Narum appointed to open seat on Zone 7 Board of Directors

Former Pleasanton City Council member Kathy Narum’s time away from public service was short-lived as she was selected last week to fill the Zone 7 Water Agency’s open seat on its Board of Directors.

“I think it’s no secret that I believe and am committed to the importance of public service, which contributes to the betterment of the community and I think I’ve certainly shown that over the years,” Narum told the Weekly on Monday. “When this position became available, it was of interest to me because I had done so much of the work on water within Pleasanton, as well as the Tri-Valley Water Roundtable, representing Pleasanton.”

The Zone7 board voted 4-2 in the first vote of last Thursday’s special board meeting to appoint Narum after interviewing four other final candidates that were chosen out of a pool of 20 applicants.

The other finalists included former Pleasanton mayor Jennifer Hosterman, Cathy Brown, Holly Garber and Janet Gardner. Additional familiar names in the original applicant pool included former Zone 7 board member Dick Quigley and 2022 Zone 7 election candidate Todd Shinohara.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kathy Narum to the Zone 7 Water Board,” Sarah Palmer, Zone 7 board president, told the Weekly in a statement. “There were several highly qualified applicants, but Kathy stood out with her level of preparation and her insight to what Zone 7 as an agency does. Zone 7 has challenging times ahead and several key projects that require thought and resolve. I am confident that Kathy will serve well the Board and the community at large with her intelligence and knowledge. I look forward to serving with her in the years ahead.”

The open seat on the board was a result of former director Olivia Sanwong resigning in order to serve on the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors.

Narum will be immediately taking over the office and will have a swearing in ceremony at the Feb. 15 board meeting, said Zone 7 communication specialist Alexandra Bradley. Narum will serve the remainder of Sanwong’s term, which expires on June 30, 2026.

A longtime veteran in the public service world, Narum had just been termed out of the Pleasanton City Council after 9-1/2 years of service in December before she said she was encouraged by several elected officials in the area to apply for the Zone 7 position.

She said that her city council experience coupled with the fact that she served on the water liaison committee made her believe that she would bring a unique experience from the retailer perspective to the Zone 7 board.

“I think I’m able to make the tough decisions even knowing I’m going to make some people mad, but doing it in the best interest for Pleasanton,” Narum said. “I believe I will be able to continue that in the best interest of the Tri-Valley as far as water.”

Some of Narum’s goals for her time on the board include contributing to the opening of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion project, which will increase local storage and build new conveyance; bringing the wells that were shut down due to PFAS contamination in Pleasanton back online; working on the flood protection phase improvement plans following recent flooding due to atmospheric river storms; and completing an energy master plan for the agency.

She said her emphasis on energy stems from her time on the East Bay Community Energy Board of Directors.

“It takes energy to pump the water around and I think it’s important that we’re looking at anything we can do to conserve,” Narum said. “You’ve got to be able to get the water to my faucet, to your faucet and that takes energy, it takes pumping. I think that’s important.”

But despite all of her experience and accolades within the public service world, Narum said she has much to learn in her new role.

From the water treatment process, to flood control practices, Narum said that she will be spending a lot of time doing her homework as she steps into her new role.

She also said that with the Zone 7 board being made up of six other directors, she will have to also work on building consensus with other board members on the issues that might spark differing opinions.

Narum said that she looks forward to working with those fellow board members so that they can get to the four votes needed to get things done.

“I’m looking forward to serving on the board and I see it as a challenge, a different challenge from being on the City Council,” Narum said. “I’m looking forward to working collaboratively and building consensus with my fellow board members and as I said I have a lot to learn from them now and I know that, I’m realistic. While I come with a good knowledge base, I still have much to learn about the agency and the workings and so forth.”