PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg City Council welcomed a new member Monday as Arlene Kobata was appointed to fill the vacancy left by Shanelle Scales-Preston, who was recently elected to represent District 5 as a Contra Costa County supervisor.
During a special meeting, the council unanimously appointed Kobata, who was among the four final candidates identified out of the 23 who had submitted their applications to fill the seat left by Scales-Preston.
Councilmembers were previously given the option to either hold a special election or fill the vacancy via appointment through an application and interview process. In December, the council unanimously passed a motion to fill the seat through the appointment process due to the projected costs of a special election – which was estimated between $453,156 and $700,332.
On Jan. 6, the council held an interview process for the 23 candidates who had thrown in their names to fill the vacancy. However, only 18 showed up for the interview.
Councilmembers Juan Antonio Banales, Dionne Adams and Angelica Lopez had named Kobata as their pick. However, Mayor Jelani Killings proposed Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce CEO Wolfgang Croskey as his choice. Other candidates included business owner Joanna Marie Hernandez and former Pittsburg Councilmember and Mayor Robert Lewis.
Kobata, who currently chairs the Pittsburg Planning Commission, thanked the council for “believing” in her.
“I promise I will do my best to represent Pittsburg and the residents and do the best for our future and community,” said Kobata after taking her oath Monday night.
Kobata – a Pittsburg resident of 36 years – has been an active member of the community and serves as a member of the Community Advisory Commission, according to her council application. She was also part of the local chapter of the Sierra Club and has acted as a shop steward for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, a union representing a diverse group of laborers.
For Kobata, youth and economic growth are priorities. She said she believes the city should be able to provide resources for parents to help their children and she hopes to see more economic growth for residents to live and work within the city.
During the deliberation, Vice Mayor Adams said Kobata was her top choice as she had worked with her on the Planning Commission.
“She was one of my mentors,” said Adams. “Her knowledge was just tremendous for me.”
Adams added that Kobata “draws people together,” often lends a listening ear and is well respected in the community.
Banales said he sees Kobata as someone who is extremely thoughtful in making decisions as she spends time getting to the root of problems.
“I have seen her be able to push back with factual information to help inform residents and actually invite them into and engage them into civic government, which I think is incredibly important and valuable,” said Banales. “I have seen her uplift others and uplift our city and see her compromise to ensure progress for our city while she was on the Planning Commission.”
Lopez said she was looking for someone with the heart of a servant who has previously served the community.
She said she wanted someone who possessed qualities similar to Scales-Preston’s, such as humility, representation of the working class and underrepresented communities, and an ability to work well with city staff.
“I was looking for someone who would replace someone you (residents) previously elected,” said Lopez.
Mayor Killings said Croskey was his top choice because the council needs someone who can hit the ground running, understands budget and finance, and aligns with its goals.
“For the past eight years since I’ve been on council, I’ve consistently seen (Croskey) at these council meetings, advocating for a number of different issues and engagement,” said Killings. “He has worked with our police activities league, Rotary and has been part of the community economic development subcommittee as a voice for the chamber.”