Candidate for
Council Member; City of Walnut Creek

About Mayor Bob Simmons

Family & Career

Born and raised in Wisconsin, I attended the University of Wisconsin, earning a bachelor of arts in economics in 1970, and a juris doctor in 1973. While working as an attorney for the Office of the General Counsel, United States Department of Agriculture, I earned a Master of Laws in natural resource law from the National Law Center at George Washington University in 1979.

My wife Judy and I moved to Walnut Creek in 1987 with our two sons, Paul and Mike, who attended Walnut Acres, Foothill Middle School, and Northgate High School. They have graduated college and, I am happy to say, they both still live and work in the area.

As an attorney for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, my principal client was the Forest Service, an agency that manages more 190 million acres of land, including 20 million acres in California. When I retired in 2004, I was Regional Attorney for the Department's Pacific Region, supervising 25 attorneys in three states.

After my retirement, I became a mediator and am presently a mediation supervisor for the Congress of Neutrals, with a special focus on civil harassment mediation.

Community Service & Civic Leadership

During my years as an attorney and continuing afterwards, I also fostered a twenty-five year career of community service and civic leadership. I have coached youth sports, raised money to build local sports fields, and tutored English as a Second Language. I continue to serve as a Bedford Gallery public art docent, volunteer for libraries, advocate passionately for open space issues, and help restore native habitats in our open space areas.

An avid walker and hiker, I created Walnut Creek Walks, a program that encourages exercise and exploration of our beautiful city and its extraordinary neighborhoods. In 2010, I became a Master Gardener through the Contra Costa Master Gardener Program, a program that trains volunteers in gardening skills and knowledge, who, in turn, share their knowledge with members of the community. In the past year, I led a collaborative effort to create the Walnut Creek Watershed Council, an organization designed to connect resources and support partnerships to protect and enhance this critical 150-square-mile watershed.

In 2008, I was elected to the Walnut Creek City Council. I have been Mayor of the City of Walnut Creek since December 2011. I sit on the Board of Directors of the Contra Costa Transit Authority (County Connection), and am a Contra Costa Mayors' Conference appointee to the East Bay Regional Park District, Park Advisory Committee and the Bay Area Hazardous Waste Management Facility Allocation Committee. Prior to being elected to the Walnut Creek City Council, I served on the Planning Commission from 2004-08, and the Park, Recreation and Open Space Commission from 2000-04.

Professional:

• Mediator, Congress of Neutrals
• Regional Attorney, United States Department of Agriculture (retired)
• Master of Laws, Natural Resources, National Law Center, George Washington University, 1979
• Juris Doctor, University of Wisconsin, 1973
• Bachelor of Arts, Economics, University of Wisconsin, 1970

• Mayor of Walnut Creek, December 2011-Present
• Walnut Creek City Council member, December 2008-Present
• Walnut Creek Watershed Council, Co-founder, 2012
• East Bay Regional Park District, Park Advisory Committee member, 2010-Present
• Bay Area Hazardous Waste Management Facility Allocation Committee member, 2010-Present
• Central Contra Costa County Transit Authority, County Connection Board member, 2009-Present
• Planning Commissioner, 2004-08; Chair, 2006; Vice Chair, 2005
• Park, Recreation and Open Space Commissioner, 2000-04; Chair, 2003; Vice Chair 2002

• Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation, Advisory Board member; President, 2007-08; Board member 2002-08
• Sustainable Walnut Creek, Co-founder, 2011-12
• Master Gardener, Contra Costa Master Gardener Program, 2010-Present
• Bedford Gallery Public Art Walking Tours, docent, 2008-Present
• Diablo Valley Literacy Council, volunteer tutor in English as a Second Language, 2004-05
• Friends of the Ygnacio Valley Library, volunteer, 2002-Present
• Castle Rock Field Restoration Committee, 1999-2003
• Northgate Bronco Boosters, Board member (former)
• Walnut Creek Little League, Board member (former)
• Youth sports coach: soccer, baseball, basketball, 1988-97