DUBLIN, Calif. (Diya TV) — Dublin mayoral and City Council candidates debated transportation, development, term limits and campaign donations at a forum moderated by Diya TV’s Ravi Kapur and Stefen Pantic.
Mayor Sherry Hu joined challengers Michael McCorriston and Kiran Mohammad. Council candidates Steve Lorey and Daniel Hor participated from District Two, alongside Councilmember Kashef Qaadri, who is running in District Four. Richard Thornbury and Shivraj Singh did not attend.
The mayoral candidates offered different views on Measure II, which voters approved before a court invalidated it. The measure would have allowed consideration of commercial development east of Dublin in connection with a proposed Dublin Boulevard extension and open-space preservation.
McCorriston said he opposed the measure. Hu emphasized attracting businesses, while Mohammad argued that the ballot language did not clearly explain the proposal.
An Alameda County Superior Court judge invalidated Measure II following an environmental-review challenge. The council declined to appeal in February, citing cost, time and uncertainty. City officials said that decision would not stop planning and regional coordination for the roadway extension.
BART’s financial troubles prompted another disagreement. McCorriston questioned warnings about closures at Dublin’s stations and said he expected service reductions instead. Hu also said she anticipated reduced service rather than station closures. Mohammad questioned whether additional tax revenue would resolve the agency’s long-term financial problems.
BART’s contingency plan includes service reductions, fare increases and possible station closures if the November funding measure fails and the agency cannot secure other operating revenue. The plan does not identify specific stations for closure; the BART board would make those decisions.
Candidates also revisited Measure JJ, the Government Accountability Act. It established a twelve-year limit on consecutive combined mayoral and council service, with transition provisions retaining earlier limits for officials already in office.
McCorriston and Hu supported the longer limit. McCorriston said officials need time to gain experience. Mohammad argued that the measure’s title obscured the term-limit change.
