Meet Mindy

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Mindy Pechenuk: A Lifetime of Service, Ideas and Community Activism

My grandmother gave me a simple piece of advice when I was growing up in Brooklyn:

“Leave this world a better place than when I was born into it.” I have carried those words

with me throughout my life.

My path has taken me through music, education, economics, community organizing and

political activism. I graduated from Queens College in New York with a Bachelor of

Music and went on to build a life centered around learning, teaching, writing, organizing

and bringing people together around big ideas and practical solutions.

For more than five decades, I have worked with people from many different

backgrounds and communities across the country. One issue that has remained

especially important to me is the devastating impact of drugs on families and

neighborhoods. I began working on drug-prevention efforts in the 1970s, and today I am

deeply concerned about the lives being lost to fentanyl and other dangerous drugs.

I have also spent my life thinking about the future of our economy. I believe a healthy

city needs productive businesses, good jobs, modern infrastructure and an education

system that gives young people the knowledge and skills they need to build meaningful

lives.

That is why I am running for Mayor of Oakland.

Oakland has enormous potential, but our city needs change. We need to make our

streets safer, restore economic vitality, improve educational opportunities, address

homelessness and addiction, and make sure taxpayers can see real results from the

money their city government spends.

I believe Oakland can once again be a city where families feel safe, businesses want to

invest, young people can build a future, and neighborhoods have reason to be proud.

I am not running to represent one political party or one part of Oakland. I am running to

represent Oaklanders.

My goal is to listen to people across our city, find common ground where we can, and

tackle the problems that have been allowed to grow for too long. Democrats,

Republicans, independents and people who have never considered themselves political

all have a stake in Oakland's future.

At 74, I bring a lifetime of experience, persistence and a willingness to take on difficult

problems. I am battle-tested, but I am also hopeful about what Oakland can become.

My grandmother taught me to leave things better than I found them.

That is the standard I intend to bring to Oakland.