Retiring San Mateo County Transit District Chief of Staff Mark Simon was honored at his agency Tuesday in a ceremony attended by a number of high-profile political guests.
Simon was a veteran San Francisco Chronicle political reporter when he joined SamTrans in 2004 as a special assistant to the general manager and CEO. He would work his way up to his most recent position of Chief of Staff.
In 2015, while serving as executive officer for public affairs, he was named senior advisor of strategic initiatives due to his “extensive community contacts and political acumen,” the agency said at the time.
At a ceremony Tuesday, all of the county’s “biggest wigs (and some from beyond)” including Assemblymember Marc Berman, Belmont Mayor Doug Kim, Redwood City Council members John Seybert and Jeff Gee, and state Sen. Jerry Hill attended to honor Simon for a “career dedicated to truth, transit and Bay Area politics,” according to SamTrans.
Democratic Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Kevin Mullin praised Simon for his “outstanding service,” and Representative Jackie Speier called him “a modern day version of Mark Twain.”
Simon plans on staying busy during his retirement working on writing projects and dedicating time to three nonprofit boards on which he sits, Sequoia Awards, Peninsula TV, and Bay Area Cancer Connections.
“It was time [to retire],” Simon said. “SamTrans is in great hands and is poised for new and interesting things.”
His last day is Dec. 22.
Photo: Courtesy of Redwood City-San Mateo Chamber of Commerce Facebook
