Alumni Profiles in Government
Rich Halket ‘87
Elected Board Member, Dublin San Ramon Services District
After graduating from Stanford as a geology major, Rich Halket ’87 remembers taking nearly three months to find his first job. But once he did, Halket found he could apply his technical background to an array of industries in the private sector.
And after nearly two decades of consulting work in environmental clean up and the hi-tech industry, Halket recently took on a new challenge: elected office. With a long-time interest in politics, this Stanford “techie” took his wealth of experience from the private sector to work for his neighbors.
As an elected member of the Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD), Halket governs basic services (e.g., water, sanitation) for 90,000 people in a growing region of the San Francisco Bay Area that bounds across city and county lines.
Halket still keeps his day job at Oracle and spends another 5-6 hours a week for the DSRSD. And after a year, Halket is still as inspired as ever by the virtues of local government. Halket has experienced first hand the impacts of decision-making at the local level. “The services provided by local government affect us more, affect us sooner. Local government is closer to the people.”
One example is the recent labor negotations Halket is helping to craft as a member of the DSRSD’s personnel committee. For Halket, it has required a careful balance between satisfying the voters and fairly compensating the employees of the district for their hard work.
Halket also stresses the unparalleled experience of representing the people in your community. “Don’t forget where you live. Local government is important. And whether you choose elected office or a staff position at the local level, the decisions you make are the ones your neighbors know about.”
For more information on special districts, visit the website of the California Special Districts Association, online at http://www.csda.net/. For information on local government opportunities go to www.jobs.icma.org and http://icma.org/nextgen; www.abag.ca.gov; and http://www.mmanc.org/.