 Interim Town Manager Mark Linder
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Hello, Windsor!I’m very happy to be here as your new interim Town Manager. You have a wonderful community, with great schools and easy access to nature and lots of other amenities. I have more than 30 years of experience in the public sector and my goal is to provide a steady hand on the tiller -- help keep the Town of Windsor moving forward in the right direction.
All good and well, you may think, but who is this guy? So, here’s a little information about me: I was born and raised in the Midwest, the oldest of eight kids. My father was a Lutheran pastor and my mother worked as an elementary-school teacher. In fact, she was my second-grade teacher and I had to call her “Mrs. Linder” at school.
I graduated from Macalester College and my wife, Mary, and I moved to California in 1977. After first working as a community organizer, I entered the public sector as assistant general manager for the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. I was there in 1989 when the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake ripped through the Bay area, with the epicenter in the Santa Cruz mountains. That was my first experience in helping to lead during a natural disaster.
My public sector career continued at the Town of Los Gatos, City of San Jose, City of Cupertino, and City of Campbell, where I served as its city manager. In each city, there were challenging and often controversial projects.
In Los Gatos, it was completing the Los Gatos Creek Trail through a residential area. In San Jose, it was developing priorities for redevelopment money to be used in various neighborhoods. In Cupertino, it was dog parks and off-leash areas. And in Campbell, it was negotiating with downtown merchants, the chamber, and other organizations to ensure the local farmers market worked for local businesses as well as residents.
At each municipality, I found the staff dedicated and public-oriented, the elected officials committed to community building, the business leaders supportive, and the neighborhoods active and caring partners. I see that here in Windsor as well.
Mary and I are enjoying all this area has to offer, so you will likely see me around town. I look forward to getting to know you – please say hello! You can also reach me via email at mlinder@townofwindsor.com or by phone at (707) 828-1000.
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Issue #11: January 6, 2022
Recommendation on Off-Leash Dog Pilot Program;
Summer Concert Series Wrap-Up
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On Wednesday, January 12, at 6 PM, Town staff will give a final presentation and recommendation to the Parks & Recreation Commission on an off-leash dog area pilot program at Wilson Ranch Soccer Park. The public is welcome to attend and provide comment at this meeting, which will be held online via Zoom.
Town staff will also summarize the 2021 Summer Nights on the Green concert series and present potential schedules for the 2022 season. For more information about this Parks & Recreation Commission meeting, go to: https://www.townofwindsor.com/721/Agendas-Minutes-Videos.
Council and Commission Meetings Virtual Only |
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Starting next week, Jan. 10, all Town Council and commission meetings will be held online only for at least eight weeks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The latest variant, Omicron, is much more contagious than earlier variants and is now the dominant strain in the U.S. The meetings will continue as planned via Zoom.
As a public service, meetings for the Town Council, Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Senior Citizen Advisory Commission are televised on Cable Channel 27, AT&T U-verse Channel 99, and streamed live online at http://www.ci.windsor.ca.us/media/media.aspx. However, please note that if you would like to provide live public comment, you must participate in the Zoom meetings. Thank you for your patience.
Security Camera Registration Program |
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A message from the Windsor Police Department: Help us fight crime in your neighborhood or business by registering your home/business security cameras in our new camera registration program, which provides a voluntary record of security cameras.
In a critical incident or criminal investigation, business or residential security cameras may capture evidence essential to solving a case. These investigations frequently require us to canvass neighborhoods surrounding a crime scene for security cameras. Many times, the best available video evidence is not of the crime scene itself, but of pathways and streets leading into and out of the crime scene. Knowing the locations of these cameras beforehand helps us prioritize where to start looking for evidence.
Please note that registration in this program does not give us access to your cameras nor does it require you to provide video footage. The information you do provide will be kept confidential. Learn more about our security-camera registration program and register at https://www.townofwindsor.com/1325/Security-Camera-Registration-Program.
This is one more way we can all work together to keep our community safe. Please share this information with your friends and business network.
Jan. 10: Comment Deadline for Windsor Resilience Plan |
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It’s not too late to tell us your values, vision, and priorities on helping our community better prepare for extreme weather events!
You have until Monday, January 10, to comment on the draft Windsor Resilience Plan, which you can access at windsorready.com. And, if you’ve already provided your feedback – thank you very much!
