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Contra Costa County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
Smart Voter

Who Am I?

By Harmesh Kumar

Candidate for Council Member; City of Concord

This information is provided by the candidate
My name is Dr. Harmesh Kumar. I have been a clinical neuro-psychologist for over thirty years. I also operate multiple residential care facilities for the severely mentally ill and elderly. I emigrated from my native country, India, twenty-five years ago, and I have decided to run for Concord City Council to better serve the community I love. I am neither a politician nor do I have the desire to get into the fighting and bickering which characterizes this campaign. During this process I have not received endorsements from major special interests groups including real estate developers, public employee unions, and national political parties not familiar with local issues. The special interest groups will not endorse me because my loyalties reside with the residents of Concord, rather than with their individual agendas. I proudly served as part of the Measure Q Oversight Committee and served as the former chairman of the Human Relations Commission. Because of my reputation as a representative of the communities' interests, I have received endorsements from various small business owners, neighborhood watch groups and the Concord Naval Weapons Station Neighborhood Alliance. In this regard my "special interests" are the people of Concord, who I pledge to work for independently, to the best of my ability. We need to have a plan to reduce our deficit; and we should question our current leaders as to why this has not been accomplished. It is time for us to reevaluate our priorities in regards to keeping our community safe. Law Enforcement receives almost 60% of our total annual budget. There are other elements to keeping a community vibrant and functional, by including preventive social, youth, and family oriented programs. Prevention based law enforcement will lead to lower costs in the long run. As a psychologist, I have offered free services to Veterans, victims of domestic violence, and those who have fallen victim to an outdated system of dysfunctional policies. I am already working to be a part of the solution. I do not believe in "cursing the darkness" but rather "lighting a candle". Concord's face has become much more diverse in the last 25 years since I started my journey for the American Dream in our beautiful city. I founded the Annual Spring Festival 11 years ago in Todos Santos Plaza to build bridges and to celebrate and showcase the unity in our diversity. It is time to change our outdated policies and bring in new ones. It can only happen with your support. I ask for your vote to make Concord a better place for all of us and our children.

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