About Gabriel

The Lafayette City Council has wandered astray on two major issues that could transform Lafayette for the worse.  The first issue is a fading sense of priority.  Important duties, like the maintenance of infrastructure, have been abandoned, while side projects and special interests are given undue attention and drain manpower and money.  Since incorporation about 40 years ago, Lafayette has grown little in terms of population, size or infrastructure, but the budget has been increased by more than $1M a year by the state.  Still, if the city council had their way the sales tax would be 9.25%. In today’s economy, this would be a crippling tax that could drive renters to other towns, move homeowners into multi-unit housing and force independent businesses to fold. Read more about budgetary and sales tax issues.

Gabriel Froymovich

Why Have I Decided to Run for City Council?

 

 

My second major impetus for running for office is to preserve the nature of Lafayette.  The City Council’s consultants and planners are openly trying to turn Lafayette into a “transit village.”  They would like for Lafayette to transition to the type of city planning done in larger cities, with multi-unit and low-income housing and concentration of housing, commerce and government funding around the BART station.  I doubt many of Lafayette’s residents choose to live in Lafayette because they look forward to living in a high population density area.  That is not why I moved here.  Nor do I think most Lafayette home owners feel that city planning should neglect their needs, like well-maintained roads even in peripheral neighborhoods, in order to focus on creating the right environment for multi-unit housing within walking distance of BART.

What Experience Do I Have?

I have little public policy or political experience, other than serving as Chairman of the Student Judicial Board at Goucher College, where I earned my Bachelor’s, and an internship with the Army War College.  The flip side of that coin is that I have no attachment to any contract services and can measure their effectiveness objectively.  However, I do have the business experience needed to manage a large budget and to plan and evaluate the efficacy of major projects. 

I earn most of my income as a consultant for out-of-state home health care companies.  In the past I have directed a marketing budget of six figures, which I cut drastically to successfully improve efficiency and save money, something I hope to do with the city budget.  I currently work as part of a team of five on a budget in the low 8 figures, comparable in size to Lafayette’s budget.  Additionally, I have seen first hand the financial pressures on seniors and understand the health maintenance issues facing them.

I am also a partner in a real estate investment and holdings company that oversees several projects.  I would like to use my familiarity with major infrastructure projects to finally get our neighborhood roads repaired.

On a more local level, I am a partner in www.LamorindaWineSociety.com, which is currently undergoing a facelift, and also a micro-boutique winery located in Sonoma County.  I love Lafayette, and will fight to keep the Council from changing the character of this city.

Please take the time to read the other pages of this site and learn more about my solutions for Lafayette’s budget squeeze.  We may not be able to make much of a difference in Washington or Sacramento, but together we can guide Lafayette toward a bright future.

Comments or questions for Gabriel Froymovich?  E-mail me.

Here’s a YouTube video summarizing why I’m running and what my qualifications are: