Pinole Voters Reject Directly Electing Mayor, Keeps Rotation

On Tuesday, voters in the City of Pinole opted to keep its rotation for mayor versus moving to an elected term.

According to Contra Costa County Elections, just 36.30 % of voters were in favor of making the change while 63.70% were against making the change and opted to keep the current annual rotation between councilpersons. Had the proposal been approved 55% were in favor of a 2-year term while 28% supported a full four-year term.

54% voting in favor of the two-year term and about 28% supporting a four-year term.

Powers of Elected Mayor

An elected mayor is a member of the City Council and has all the powers and duties of a member of the City Council. For the most part, an elected mayor has the same powers as an appointed mayor. State law designates some additional powers of elected mayors in general law cities. Elected mayors typically receive a higher salary than members of the city council.

An appointed or “selected” mayor has powers and duties that include presiding at City Council meetings, administering oaths and affirmations and certifying affidavits and/or acknowledging documents which are executed by the City and required to be acknowledged, and directing a sufficient number of peace officers to attend public meetings at which in his or her opinion a breach of peace could occur.

The only additional power a general law elected mayor is afforded is the power to make appointments to boards, commissions, and committees, subject to the approval of the City Council. Furthermore, an elected mayor may collect a salary in addition to the salary established for council members if approved by the electorate or by ordinance adopted by the City Council.

An elected mayor differs from a “strong mayor”, which is established by a city charter and holds similar executive powers to a City Manager. Additionally, strong mayors typically hold veto power over ordinances and exercise control over budgets and appointments.

Councilmember Devin T. Murphy Urged Residents to Support Measure D

Neighbors, I’ve shared this with some for you, and I will share again because no matter of our disagreements, I am of service to the full community.

I’m voting YES on Measure D, and I helped bring this proposal forward alongside the Pinole City Council because I believe Pinole residents deserve the opportunity to decide how their city government should function.

Right now, Pinole uses a rotational mayor system, where councilmembers typically rotate into the mayor position. On paper, that may sound fair, but in practice it has created several challenges for our city.

First, the process is not always truly consistent or transparent. There have been times when councilmembers were skipped over for political reasons or other circumstances, meaning not everyone received an equal opportunity to serve as mayor.

Second, and more importantly, rotating the mayor every single year makes it difficult to maintain stable leadership and long-term direction for the city. Each year can bring a different leadership style, different priorities, and different approaches to governance. From both a policy and operational perspective, that inconsistency can slow progress and make it harder to build momentum on the issues residents care about most.

Measure D would allow Pinole voters (not internal council politics) to directly elect the mayor. That means the community would have the power to choose the person they believe has the vision, leadership, and accountability to guide the city forward.

Directly elected mayors also tend to provide:

- Greater accountability to residents
- More consistent leadership over time
- A clearer mandate from voters
- Stronger long-term planning and implementation
- Increased public engagement in local government

At the end of the day, this measure is really about democracy and local control. Whether someone supports a particular candidate or not, I believe the people of Pinole should be the ones deciding who leads the city.

You should have received a mailer from the City of Pinole explaining the measure, and there’s also helpful nonpartisan information available on the city’s website: https://www.pinole.gov/measure-chapter-2-10/

I also wrote a more detailed blog post on why I support the measure here: https://devinmurphydtm.medium.com/who-should-choose…

As for the opposition, much of it has come from a small group of former councilmembers and their allies who disagree with me politically and personally. That’s part of public service, and I respect that people can have different views. But I believe this decision is bigger than any one individual or political disagreement.

This is about giving Pinole residents a stronger voice and creating a more stable, accountable system of leadership for our city.

I hope residents will join me in voting YES on Measure D

Previous

Feb 9, 2026 – Split Vote: Pinole to Ask Voters if they Want to Directly Elect Mayor

Pinole Voters Reject Directly Electing Mayor, Keeps Rotation

Councilmember Devin T. Murphy Urged Residents to Support Measure D

The Grove at Brentwood Pulled by Councilmember, Project to go Before City Council

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