City Council Members

Jerry B. Edelen

Mayor

Elected to his third term on the City Council in 2008, Mayor Edelen is a native of Del Rey Oaks since 1957, serving on the Del Rey Oaks Planning Commission for one year, prior to being appointed to the Council in 1998. Mr. Edelen graduated from Monterey High School, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, a Master’s degree in Education from Stanford University and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Long Island University. In 1992 he retired from an Army career as an Airborne Ranger Lieutenant Colonel. In 1995 he returned to Del Rey Oaks from overseas with his wife, Gloria, and two sons. Currently, he is an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and is the Campus Director of Chapman University College in Monterey.

A Message From Mayor Edelen

I am honored to serve as the Mayor of the City of Del Rey Oaks.  My family moved here in 1957, and as a child I learned to dance at the current City Hall building, which at the time served as the Del Rey Oaks Fire Department.  Becoming your Mayor has been the culmination of a life-long dream.

There are numerous, very positive developments going on in our city. We now have a professional, full-time, City Manager, Mr. Daniel Dawson.  Dan joined our city last August and he has really hit the ground running.  He has initiated many new projects and has brought in significant new sources of revenue.  His calm, effective leadership style has earned the loyalty and respect of both the City Staff and the City Council.

Currently, there are several real estate developers interested in developing different parcels within our city and if our City Council accepts any of their bids, significant additional revenue will flow into the city coffers.  Please be assured, your City Council is not interested in turning Del Rey Oaks into another San Jose.  We want to develop some of the open land in our city for the benefit of all of our residents and to insure the future financial viability of our city.  No one wants to revisit the onerous task of asking for support of another Public Safety Tax.

CAL-AM is exploring purchasing the water rights of various wells located within our boundaries.  If water rights are purchased, our city could be looking at another significant income stream (pun intended)!

Both City Manager Dan Dawson and myself pride ourselves in being selfless, public servants, dedicated to open and responsive government serving you, the citizens of Del Rey Oaks.

If we can ever be of any assistance or if you have any ideas on how to make our wonderful city an even better place to live; please contact us.

Again, I’m deeply honored to serve as your Mayor.