Publisher - The Spectrum Magazine - Redwood City's Monthly ...

Redwood City’s mayor, Jeff Ira, is a second generation native of the United States.
Born of Sicilian heritage, his father, Fred Ira, and his mother, Jackie, moved to
Redwood City from Bismark, North Dakota, in the 1930’s. Jeff was born and raised
in Redwood City; he married his wife, Joan, here; and he has raised his four children:
Josh, 25; Julie, 20; Joe, 14; and Jessie, 10; here (the keen-eyed reader can see this family
all uses the same monogram: “JI.”) Jeff ’s grandparents lived here, and his parents
currently live here. If ever there was someone who has Redwood City’s interests at
heart, it’s mayor Jeff Ira. Redwood City is not only Ira’s home, it’s his heritage.
Suited for
Mayor of Re
By Valerie Harris
Special to the Spectrum
As a youth, Ira attended St. Pius
Catholic School, and attended
high school at St. Francis High.
After graduating, Ira transferred
to Humboldt State University
near Eureka, majoring in Wildlife.
Some of his friends and classmates
were having problems getting
jobs in that field after graduation,
so Ira changed his major to
business. After a two-year internship,
and passing an exam, Ira
became a CPA (Certified Public
Accountant.)
In 1984, Ira joined C G UHLEN-
BERG LLP Certified Public
Accountants & Consultants, located
in Redwood Shores, as a manager.
Three years later, Ira became a partner. In 1997, the Redwood City Council race
opened up and Ira was encouraged to seek a Council seat. With a background in
finance, Ira was well suited to guide the city on budgetary and financial matters. Ira’s
CPA firm audits government agencies, so Ira could use his expertise in analyzing
Redwood City’s finances.
Ira was elected on his first attempt for a Council seat. He has been there ever since,
and plans to run again this November, though he won’t know how many are running
until the end of July. Ira is allowed four 4-year terms before the city charter imposes
termination through term limits.
When asked what Redwood City’s top priority was, Ira stated without hesitation:
“Community involvement!” Ira embraces public inputs, and the city is ripe with programs
for that very purpose. Redwood City’s City Council has implemented two highly
successful programs to educate the public on the inner workings of the city: PACT
and the Community Builders.
PACT is a nine-week seminar offered by the city, that teaches residents the inner workings
of the city. This seminar is held twice a year, and meets one Thursday a week for
the duration. Participants learn about Public Works; the Police Department; the Fire
Department; the City Council; Finance, the Library; neighborhoods; volunteer opportunities;
and everything community related, giving the participants an educational
backbone into the workings of the city.
PACT states: “The more people know about and are involved in City government, the
greater success and health Redwood City can experience. The City’s progress is built
upon our diverse communities, our civic pride, our strong neighborhoods, and each
individual’s sense of responsibility for making the City a better place for everyone –
(sic) we want people to be involved in PACT as one way of strengthening our community,
and building a better City.”
The course is designed to groom future volunteers and leaders of the community, and
the program is working. In the past, when an opening occurred, it could go unfilled.
Ira states: Now for an opening on one of our commissions, we have nine very-qualified
candidates.”
The other city-sponsored program is “Community Builders”. Community Builders is
a guest-speaker forum series, three hours per session, bi-monthly for three months,
held in the spring of the year. The sessions are limited to 100 participants, and the city
requests a non-mandatory $25 fee for food and refreshments. This past spring, community
leaders such as Peter Block, Margaret Wheatley, Angeles Arrien, Juanita Brown,