Councilmember Sashi Sabaratnam (McEntee) announced this week her resignation from the Mill Valley City Council, effective August 2, 2022. Sabaratnam was elected to the City Council in November 2015 and again in 2020. Her announcement was necessitated by relocating out of the area, making her unable to serve the remaining two years of her term (which expires in 2024).
“I want to acknowledge Sashi’s many years of service to Mill Valley,” Mayor Jim Wickham said. “She has guided the City through many important transitions and demonstrated courageous leadership in the face of unprecedented challenges in her year as Mayor. Through it all, she exemplified the best quality of Mill Valley and our Council - our ability to appreciate and challenge each other’s diverse viewpoints while maintaining civility, collegiality and respect above all.”
During her tenure, Councilmember Sabaratnam oversaw several City-wide achievements, including the recruitment and appointment of two City Managers, navigating the City’s COVID-19 response, and adopting two, two-year City Budgets and five-year Capital Improvement Programs.
Sabaratnam served on Council as they provided policy direction on a number of important initiatives related to public safety, housing, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), and infrastructure upgrades. These include significant improvements in community emergency preparedness, including the Long Range Acoustic Device emergency siren upgrades, evacuation planning, and the establishment of Neighborhood Response Groups. She gave important policy guidance on housing initiatives such as the Housing Element update, City-financed affordable housing initiatives, Accessory Dwelling Unit revisions and the upcoming proposed “Soft Story” Retrofit Program.
Sabaratnam served as a Council representative to the DEI Working Group to oversee the implementation of the City’s DEI Work Plan. Important infrastructure projects during her tenure include the Downtown Project, East Blithedale Rehabilitation Project, City-wide traffic signal timing improvements, the Golf Course path and proposed infrastructure upgrades in coordination with the new management agreement with Touchstone Golf LLC.
Former Mayor John McCauley acknowledged McEntee’s hard work on several projects. “I want to thank Sashi for her leadership on the Marin Local Agency Formation Commission, her assistance in dissolving the Marin Telecommunications Authority, and for her work as a founding member on the Executive Committee of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority,” he said. “Sashi leaves an important legacy of effective government policy guidance in Marin County, and we all benefit from her contributions.”
City Manager Alan Piombo also lauded Sabaratnam for her leadership. “Sashi is not shy about leading the charge in advancing positive change,” he said. “I appreciated her honest, straightforward perspectives on the many complex issues that we faced during her tenure. I know that she will continue to bring her principled, honest approach to the next chapter in her life.”
Sabaratnam reflected on her time in Mill Valley: “After 22 years in Mill Valley, raising my daughters and owning a business here, my roots and commitment to this community run deep,” she said. “I am sincerely honored and thankful for the opportunity to serve this community in the role of Mayor, Councilmember, and as a representative on many boards and commissions. The people of this community are what make it so special, and I am really proud of the work that we have accomplished together.”
Sabaratnam served as the Council liaison for the following: Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (Founding Board Member), Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers (President), Marin Local Agency Formation Commission (Chair), League of California Cities - Revenue and Taxation Policy Committee, Mill Valley School District, Marin Telecommunications Agency (Vice Chair), MCE Clean Energy (Board Member)
Prior to being elected as a Councilmember, Sabaratnam served as Vice Chair of the City’s Emergency Preparedness Commission and as Chair of the Mill Valley Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Steering Committee. Sashi is a Mill Valley School District parent and is an active school and Kiddo! Volunteer. She is a former president of the Shelter Ridge Homeowners Association board of directors.
NEXT STEPS
Council will discuss next steps on filling the vacancy at the September 6, 2022 City Council meeting. A Staff Report outlining the options will be available ahead of the meeting for community information. When available, it will be posted on the City’s Webcasting and Meeting Agendas webpage.