Politics & Government

Novato Officials, Other Lawmakers React to McGlashan's Passing

'He was very passionate about all things green,' says Mayor Madeline Kellner.

Government officials and environmentalists across Marin and beyond reacted with a mix of sadness and admiration to the untimely passing of Marin County Supervisor Charles McGlashan, who in the North Lake Tahoe area.

McGlashan, 49, left an indelible imprint on local, county and regional government, according to a number of elected officials and local residents who worked with him over the years. They credited McGlashan for pushing forward a wide range of issues in his seven years on the board, from the Marin Energy Authority’s hard-fought launch of Marin Clean Energy in May 2010 to seemingly smaller but innovative initiatives such as the Muir Woods shuttle, the plastic bag ban, non-motorized transportation projects and curbside composting.

Novato Mayor Madeline Kellner, who served on several boards with McGlashan, said it’s a shock to think he  is no longer with us because he looked so happy and healthy the last time she saw him as he headed to a Sierra Club event about solar energy.

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"Charles was a ‘bigger than life’ kind of guy,” Kellner said. “He was very passionate about all things green including SMART, Marin Clean Energy, non-motorized transportation, and waste reduction. I will miss his positive energy, dedication and his wonderful sense of humor.

“The message here for us all is to enjoy our lives each day and appreciate those around us.”

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Carole Dillon-Knutson, who serves with Kellner on the Novato City Council and served with McGlashan on the SMART and Transportation Authority of Marin boards, said she will remember McGlashan’s determination and spirit. She said Marin County was at the forefront of the ecological movement more than 50 years ago and McGlashan worked hard to keep the environment as a high priority.

“We have such a tradition and history in preserving open space, and that’s why we have such a beautiful county,” she said. “Charles was involved in the sustainability movement and followed the tradition that’s been in Marin a long time.

“It’s so sad to see somebody who cared so much about Marin leave us. He spent a lot of energy on causes he believed in … and was quite effective in getting things done.”

In a comment posted to Patch, Sustainable Marin President and former Novato resident John Schlag said one of the last times he saw McGlashan was on Martin Luther King Day when the supervisor was picking up trash on a roadside between Sausalito and Marin City.

“We haven't just lost what Charles was giving the world today, but the incalculable amount that he would have given in the future,” Schlag wrote. “…  Fearlessness at taking tough stances that needed to be taken; equanimity in the face of criticism; unwavering opposition to deep-pocketed corporate interests; graciousness in success; a keen business sense as well as a love for the environment; folkiness in delivering a tough message; a willingness to get his hands dirty — all these things were Charles's calling cards.”

Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold was one of the first people in Marin to hear about McGlashan’s death on Sunday night.

“Charles was so passionate about what he believed in and was courageous enough to take those passions and turn them into reality,” said Arnold, who represents most of Novato. “He was a dear, dear friend. It’s such a loss to the board and to the county.”

State Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said he was stunned by the news.

“This is terribly sad news — the kind of news you just can’t quite believe because Charles was so full of life,” he said in an e-mail. “Those of us who knew and worked with him will always remember Charles as a vibrant, engaging, and brilliant person with authentic environmental values. He will be hugely missed.”

U.S. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, whose district includes all of Marin, said in a statement that she was “heartsick over the sudden death of my friend,” calling McGlashan “a good man and a dedicated, visionary public servant who represented his community with uncommon diligence and decency.”

“He brought to the Board of Supervisors a fierce commitment to environmental causes and an acute sense of right and wrong,” she continued. “He embodied the very best of Marin County's spirit of progressive activism.”


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