Politics & Government

New Fairfax Councilwoman Coler Eyes Environmental, Economic Sustainability

Newly appointed local official says council seat is "a natural extension of what I've been doing."

Longtime local resident Barbara Coler’s quest for a seat on the Fairfax Town Council has been a case of, “if at first you don’t succeed, wait a month.”

One month after she was passed up for an appointment to the council to fill the opening created by the resignation of Councilman Ryan O'Neil, Coler was appointed to replace .

Coler, 61, is a member of the town's Planning Commission and Open Space Committee. She has spent most of her career doing environmental work, and has been a manager in the compliance and enforcement division of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for more than four years.

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“This is a natural extension of what I’ve been doing – I’m a public servant,” Coler said. “And I wanted to do it at somewhat of a higher level.”

Coler, who spent her early years in New York and moved to California when she was junior high, has lived in Marin since 1989 and Fairfax for the past 17 years. She lives near White’s Hill.

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She said she doesn’t have a specific pet issue she’s like to focus on during her appointment, which ends in November, but wants to continue to support Fairfax’s economic and environmental sustainability.

“I want to look at things more globally,” she said. “It’s beautiful here, and we have a local community that is loyal in spending their money here in town. But making sure we stayed focused on keeping it that way is important.”

Because Hartwell-Herrero’s term would have ended in November, Coler must be elected to the seat in the Nov. 5 election. She said she intends to run for a full four-year term.

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