Downtown Novato Business Association President Steps Down

Darren Pomponio, the president of the Downtown Novato Business Association, has resigned, effective immediately.

Pomponio said his decision to step down was prompted by his company’s move outside the boundaries of the downtown Business Improvement District and that the association's bylaws required him to do so.

The 45-year-old Pomponio was elected board president about a year ago and is the regional vice president of All Western Mortgage. The company is based in Las Vegas, but has offices around the country. Pomponio said he would continue working in Novato, albeit a new location.

Pomponio was one of the backers of bringing a Saturday farmers market to downtown Novato, a plan that drew strong opposition from local merchants.

He said he was proud of his work with the DNBA and wished the group well.

“I feel that we’ve made a lot of progress in the past year,” he said. “Before there was little to no marketing being done and since then, we’ve really dug in.”

Recent marketing efforts have included a video promoting downtown Novato on Comcast and a “Shop Local” campaign paid for the by the city. It was not immediately known who will succeed Pomponio.