both of them, as well as Davina Hurt and Tom McCune.
Please join us there…or even watch virtually from the comfort of your home at https://lnks.gd/.../eyJhbG.../s/1620557340/br/149473987390-
Gina with her neighbors on their street
Belmont Resident and Small Business Owner for 25 years
I've been a homeowner, a renter, a college student, a single adult, a community leader, a community activist, a small business owner, a volunteer, a public school parent, a private school parent, a pet owner, a non-pet owner, a wife, and a mom — all in Belmont.
Moving into the apartments on Carlmont after graduating from our local university, my husband and I began investing in our community through our activism in the Lions Club. Once we moved into our home in Homeview, I became the President of our Neighborhood Association and began learning how city processes worked. After ten years, I became a Planning Commissioner, and now I’m running for City Council.
Through my students volunteering at the annual Save the Music Festival, I was able to integrate my community service life with my small business. The Latimerlo Studio (latimerlo.com) has been training students to sing since 1998 here in Belmont, and my singers have been both adolescent students from every school here, as well as amazing adults from lots of different walks of life. Clearly, I enjoy listening to people :)
By continuing to listen to the voices throughout our community and referencing my own experiences here in Belmont over the past 25 years — and by engaging in creative problem solving — I'll help our community figure out ways to use our land, property, spaces, and processes to better the life experiences of everyone in our fantastic community by the bay.
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Why Am I Running?
I always want to leave things better than I find them. It started small in high school with volunteering and a social justice education, then expanded in college when I was elected to represent my Student Body, and then expanded again to encompass my neighborhood when I was elected to lead our Neighborhood Association. It has now expanded to encompass my whole city.
I hope to use my unique experience of having so many "lives" here in Belmont to see and solve both our unique District 1 issues and our city-wide issues in a number of different lights. Specifically, my goals are:
1. Staying ahead of the curve in development projects: Belmont is in a time of growth and transition. Given all the development and revitalization that’s currently happening in District 1, the City needs someone with neighborhood activism roots here, and District 1 Residents need someone who is tied into and understands the city structure.
2. Creating pipelines to leadership for leaders of diverse backgrounds: I’ve spent my life empowering voices, and I intend to continue that tradition with special attention to the voices that are often unheard. This includes increasing voter turnout in our district, as well as creating new opportunities for leadership.
3. Accessibility to city government: Including improving communication between residents and city government, making homeowner processes easier to understand, and becoming more responsive to residents through a village approach already in use by our two active neighborhood associations.
In addition, I support Proposition 1 and a woman’s absolute rights to her own body; keeping Belmont’s Open Space open to everyone; and continuing to focus on improving infrastructure with our roads, sewers, and storm drains.
Working with Neighbors and City Government
I have a long history of working with Belmont residents and city government officials. A recent example is the improvement of our neighborhood park. Our playgrounds needed to be replaced due to age, health, and safety concerns. After a few years of no response, I spoke with a couple of city council members. At the same time, there was a switch in leadership in Recreation, as well as unexpected availability in the budget, so we were able to get approved to completely redo our two playgrounds. A committee was formed of myself, another neighborhood representative, city staff, the architect, and Recreation Commissioners. We all worked together with the community (through polling and meetings) to get great designs done in a great timeline. At the end of construction, we held a neighborhood/city-staff BBQ — with sponsorship from a local business — to celebrate. At the end of the year, our project won APWA of Silicon Valley's Project of the Year 2019.
Creating Community
The above picture is from Belmont’s annual Celebrate the Music celebration. As a private singing instructor here, my students have sung for over a decade at this extraordinary event supporting music in public schools. This event is a great example of residents, businesses, schools, and city officials coming together to create a wonderful moment for everyone.
And I think that’s what it’s all about. All facets of a community working together to better that community. No one truly benefits from an “either/or” mentality - it’s the “AND” mentality that gets the best results. So, it’s not either trees or housing; cyclists or hikers; commercial or residential. It’s trees and housing, cyclists and hikers, commercial and residential…all living together and working to create a better community.
When I was little, my favorite book was Button Soup - a kids’ take on Stone Soup. In the story, some hungry out-of-towners come into town asking if there’s any food to share. At first, the townspeople hide their food, scared that the out-of-towners will take too much. Eventually, each person contributes an ingredient, and they end up making the best soup any of them have ever tasted. I believe this idea resonates with most folks. Have enough for yourself and share with others. And, have leadership there to make sure everyone is treated fairly.
Belmont Community Service Award & Mayoral Proclamation
2019
Belmont Planning Commissioner
2021-present
Proud Current Carlmont and Former Nesbit Puma Parent & Volunteer
Homeview Neighborhood Association President
2009-2019
Belmont Small Business Owner
1998-present
Notre Dame de Namur University Alum