Corte Madera Councilmember Pat Ravasio is seeking a second term on the Town Council in the Nov. 3 general election.
Ravasio said in a questionnaire submitted to Surround Sound News that she wants to continue work she started during her first term. She pointed to a free community swim program at the local high school pool, an intergenerational center set to open in 2026, natural turf sports fields without pesticides and a ban on tobacco and nicotine sales enacted during her tenure.
"I want to be able to look back and see that I made Corte Madera a better place to live," Ravasio said in her questionnaire response.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Corte Madera Town Council
- Party: Nonpartisan (describes herself as an independent who mostly votes Democrat)
- Residence: Corte Madera since 1990; moved from Chicago
- Family: Married nearly 40 years; raised three daughters in Corte Madera. Her husband served on the Corte Madera Town Council for 16 years.
- Education: Attended Indiana University South Bend, Northwestern, UCLA and UC Berkeley, studying marketing, journalism and creative writing. She did not complete a degree.
- Career: Radio news reporter, radio disc jockey, public relations and advertising writer, real estate agent and author of "The Girl from Spaceship Earth," a book about inventor Buckminster Fuller
Experience and public service
She served as vice mayor from December 2023 to December 2024 and as mayor beginning in December 2024, according to the town's website. The council selected Rosa Thomas as mayor in December 2025.
She was named Corte Madera's Citizen of the Year in 2004 for her work in parks and beautification. She co-founded the town's Beautification Committee and Oktoberfest, and helped create the community café and Town Park Plaza. She also served on the Parks and Recreation Commission twice, including from 2017 to 2019, when she initiated a parks and recreation master plan still guiding the town's park improvements.
Ravasio has also served as a board member of Sanitary District No. 2.
On the issues
Transparency and the Brown Act: Ravasio identified this as the most important issue facing the council. She said Corte Madera has overused the closed-meeting exception under the state's open-meeting law, keeping the public out of too many discussions. The whole council is ready to address the problem, she said. In June, the town referred an alleged Brown Act violation involving Ravasio, related to information disclosed after a May 20 closed session, to the Marin County district attorney and civil grand jury, according to the Town of Corte Madera.
Ravasio denied intentional wrongdoing, stating she believed she had authorization from the council to update neighbors about settlement discussions.
Flood control and sea level rise: This is her top spending priority. Ravasio said the town has had multimillion-dollar surpluses for several years and can invest in infrastructure to address flooding while still funding outdoor recreation. She pointed to creative designs used in the Netherlands, where large basins hold floodwater in winter and become bike parks in summer.
Housing and development: Ravasio said she wants the town to negotiate more aggressively with housing developers for community amenities such as swimming pools and fitness facilities. She cited public-private partnerships in other California communities as a model for gaining recreational amenities while protecting taxpayer dollars.
Waterfront access and recreation: Ravasio said Corte Madera lacks public water access for canoes and paddleboards. She wants to rebuild the Higgins Landing boat dock and create beaches along the waterfront. She also called for public restrooms at Menke Park and a coffee shop in the downtown square.
Bicycle infrastructure: Ravasio said she wants improved bike routes connecting Corte Madera to the Larkspur ferry and SMART Train.
Corte Madera voters will decide the nonpartisan Town Council race on Nov. 3.
