A Parks and Recreation Commissioner is running to represent east Menlo Park on city council.
Wonman Lee, 44, who has been on the Parks and Rec Commission for three years, is the first to throw their hat in the ring in the race to replace Cecilia Taylor, who announced last week that she will not be seeking a third term to represent the Belle Haven neighborhood.
Lee is a software engineer for Course Hero, a subscription-based education website where users can review crowd-sourced lesson plans, study guides and other educational material, according to the company’s website. Lee has also worked in IT at the U.S. Senate, according to his LinkedIn.
The Post has reached out to Lee and will update this article with any response from him.
Lee has not officially announced a run, but filed paperwork on June 22 that allows him to begin fundraising for the race, according to documents filed with the City Clerk’s office.
Candidates will be able to formally file for office next week.
While Lee so far is not facing any competition for the Belle Haven seat, there are competitive races for the other two seats up for election in Menlo Park.
In District 2, incumbent Drew Combs is seeking reelection and will be challenged by Vamsi Velagapudi. District 2 includes the Willows and Suburban Park neighborhoods.
In District 4, Betsy Nash has decided not to run again. Charlotte Reed and Laura Melahn have decided to run for that seat. District 4 includes Allied Arts and Downtown Menlo Park.
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It will be interesting to see if he’s one of Karen Grove’s puppets.
The fact that he’s not taking questions tells you a lot. Silence on the downtown housing push, the Sunset magazine skyscraper, Willow Village. Are his opinions so controversial he doesn’t want to reveal them before the election? Suspicious.