My Vision

Concord is Home - Let's make residents the priority

I'm Laura Nakamura, and I'm running for Concord City Council because I think families of all types should be able to raise children, work, and thrive here.

I think the City Council should do the right thing for Concord families, do the right thing for a healthy community, and do the right thing for our common home.

I want to prioritize Concord working families in City decision-making, and I want to bring more compassion, collaboration, and community engagement to city government. That is why I am running to be your representative on the City Council. 

Concrete Steps - It's time for change

Concord - like any city - is always going to grow and change. I think it is time for residents and city government to deepen their relationship: the needs and preferences of residents should be better reflected in City Council deliberations and decision-making.

This means more dialogue, more transparency, and a commitment to a clear set of values from those elected to our City Council.

A Shared Vision - Endorsed! 

My vision for Concord is shared by many. All of these groups have endorsed me because they share my goals and priorities: 

I know you will see many of your own values reflected in what these groups represent. I think it is time for these values to be our lived experience right here in Concord. 

 

 

Voting Information

You can mail your ballot, place it in a drop box, or visit a polling place on Nov 8. Here's a map of voting locations in Concord. Please go to this page on registering and voting for more complete information.

CNWS: Put People First

Let's Listen to each other and get this right

Public Safety that Works for You

Building a better partnership

Solving Traffic Means Solving Transit

Traffic impacts quality of life

Compassionate Solutions for the Unhoused

Homelessness is a challange for everyone

Concord is Home

Let's work on it Together

Key Principles

You should know the key principles that guide the person who represents you. These are mine. 

I think the City Council should focus on issues that affect the quality of life for working families in Concord. Families are the foundation for Concord, and quality of life means thriving communities.

For example, development decisions can prioritize project viability for the developer, or it can prioritize improvements that have a positive impact on current residents. Sometimes these can be done at the same time, but that takes careful work. 

As the naval weapons station project proceeds, new housing will mean traffic impacts on existing roadways. Project decisions should therefore place a high priority on the needs of current working families. 

I believe good process makes for good policy which makes for good government - and all of that starts by having City Council members who listen to their constituents and incorporate their concerns into policy decisions. 

My commitment is to listen to you respectfully and completely, and without telling you what to think or say. I also commit to telling you what I am thinking even as I am working through where I stand on something. Transparency, honesty, respectful dialogue and active listening: these are the foundations to making city policy that works for you. 

I think it is time for residents and city government in Concord to deepen their relationship: this means an exchange of meaningful commitments to each other. Residents should work to be as engaged with city government as they can; the City Council should commit to appointing more resident oversight commissions. 

Residents can shape Concord by getting involved. And the needs and preferences of residents should be clearly reflected in City Council deliberations and decision making. 

In each City Council decision, two questions need to be asked: who will benefit, and who will be burdened? And based on honest answers to those questions, strategies should be included to mitigate unintended consequences for those who are already most heavily burdened. 

This in not just a good idea, it is actually established Concord policy, based on the adoption of the GARE framework by the Concord City Council in 2020. My commitment is to ensure that this framework will be applied explicitly and transparently in all City Council decisions. 

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