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Menlo Park City Council, District 1

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City of Menlo Park

Menlo Park City Council, District 1

This person would represent one of Menlo Park's five council districts on the City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land-use decisions for Menlo Park. The term is four years. The Mayor and Vice Mayor are chosen by the council from among its own members each year, rather than elected separately.

Menlo Park's District 1 seat, covering Belle Haven and the Bayfront, is open this year. Two-term Councilmember Cecilia Taylor is not seeking a third term. Wonman Lee, a Parks and Recreation Commissioner, is running to replace her. James Rohr, a retired cybersecurity analyst, is also running.

The winner serves a 4-year term as one of five district representatives on Menlo Park's City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use for the whole city, alongside district-specific advocacy. The Mayor and Vice Mayor are chosen by the council from among its own members each year, not elected separately. Menlo Park council races have no primary -- Rohr and Lee go straight to the November 3 ballot.

Both candidates want more neighborhood-serving retail in a district that has gone without a full-service supermarket or pharmacy for decades, and both raise concerns about Team Sheeper, the city's aquatics contractor at Burgess Park and the new Belle Haven Community Center. Where they differ is emphasis: Lee, endorsed by Vice Mayor Jennifer Wise and Councilmember Jeff Schmidt, frames his campaign around a pro-housing 'Abundance' philosophy and easing permitting for the roughly half of Menlo Park's lots that don't meet current zoning. Rohr, recruited into local volunteering by Taylor herself, centers his campaign on preserving Belle Haven's existing character -- rent control and tenant protections over new development in a neighborhood he describes as "full."

James Rohr

James Rohr, 48, is a retired cybersecurity analyst and Army veteran. He moved to Belle Haven in 2022 after seven years in Sunnyvale. Neighbors urged him to run after Cecilia Taylor decided to step down. He applied unsuccessfully to the city's Library Commission earlier this year.

Wonman Lee

Wonman Lee is a software engineer at the education technology company Learneo. He is a former chair of Menlo Park's Parks and Recreation Commission. There he helped plan the new Belle Haven Community Center. Before that, he worked on Capitol Hill for two U.S. senators.

What's the dispute with Team Sheeper?

Team Sheeper, the contractor that runs aquatics programs at Burgess Park and the Belle Haven Community Center, broke its agreement with the city in 2025 after the City Council declined to approve several contract amendments, and has since reduced hours, citing financial strain from lower-than-expected attendance at the new Belle Haven center. Rohr has called for an external financial audit and questioned the company's executive compensation, and has described its conduct in public council emails as extortion. Lee says he wants the city to repair its relationship with the operator while making sure residents keep access to the pool.

Your pick

A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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