Dr. David M. Sander, Ph.D. was sworn in as Rancho Cordova’s Mayor at the City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 7th. He has been a member of the City Council since Rancho Cordova incorporated in 2003.

Mayor Sander was sworn in by his wife, Dr. Margaret Parsons, their son Charles, and his mother, Lois Sander. The family has lived in Rancho Cordova since the 1990s.

Following the swearing in ceremony, Mayor Sander discussed four priorities for his one-year Mayoral term including public safety, education, economic development, and community partnerships.

“Public safety is job number one for any local government. We exist to maintain safety in our community,” he said. “We can do more to enhance that ability with tools such as the Community Enhancement Fund, proactive policing strategies, and aggressive code enforcement.”

Mayor Sander commented that Rancho Cordova has taken a different approach than other cities, allowing us to get things done quicker and more efficiently.

“Rancho Cordova has established a reputation of doing things differently and better than a lot of local governments,” he said. “We as a City don’t seek to do, fix, and be everything. We seek to fill the role of broker, facilitator, and catalyst in a way that benefits all of us, residents, businesses, and community organizations.”

Mayor Sander served as Rancho Cordova’s Mayor in 2007 and 2012, and as Vice Mayor in 2006 and 2011. He is the Principal and Founder of Sander and Associates, a scientific consulting/development firm that specializes in medical and scientific projects.

Mayor Sander serves on several national, state, and local committees. He was recently elected as Chair of the National Civic League Board of Directors, a historic municipal organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt and other notable civic leaders over 120 years ago.

The organization awarded Rancho Cordova as an All-America City in 2010 and focuses on advancing civic engagement and citizen-led civic initiatives. As Board Chair, he will partner with national foundations that focus on topics from third grade reading standards for school districts, to programs for local Veterans, to the My Brother’s Keeper program.

“I will be at the forefront of learning about cutting edge practices of cities and supportive foundations throughout the country,” said Mayor Sander. “My goal is to bring innovative ideas and new opportunities back to Rancho Cordova that we can implement to increase our quality of life and promote the positive image of our City.”

Other members of the Rancho Cordova City Council are Robert McGarvey, who just completed his third term as Mayor, Linda Budge, and Dan Skoglund. Donald Terry will be sworn in as Vice Mayor on Tuesday, Jan. 19th, 2016. Residents are invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony that will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the City Council meeting, located at 2729 Prospect Park Drive.