Rohnert Park just says no to cannabis

How long have you been in Rohnert Park?

30 years.

The mayor role in Rohnert Park is appointed?

Yes. We rotate every year (one-year terms).

How long have you been on the council?

I am finishing my eighth year. I am up for re-election, but no one challenged me. So it'll be another four years.

You like the role?

I love the role. I am a problem-solver at heart. It's problem solving. That's what makes it fun.

Did you own this business (Stanley Steemer franchise) when you were first elected?

Yes.

How long have you had the Stanley Steemer franchise?

I have owned it since 2006, so 10 years.

Were you a small-business owner before that?

I did some consulting work. I had worked at a couple of large corporations. I realized that I'm not good at staying in the box. I'm much better at thinking outside the box. I had known the owners of this business. They were splitting up. One of them called and asked if I wanted to buy it. My grandfather had one of the first janitorial businesses in San Francisco. I grew up around (floor) buffers. I realized that if I didn't buy a business, I would just be a consultant. I love working with people. I wanted to develop a team.

How many employees?

About 20.

How many trucks or units go out?

About 10.

Is it primarily carpets or hardwood floors?

Any kind of flooring. Natural stone. Tile. Counter tops. Shower stalls. Upholstery. Area rugs, carpet.

You live in Rohnert Park?

Yes. We started (with) the business in Rohnert Park. The husband (former owner) moved across the street from our location. He has Marin County. I have Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties. We kept getting each other's deliveries. We were literally across the street. It became problematic. I moved to Santa Rosa. I had to differentiate.

Does that ever create conflict in your role on Rohnert Park city council in that your business is headquartered in Santa Rosa?

No. I didn't realize it at the time, but because my business isn't in Rohnert Park, decisions made there don't affect my business.

So you don't have to recuse yourself?

Correct. It's very clean.

You're in the clean business?

I am in the clean business (laughs). We'll just keep it clean.

Santa Rosa has a tradition of being guarded about new business. Rohnert Park welcomes it all?

Yes. We are very welcoming, but without giving up our environmental concerns. They go hand in hand. People sometimes think we are just big-box stores. That's our tax base. But we really want all different types of businesses to come to Rohnert Park. We want good jobs as well.

How do you make it easy for businesses?

When I was first elected, a gentleman in Rohnert Park had had his plans checked some extraordinary number of times. He asked to meet with me and Joe Callinan. (Joseph Callinan Construction, mayor 2014), and with staff. What is taking so long? There were a couple of things wrong with his plans. They would say what he had to fix. Then they would say, now this is wrong. That's really inefficient. We're not doing our very best. It costs time for the person wanting to come in. It creates a myth that we're not business-friendly. It denies the community those jobs, and any taxes that are going to come in. Not only does the business lose money, the city loses money. And you lose the potential for jobs. That's a lose, lose, lose. How do you make it a win, win, win? When Joe and I sat in that meeting, I was astounded at the way staff was talking to this gentleman. He's one of our customers. We have to be aware of who our customers are. That's what Stanley Steemer has allowed me to bring to City Hall is a sense of who our customer is - not just out there but internally as well, who we are working with.

You helped change attitudes?

This is what we want staff to look at. A new city manager, Gabe Gonzalez (served three years, left in 2013 just before $800 million Graton Resort & Casino opened). He bought a bell-hop bell and stuck it upstairs where the plan-check review is. If somebody came up and nobody was there, they would hit the bell. We wanted them to get taken care of very quickly. We value your business. Sometimes (business) people would call and not think it (a plan change or request) was not fair. If you have a hazard you want to put into the wastewater system, we want to know for sure it is safe for the community. You might not like it, but it's ultimately for business safety and our constituents' safety as well. That has blown people away - businesses. We have really high standards, but we let you know (what is needed). We make it easy to pull permits. That's what drives business into the community and keeps the community healthy.

Sonoma Mountain Village (former Hewlett-Packard campus), launched by Codding Enterprises, is a model of business community with environmental consciousness, but it has yet to take off?

Yes. The whole One-Planet Community thing (intended to generate all energy from renewable onsite sources). It hasn't yet. It's a work in progress.

You recall the developments of Jimmie Rogers in Rohnert Park (died 2008, former mayor, major developer)?

He was a character. The founding fathers laid out the city in sections, a school and park in every section, very unusual. They were missing that downtown component.

Is that needed for the community?

It is hugely needed.

Where would you put it?

Right where the State Farm property is (30-acre campus, had 450 employees, closed 2010, moved to Bakersfield). We had a developer that wanted 400 high-density units (Suncal's Rohnert Crossings). We wanted a downtown component as well (served by SMART train, 40,000 sq. ft. retail, ~40,000 sq. ft. commercial, 250 townhomes, 150 mixed-use dwellings around Main St.).

That's in the offing, and 10 years out?

Yes. Possibly. It depends on the developer, if they're going to sell it, what they are going to do with it. They are in a bit of a holding pattern. Once we put that into the PDA (priority-development area), the value of the property went up. Maybe they can refinance it.

You also have Marmot in Rohnert Park?

Yes we do. The community loves having them. I don't know if Marmot knows that. They're very quiet. People wish they would be more involved in the community.

Are you always on the lookout for drawing big companies like that to Rohnert Park?

Absolutely. Innovative Molding was in Sebastopol (plastic container lids, spoons, moved to Sonoma Mountain Village, 2011, >100 employees). We were very fortunate they left Sebastopol and came into Rohnert Park. That was a great win for us. Our assistant city manager (Don Schwartz) and I just did the conference in Long Beach for California League of Cities. He is constantly on the lookout for businesses. We are open for business. Rohnert Park is different.

You are differentiating from other cities?

Exactly. We are open for business, but please be respectful environmentally. We had about 25 commercial real estate people come in. They were surprised, shocked.

Are there huge business issues you are reckoning with in addition to a new downtown?

We are focused on continuing to bring diverse businesses to Rohnert Park, different white-collar jobs. We don't have a lot of attorneys or CPAs.

You are trying to attract high-tech companies?

Yes. There's a wave, starting to crash down on Rohnert Park. As people move out of San Francisco, they move to Petaluma. We are the next to get hit. Some of our businesses have been stagnant for a while, in office space. I don't know if they have the infrastructure that a tech company needs. If marijuana becomes recreational, folks are coming in from Washington and Colorado, picking up industrial parks (in Santa Rosa). As a business owner, I'm growing and need to move to a bigger place. I can't find a place.

You are competing with cannabis folks who want to do processing, indoor growing?

Absolutely I am. It is taking up space.

You are seeing that in Rohnert Park as well?

We are not seeing it as much. Santa Rosa has said this is what it wants. We have taken more of a back seat. Nothing is legal yet. We are a family-oriented community.

Receptivity to cannabis is not your thing?

No. We haven't allowed any cannabis clubs in Rohnert Park. Sebastopol, Santa Rosa - they're saying yes. Let them have that industry and we'll have other industries.

What else is important to Rohnert Park?

We were in a medical desert unless you were with Kaiser. We worked hard to bring in the Rohnert Park Health Center (5900 State Farm Dr., opened 2015, run by Petaluma Health Center, for uninsured or underinsured residents). That is going to change Rohnert Park. Now they are bringing in specialists. That's a new industry for Rohnert Park - white-collar, good-paying jobs. There will be ancillary businesses. It's an exciting time to be in Rohnert Park.

James Dunn covers technology, biotech, law, the food industry, and banking and finance. Reach him at: james.dunn@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4257

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