Another gap has opened on a local government council with the recent resignation of Moraga Town Council Member David Stromberg, who submitted his resignation letter to town officials on Thursday.
In his letter, Stromberg said personal and private circumstances were behind his decision to leave Moraga, adding that he would end his tenure with the council on Sept. 9 – shy of a four-year term he was to hold until December, 2024. He was sworn in as a council member on Dec. 9, 2020.
The Connecticut native served the town for six years, first coming to the Design Review Board, then the Planning Commission and lastly as council member. In his parting letter to the town he stated he’d sought to make informed decisions reflective of the interests of the town and values of its residents.
Stromberg said that over the years he maintained an unwavering commitment to the preservation of open space and protection of the town’s hillsides and ridgelines.
“I regret not being able to fulfill my commitment to the voters and to complete my term on the Town Council, including serving as the Town’s Mayor in 2024, the 50th Anniversary of the incorporation of Moraga,” he wrote.
Stromberg’s departure comes on the heels of the recent resignation of Lafayette City Council Member Cameron Burks in Lafayette, who resigned in late June and whose seat was filled August 24 with the appointment of local businessman Wei-Tai Kwok.
Moraga should have a “strong” mayor-town council form of government. That means we have a full time, paid, elected Mayor position with an all volunteer(unpaid, part time) town council. The mayor leads and drives his or her agenda for Moraga. The town council is a check on that agenda and a legislative body to approve/disapprove.
In my 20 + years of living in Moraga the town government has been spinning its wheels the entire time. We have been in a reactive mode and I’ve seen town council members come and go with little to show in terms of meaningful accomplishments. Asking residents who have full time jobs and families to do our towns entire legislative work is not realistic. If status quo is the goal, it’s fine. If taking the town to the next level is the goal, try something new.
Good luck to David Stromberg in his future endeavors.