In what became a milestone in Moraga, Sue McNulty Rainey was elected to the Town Council in 1974 – the same year that the Town was incorporated.  Not only was she the lone woman on that initial council, she became Moraga’s fourth mayor and the first female to hold the office.

    During last month's June 24 Town Council meeting, Mayor Kerry Hillis made an announcement that Rainey had passed away.  Her death, on June 17 at the age of 86 from mesothelioma, came as a surprise to many. Her husband, former State Senator, Assemblyman, and Contra Costa County Sheriff Richard Rainey passed away in July 2021.

    Rainey’s public service began in 1959-1961 when, as a registered nurse, she became a Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps. According to a 2025 article in Contra Costa Herstory, that experience “gave her unique insights into organizational leadership and community needs. She began attending community meetings and quickly recognized that effective local government required the participation of diverse voices, including women who brought different perspectives and priorities to public service.”

    Not only was Rainey Moraga’s mayor during 1977-1978, she also served as Walnut Creek’s mayor for three terms (2001-2002, 2006-2007, and 2009-2010).  Former Moraga Mayor Barry Gross, who became the Town’s fifth, had nothing but praise for his former colleague and friend. “Sue not only could tell a joke; she could take a joke.  She was a great person to be around.  When the votes were tallied, she barely made it onto the first council, but she was a smart leader, and she got along with everybody. Her loss is an immense loss to Walnut Creek and Moraga, as well as her family.”

    Besides her town council/mayoral duties, Rainey kept busy with several other public service endeavors through the years. She was president of Contra Costa Council (now East Bay Leadership Council); on the Board of Regents for Saint Mary’s College; president of Moraga Junior Women’s Club; president of Moraga Parent’s Club; director of Moraga Community Association; founder and president of Contra Costa Sewer and Water Agency; board chair for Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO); board chair of Central Contra Costa Transit Authority – County Connection; and so many more.

    Rainey once summed up her public service philosophy by saying, “Public service is not just about holding office or making decisions – it’s about building the bridges that connect communities, fostering the collaboration that solves problems no one can solve alone, and never forgetting that every choice we make affects real people’s lives. True leadership means listening more than talking, planning for the next generation rather than the next election, and remembering that the greatest achievements in public service often happen behind the scenes, in the patient work of building consensus and creating structures that enable others to succeed.”