Jan. 14: Candidate Nomination Petitions Due
for Special Election |
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The Town of Windsor will hold a special election on Tuesday, April 12, to fill the Town Council at-large seat vacated by the appointment of Councilmember Sam Salmon to mayor. The term of this at-large seat expires this December.
The deadline for potential Town Council candidates to file an official nomination petition is Friday, January 14. These petitions may be obtained by appointment only from the Office of the Town Clerk, 9291 Old Redwood Hwy., Building 400. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call the Town Clerk’s Office at (707) 838-5315. You may also email iwerby@townofwindsor.com or townclerk@townofwindsor.com.
Voting by mail opens on March 14 for this special election. For more information about voting in Sonoma County, go to: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/CRA/Registrar-of-Voters/
2021 Was Record Year for Building Permits |
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The Town’s Building Division had a very busy year in 2021. Residents and businesses submitted a total of 1,108 building permit applications and the Town issued 1,036 building permits and finalized 778 permits.
Processed permits include new housing units, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), additions/remodels, tenant improvements, and solar. The chart above shows the past seven years of building-permit activity for comparison.
Short-Term Vacation Rentals Update |
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A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, January 11, for the Planning Commission to review and provide a recommendation to Council on a proposed zoning ordinance amendment to establish regulations on short-term vacation rentals. Community members are invited to attend and provide comment.
This meeting will be held online at 5:30 PM via Zoom. If you wish to provide comment, you must participate in the Zoom meeting. Learn more by going to: https://www.townofwindsor.com/721/Agendas-Minutes-Videos, scrolling down to the January 11 meeting listing and clicking the "agenda" hyperlink.
A little background information: The Town began to research information on an ordinance addressing short-term vacation rentals in early 2021 and in March, the Town Council held a study session to discuss policy options. Public outreach began later that year, which included a survey, information distributed via email, website, and social media, and a November community meeting.
Tree-Planting Project at Old Vineyard Park |
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Starting on January 24, a Town contractor will plant 59 new trees along the pathways at Old Vineyard Park, in the Vintana neighborhood. These trees will replace the failing trees removed last year, providing more shade and helping to cut greenhouse gases. This project is anticipated to take about two weeks.
Recycled Water: Did you know that Old Vineyard Park is irrigated with recycled water? This water will nurture and sustain new tree growth even when Windsor is experiencing drought conditions. To learn more about the Town’s recycled water program, please go to: https://www.townofwindsor.com/114/Recycled-Water.
Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday |
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 Photo credit: County of Sonoma
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Town Offices will be closed on Monday, January 17, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. We will re-open on January 18. For sewer and water emergencies or other Town service-related emergency situations, please call (707) 838-1000.
Make it a day of service: MLK Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service. The aim: to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. A few options include cleaning up a public space, mentoring a young person, or helping those who are food insecure. Whatever you do can make a world of difference.
If you're looking for planned volunteer opportunities, Sonoma County Regional Parks is hosting an event to tidy up and improve Andy's Unity Park in Santa Rosa. All tools, gloves and materials will be provided and lunch will be served afterwards. Please register for this event: https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Play/Calendar/Martin-Luther-King-Jr--Day-Of-Service-2022-1-17/
If you're looking for more volunteer opportunities, AmeriCorps has been charged with leading the day-of-service effort nationwide for the past quarter century. Go to: https://americorps.gov/newsroom/events/mlk-day
Update on 2021 Windsor Community
Holiday Food & Toy Drive |
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Almost 300 needy local families – including 740 children – had a more joyous Christmas with the generosity of you, the Rotary Club of Windsor, Kiwanis Club, Community Circle, and the Windsor Police Department.
At the Windsor community holiday food and toy drive, which was held on Dec. 18 at the Cali Calmécac Language Academy, the children received two stocking stuffers, a book or coloring book (with crayons) and one wrapped gift, as well as a photo with Santa.
Families received toothbrushes and toothpaste (and the kids also got dental floss -- thank you, Pediatric Dental Initiative), hot dogs from the Boosters club and a box of food including whole frozen chickens or turkeys for the holiday meal. Learn more about this community event and see more photos at https://windsorfoodandtoydrive.com/.
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