Marc Lewis (Marin County Board of Supervisors District 5, California, candidate 2026)
Marc Lewis is running for election to the Marin County Board of Supervisors District 5 in California. Lewis is on the ballot in the primary on June 2, 2026.[source]
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Biography
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Elections
Nonpartisan primary
Nonpartisan primary election for Marin County Board of Supervisors District 5
Curtis G. Aikens (Nonpartisan), Chris Carpiniello (Nonpartisan), Marc Lewis (Nonpartisan), Magali Limeta (Nonpartisan), and Andy Podshadley (Nonpartisan) are running in the primary for Marin County Board of Supervisors District 5 on June 2, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Curtis G. Aikens (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Chris Carpiniello (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Marc Lewis (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Magali Limeta (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Andy Podshadley (Nonpartisan) | ||
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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Campaign website
Lewis' campaign website stated the following:
Marc on the Issues
Fiscal Accountability
Fiscal accountability means every tax dollar in Marin County is visible, justified, and aligned with clear public priorities. I support publishing truly user friendly budgets, tracking every major contract, and tying new spending to measurable results residents can see. When government is transparent about reserves, long term liabilities, and tradeoffs, voters can make informed choices and trust grows instead of erodes. I will insist on independent fiscal review, multi year planning, and regular public reporting so District 5 is prepared for downturns instead of scrambling in crisis
Real Oversight for Marin County
Marin does not lack oversight bodies. It lacks oversight that can act. The County has advisory committees, annual audits, and commissions that meet infrequently, review completed reports, and have no authority to investigate, intervene, or evaluate whether spending actually achieves results. Audits confirm that money is tracked correctly. They do not answer the questions voters care about: Was it spent effectively? Did programs work? Could the same outcomes have been achieved at lower cost?
This is a structural problem, not a failure of individuals. Oversight bodies are appointed by, funded by, and report to the same institutions they are meant to examine. That makes them cautious, narrow, and ultimately symbolic. The result is a system that produces transparency without accountability.
I will push to create an independent Office of Inspector General for Marin County with real authority: the power to audit across all County departments, joint powers authorities, and special districts; to investigate contracts, procurement, and capital projects; to initiate inquiries based on complaints or identified risks; and to report findings publicly without prior approval. The OIG will shift from compliance auditing to performance evaluation, asking whether programs achieve their goals, what outcomes cost, and where efficiencies exist.
Structural independence is essential. That means fixed terms for leadership, removal only for cause, an independent budget baseline, and direct public reporting. Without those protections, oversight reverts to advisory status.
Transparency, Access, and Election Reform
Only 39% of downtown Novato residents rate citizen involvement in local decisions as good or excellent, the lowest of any area in the city. That is a problem. Transparency is not a courtesy extended by government; it is a right held by citizens. I will enforce the Brown Act as written, publish plain language budget summaries, and ensure meeting materials are posted with adequate lead time.
Access to public meetings should not depend on your work schedule or your willingness to choose between two meetings on the same night. Right now, NUSD sometimes schedules board meetings at the same time as Novato City Council, forcing residents to pick one or the other. The Novato Fire Protection District meets at 9 AM, when most working residents cannot attend. These scheduling conflicts are not intentional, but they are not accidental either. They reflect a system that was never designed around public participation. I will advocate for coordinated meeting calendars across Novato agencies so residents can actually show up.
I also support moving local elections to even numbered years to align with higher turnout general elections. When school board and special district races appear on low turnout ballots, a small number of voters decide outcomes that affect the entire community. Aligning local elections with state and federal cycles increases participation and gives elected officials a stronger democratic mandate.
Shared Services and Government Efficiency
Novato families should not pay five times for the same back office bureaucracy. I support shared HR, payroll, IT, insurance, and procurement systems across our overlapping agencies while keeping local boards, identities, and services intact. This is a practical, low risk way to save $1–2.5 million a year without cutting frontline staff. My proposal is to eliminate duplicate systems, not frontline jobs, with savings coming from shared software, insurance pools, vendor contracts, vacancies, and retirements. Those dollars should go to fixing roads, shoring up public safety, and reducing pressure for new taxes, acting on LAFCo’s findings instead of ignoring them.
Shared-Equity Teacher and Civic Worker Housing
Novato's housing pipeline has collapsed from 457 single family permits in 2003 to just 3 in 2025, pricing out teachers, law endorment, firefighters, and city staff. More than half of Novato renters are rent burdened, and the city has met only a fraction of its very low and low income RHNA obligations. I support shared equity housing that subsidizes the path to ownership, not more government apartment complexes. Low rent may attract recruits, but equity makes them stay and truly invest in the community they serve. Shared equity builds stability, roots public servants locally, and closes Novato’s RHNA gap over time.
Managing Growth and Honest Impact Fees
Over 450 state housing laws now override local zoning for qualifying projects, and the 170‑unit proposal on Grant Avenue shows what happens when growth arrives without honest math on infrastructure, parking, and long‑term costs. I am not anti‑development; I am pro‑community and pro honest accounting. Development impact fees are one of the last tools local agencies fully control, and a well‑designed fee schedule can steer housing toward places like Hamilton, where surplus infrastructure keeps marginal costs lower, instead of downtown blocks with no spare capacity that would otherwise be quietly subsidized by existing residents
Climate-Ready Infrastructure and Deferred Maintenance Reform
Fixing deferred maintenance is essential to keep District 5’s roads, drains, levees, and public facilities safe, reliable, and affordable over time. When basic infrastructure is neglected, repair costs explode, services fail during storms, and residents and businesses shoulder avoidable losses. Proactive investment now, guided by Marin’s sea level rise and climate readiness work, protects low lying neighborhoods like Hamilton, Bel Marin Keys, and the Novato Creek corridor from recurrent flooding. Addressing the backlog and planning for sea level rise together is the fiscally responsible way to safeguard lives, property, and the local economy.
Senior Services and Aging in Place
Marin’s demographic reality points in one direction: we are not prepared for the aging wave already underway. Communities like Marin Valley Mobile Country Club, home to more than 400 older residents, show why direct, responsive representation and coordinated aging services are essential. Planning for this transition cannot wait. It will require intentional investment, clear accountability, and real coordination among county agencies, healthcare providers, and community partners so that every senior in Marin can age with dignity, security, and reliable access to care and support.
Marin’s parcel tax system was built for subdivisions, but we live in the density era now.
Marin’s parcel tax system was built for subdivisions, but we live in the density era now. A 200‑unit apartment building on a single parcel pays the same flat parcel taxes as the single‑family home next door, even though those 200 households will use schools, libraries, fire protection, and parks. Most Marin parcel taxes are fixed amounts per parcel, regardless of what sits on it. That was roughly fair when one parcel meant one household; it is not fair when dozens of homes share a parcel. Marin’s housing is changing. Our parcel taxes need to catch up.
— Marc Lewis' campaign website (April 4, 2026)
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate Marin County Board of Supervisors District 5 |
Footnotes
