Ed Lauing for City Council
Grounded. Steady. Proven.
During my first term on City Council, I’ve served as Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Chair of the Finance and Housing Committees. I also led work on public safety, retail vitality, and homelessness.
I approach each role and issue the same way: listen carefully, prepare thoroughly, consider options, and work constructively with people who bring different perspectives. That approach has helped me build trust, find common ground, and move difficult issues toward practical solutions.
I am running for a second term to build on my successful record and to help Palo Alto navigate the choices ahead with calm, sound judgment and a clear focus on what works best for our city.
I would be honored to earn your vote.
Why Re-Elect Me?
Palo Alto faces important choices about growth, affordability, public safety, infrastructure, and the future of our neighborhoods. Meeting those challenges requires experienced open-minded leaders who can work constructively across differences, find common ground, and build it into meaningful progress.
Proven leadership on City Council
I served as Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Chair of both the Finance and Housing Committees during my first term on City Council. I also helped lead Council’s work on public safety, retail vitality, and homelessness.
These responsibilities required more than casting votes. They required managing competing priorities, building trust with staff and colleagues, and helping turn complex discussions into responsible decisions.
Experience that runs deep
Before joining Council, I served four terms on the Parks and Recreation and Planning and Transportation commissions. My colleagues trusted me and elected me Chair five times as we addressed issues central to Palo Alto’s vitality and quality of life.
I also bring decades of nonprofit leadership and experience as a three-time software start-up CEO and executive recruiter. Across each of these roles, I learned how to manage budgets, risk, uncertainty, partners, and people with different priorities.
A calm and persistent problem-solver
I listen carefully to residents and colleagues across the political spectrum. I prepare thoroughly, ask questions, and focus on practical solutions rather than ideological labels.
I work to lower the temperature when needed , uncover common ground, and keep difficult issues moving toward outcomes that serve the community. A little humor in a six hour council meeting sometimes helps.
Ready to build on our progress
In a second term, I will continue working to expand affordable housing, strengthen public safety, protect our parks and neighborhoods, responsibly manage growth, and maintain the fiscal discipline needed to prioritize and sustain excellent city services.
