| Published January 20, 2021 | New Moraga mayor looks forward to serving the community | | By Vera Kochan | | Moraga mayor Mike McCluer Photo provided | Mike McCluer was officially nominated and elected mayor of Moraga during the Dec. 9 town council meeting with Steve Woehleke nominated and elected as vice mayor.
McCluer grew up in Pennsylvania and Chicago but moved to Moraga with his family in the 1970s where he went on to attend Joaquin Moraga Intermediate School and Miramonte High School. "My career took me east, then the Midwest," he said. "During this time I would visit my family annually in Moraga and continue to monitor its progress. I returned to Moraga in 2002 with my daughters going to JM and Campolindo, so I've known this town for decades and have lived in town for over 25 years."
With a 30-year career in finance, McCluer began serving Moraga as a member of the Planning Commission and was later elected to the town council in 2018. His desire to be a community volunteer grew from concerns about the direction the town was taking and his aspiration to help.
When asked what aspects of his initial campaign platform he hoped to accomplish as Moraga's new mayor, McCluer replied, "Well first, the goals we seek to accomplish are achieved as a team with my town council colleagues and our great staff. Having said that, I hope our team can continue on the progress of the last two years and focus on unfunded financial needs, fire prevention, traffic safety/congestion, attracting retail, preserving our semi-rural culture, recreation, and participate with community groups to address diversity and inclusion." McCluer added, "And, I feel it's incredibly important to continue our efforts to enhance communication with full transparency in everything we do!"
McCluer feels that his experiences on the town council, in addition to keeping an open channel with the community, have helped prepare him for his role as mayor. He does believe that "there are always opportunities to continue learning, apply new skills, as well as sharpen skills, especially in a new role."
Some attributes McCluer credits himself with are a strong passion and skill set with regards to listening and understanding residents' issues in addition to working with a team to find solutions. "The most important requirement of a town council member is leadership," he stated. "Acting as the board of directors for the town, we have this responsibility to lead our community. And, I believe in the concept of a servant leader, a person who leads to serve the residents." McCluer is open to citizen input and is honored to lead his team in working for the community and making Moraga a better place to live.
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