Windsor Candidate Q&A: Stephanie Ahmad

With voter guides arriving at voters’ residences beginning March 3 and vote-by-mail beginning March 14, the Town of Windsor’s special election campaign is drawing to a close. First three, now two, the candidates vying for a long-vacant fifth town council seat to serve a six-month term beginning in May and ending in December have been campaigning for nearly two months now. Despite the brevity of the term, candidates will help the town council decide on some critical issues relating to the future of the Town of Windsor, including the fate of the Civic Center project, the selection of a new town manager, how to address long-term financial problems and, potentially, the makeup of the council itself.

Regardless of the outcome of the election, both candidates are active in the community and care deeply about the Town of Windsor and the people who live there; it is not unlikely that the losing candidate’s name could be alongside the winner’s on November’s ballot, running for either one of three open district seats or the at-large mayor. 

SoCoNews asked candidates Michael Wall and Stephanie Ahmand to answer a series of questions at the start of their campaigns. Now that they’ve been speaking with voters and further informing themselves on the issues Windsor faces, we identified additional questions we considered to be in the public’s interest and have provided space to once again answer questions posed previously. 

This article including Stephanie Ahmad’s responses was published first, as Ahmad was the first to return her answers. Responses were edited lightly for AP style. An article with Wall’s responses will be published in the coming days.

Election Day is April 12, with mail-in voting beginning on March 14. 

SoCoNews encourages eligible Windsor voters to inform themselves deeply on the issues at hand and make an informed choice when they exercise their democratic right in the coming month, considering both their own interests and the interests of the community. This is the foundation of the democratic process, which trusts an interested and informed public to decide who is worthy to lead them.
 

Stephanie Ahmad

Stephanie Ahmad is a past president and current trustee of the Windsor Unified School District (WUSD) board of trustees. She grew up in Windsor and returned to raise her own children in the town. Ahmad earned a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies at UC Berkeley before earning her law degree from Stanford in 2011. She works as a senior associate attorney at an international law firm.
 

Why do you feel you’re the best candidate for this seat?

I’m engaged with the community and I enjoy listening and working to bring about improvements to people’s quality of life. In my day job as an attorney in private practice, I provide technical legal advice on complex issues related to employee benefits, so problem solving is part of my day to day work and something I enjoy. I was elected to the Windsor school board in 2018. On the school board I recently completed a term as president and am known for being collaborative and hard working. I’m a fairly young candidate, but I’ve seen enough to know that collaboration and consensus-building is always better than polarization and an us-versus-them mentality. I’ve been endorsed for town council by all of the school board members with whom I’ve served. 

I have a unique perspective in that I grew up in Windsor and then moved back to raise my own kids here. I saw Windsor grow and change on a yearly basis, and now my own kids appreciate the stability and the wonderful amenities we have in town. Given my upbringing and now my experience as an adult, I understand what makes Windsor a special place. 

My family moved to Windsor in 1988 because there was inexpensive housing, and I completed my entire K-12 education in Windsor public schools. I then went on to college at UC Berkeley and law school at Stanford. I’m the first person in my family to graduate from a four-year university and am still the only lawyer in my family. Growing up I was Stephanie Diaz. I moved back to Windsor with my family in 2013.
 

What are your long-term political aspirations? Why are you attracted to public service?

I’m attracted to public service because I like to work on complex issues with lots of moving parts. It’s satisfying to start with an idea and see it manifest and take shape in the real world. For example, some things I’ve worked on as a school board trustee that are beginning to or have already taken shape are workforce-oriented housing at the old Windsor Creek site, affordable before- and after-school child care available to all of our families, and improving communication with our families through a new director of communications position. 

I’m committed to serving on the town council for this six month term, followed by a full four year term—after this time I will reassess to determine whether future service makes sense for me and for the town. As far as long term goals, I really enjoy my day job working as an attorney in private practice. I like that I’m able to work in the private sector and also have a part-time public service role in which I’m able to give back to the community.
 

What qualities would be important to you in the search for a new town manager?

One of the most exciting prospects of serving on the town council is being involved in hiring a permanent town manager. While the town council sets policy, it’s the town manager who works every day to bring the town council’s vision to life. When our school district superintendent retired in 2020, I helped lead the search and hiring process for a new superintendent. In any job search my goal is always to hire the most qualified candidate, and to cast a wide net and complete a high quality application and interview process to identify the best candidate. The qualities I look for are (in no particular order): prior experience in the same type of role; a work history that shows commitment to positions and organizations; strong recommendations and references from a range of current and former colleagues; and a track record of being organized, extremely responsive, and having a strong work ethic. 
 

