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About Mario

About Mario

"If we want things to stay the same, we're going to have to change." The Leopard, Lampedusa

I was born and raised over the hill in a small city not very different from Lafayette: Albany. I grew up walking to school, riding my bike from one end of town to the other, and playing a lot of baseball. The community was engaged, it was safe and the schools were good. It was a less affluent city than Lafayette is which, in some ways, made it easier that we had very modest means. My paternal grandparents lived nearby and despite my parents being separated, I grew up with a lot of love and support.

 

After attending San Francisco University High School, I graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1997 with a degree in Latin American Studies. I met my wife through a mutual friend a few years after returning home and convinced her to move up from Southern California. She wanted a flat parcel, a pool and sun—three things I had never seen in Albany. So, we moved to Lafayette in 2008. Our introduction to Lafayette really came through Lafayette Nursery School for our oldest. It’s a cooperative pre-school and it is hard to overstate how involved parents were. Most of our best friends here in Lafayette date back to LNS. Our oldest has recently graduated from Acalanes and we have two Dons there currently.

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I served as a City Councilmember in Albany (CA) in my early 20s and saw the good that a Council could do if it enjoyed the trust of the community and was focused on the common good. During my time in Albany, we passed major institutional reforms, made key hires and were able to safeguard necessary infrastructure from the risk of an earthquake.

I have spent the last 26 years working as an analyst and portfolio manager at Dodge & Cox, one of the largest independently owned asset managers in the country. I was attracted to the firm in 1998 by its culture and focus on the client. In my career, I've been part of a team that has helped millions of people grow their savings and I've helped launch two (out of a total of seven) mutual funds. I understand budgets, financial statements and the industries that affect our lives on a daily basis: banks, insurers, construction companies, and building materials.

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I’m retiring at the end of this year and I’m eager for a new challenge. I'm at a point in my life where I can give Lafayette all of my time and energy. Only our dog, Penny, will be sad about me spending so much time on this campaign and I will get her special treats if I’m elected to make it up to her.

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Help us get our message out and win this race

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My experience and ideas are good enough to win this race if we can get them in front of the citizens of Lafayette. Please help us spread the word!

Grab a paddle and dig in!