On November 5, 2005 John Kirmais took office and will serve a four year term on the City Council. John is currently serving as Mayor.
John was born in San Francisco in 1952 where he was both raised and educated. Both of his parents immigrated to the United States at different points in the 20th century, his father from Constantinople, Turkey in 1915 and his mother from Arcadia, Greece in 1946. John attended Balboa High School graduating in 1969 and then went on to the University of San Francisco where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a minor in Communication Arts in 1973.
John’s favorite aspect of growing up in San Francisco was the cultural diversity he was exposed to and the tremendous learning opportunity this presented to him. He worked a vast array of jobs growing up in the city ranging from a caddy at the Olympic Club to delivering flowers for Podesta Baldacci and delivering used TV sets for Singer Electric located on the corner of Haight and Ashbury. John worked his way through college and immediately afterwards went on to fulfill his life long ambition of becoming a police officer. He knew early on in life that public service was his calling when he would watch Officer George Anderson diligently patrol his beat on foot in Glen Park. Officer Anderson was the accessible and responsive “problem solver” and this left an indelible impression on John from the time he was 6 years old.
John started his police career with the Hillsborough Police Department in 1973 and left in 1975 when he joined the Foster City Police. He started as a patrol officer and rose through the ranks becoming a detective, a sergeant in uniformed patrol and in the detective bureau and eventually a lieutenant which is the rank he held up until his retirement in 2004. John’s experience as a middle manager and supervisor in municipal government coupled with his service as a member of the city council has provided him with an understanding of our city government and has afforded him the knowledge of what our community requires to remain fiscally responsible while addressing the needs and expectations of those he serves. John believes in a cooperative effort of achieving consensus and promoting a spirit of unity. He believes this is what helps insure the job gets done properly and in a timely manner.
John’s decision to run for a seat on the city council came as a result of his realization of how much he missed working in municipal government after he retired from the police department in 2004. He knew his three decades of experience in city government would provide the helpful background needed and his skills at problem solving would provide the catalyst for working with other leaders in getting the job done.
John is a single parent with a 20 year old daughter Angela and is engaged to Kate. His avocations include physical conditioning, reading anything related to economics, and working on his leaky boat.
print 