How would you vote regarding the at-large mayor should the council return an item to put the issue to voters?

There are benefits to having five town council members and a rotating mayor position — this is the system we have on the school board, and it encourages collegiality and gives everyone the opportunity to lead. There are also benefits to having four town council members and an at-large mayor, in that the mayor is voted on by everyone in the community and takes on a symbolic role. Given that these are both sound approaches, my vote on this issue will largely come down to the additional cost of eliminating the at-large mayor position, especially given the structural deficit. I would also be open to conducting a scientific survey to determine whether there is overwhelming community support for eliminating the at-large position.
 

The town is facing a long-term structural deficit. How would you address this challenge — likely requiring expenditure reductions and revenue enhancements — as a council member?

I would address the potential long-term structural deficit by reducing expenses, right-sizing staffing and then raising revenue. We first need to complete an internal review of our expenditures and assess whether any cuts can be made that would not impact our residents’ quality of life. Second, we need to take a close look at staffing to determine whether any right-sizing is needed. Third, after we’ve investigated potential expense reductions and cost savings, we should look at ways to generate revenue with an eye toward bringing in revenue for specific purposes and with targeted goals and objectives. We also need a permanent town manager who is able to take ownership over all of the above in order to have stable leadership through the process of curing budget issues.
 

What is your position on the Civic Center project? What alternatives do you suggest to deal with the need for new facilities for Windsor public agencies, including for the Windsor Police Department?

I would vote no on the Civic Center project as currently proposed. There is a lot more work to be done before we solidify our plans for the fourth side of the Town Green. As a council, we really need to understand our vision for the town. I see Windsor as a family friendly multigenerational community that is appealing to young families. One of our business leaders recently reminded me that when you keep your vision top of mind, everything else falls into place.

There are several moving parts that we need to think about with respect to the Civic Center project/Town Green completion:

• Keeping the library directly on the Town Green is important to families with young kids and demonstrates our values as a community. We have one of the smallest libraries in Sonoma County based on the size of our community and we should be engaged in planning for a larger and more functional library space that meets the evolving needs of the community.

• Will Staubli always be on the east side of the Town Green? If we were willing to rethink the current Civic Center project proposal, this could be a possible future Town Hall location, along with school district offices, and a library at the storefront level, along with commercial space. At present, we are very lucky to have Staubli’s North American headquarters on the east side of the Town Green.

• Incorporating sound urban design principles into any changes to the Town Green — I’ve been told that it is desirable to have street access around the Town Green and visibility of the Town Green from Old Redwood Highway. 

• The school district has proposed building a new recreation center in partnership with the town near Windsor High School. The town needs to work with the school district to determine whether this could be an adequate replacement for the Huerta gymnasium. 

• The police department was recently remodeled and has adequate space for the time being, but may need more space and secure parking in the future.

• I’ve outlined the factors that need to be met for me to vote in favor of extending the exclusive negotiating agreement and to continue exploring (not approve of) the civic center project: consistency with our town’s vision and values, financial solvency, our library remains centrally located, we incorporate design elements that promote successful town squares, we explore creative options for the placement of the municipal building, and we carefully stage the project.

Having campaigned for over a month now, what are the most pressing issues on the minds of Windsor residents, and how do you hope to address them as council member?

After knocking on almost a thousand doors and speaking with residents about the issues that are important to them I’ve learned a lot of valuable information. One thing that I learned is that many of our residents are not aware that there is a special election on April 12, so it’s really important to get the word out. Another thing that I’ve learned is that this isn’t a single-issue election. The prospective voters I’ve spoken with have raised a number of different issues that can be put in the following categories: (1) housing, zoning and growth related, (2) town policies and services, (3) protecting public spaces, and (4) ideas and suggestions related to the Town Green and the proposed Civic Center project.

Some of the issues raised can be addressed simply by discussing the issues with staff, determining options, choosing the best option and implementing it. Others require long-term planning and goal setting as well as collaboration and consensus. The most important thing is to keep track of the issues, consistently revisit the work being done on each one, and to take proactive steps to move things forward. 
 

Please use this final question as an opportunity to say anything else you’d like to say:

Thank you for taking the time to read this — I appreciate your engagement and thank you for considering my candidacy for the Town Council.