Carroll was important representative of demographic

First term Larkspur Councilmember Kevin Carroll recently died from the effects of lung cancer. The disease advanced quickly. Carroll wasn't your stereotypical Marin County elected official.

By occupation, he was a cab driver. He lived in a mobile home at Larkspur's Marin RV Park.

I first met Carroll when, on recommendation of friends,

I'd call him when we were going on trips from San Francisco International Airport where he'd transport us in his vintage Checker Cab. When I heard that a man named “Kevin Carroll” was running for council, I called him to ascertain if he was the candidate.

He answered his telephone as always, with a friendly “Taxi,” his signature greeting.

One of the advantages of elected city councils and school boards is that their members often come from diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Carroll, a renter at a mobile home “park,” represented bluecollar Marin, a demographic often overlooked. While the North Bay has slowly become more inclusive, we remain sorely lacking when it comes to economic diversity.

Carroll owned his own cab branded as Marin Checker Taxi and Sausalito Taxi. Whichever number you called, Carroll was your driver. His was a small business with the associated frustrations.

For me, Carroll was a reliable source regarding traffic and parking. Along with most Marinites, he believed the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bikeway should be eliminated or reduced to weekends.

He'd tell me the inside dope about how his less scrupulous colleagues treated Sausalito tourists.

Years ago, as a member of the San Rafael Board of Education, he advocated for kids with special needs. Carroll was well read and suited for being a council member. He had the essential quality of liking people and never forgot his working-class background.

That's why he supported local rent control.

Going forward, Marin needs to recruit more candidates like Kevin Carroll to run for and win local office.

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I often receive ideas and tips for column topics from readers regarding aspects of Marin local government. The following comes from Colleen Chelini, a graduate of Mill Valley Middle School, whose mother is a retired Redwood High teacher.

The subject is the now-rejected concept that the soon-tobe rebuilt middle school be constructed on the site of Friends Field, the popular athletic grounds adjacent to the Mill

Valley Community Center.

The school district owns the land where city-operated Friends Field is situated. Chelini noted that the city is partnering with EAH Housing to build 45 rental units on the northern portion of municipal land on Hamilton Drive. According to the city's website, “The apartment complex will include … 44 rental units affordable to lowerincome households with annual household incomes ranging between $40,000 to $140,000 per year.”

Her idea is that the city and Mill Valley School District swap parcels in a no-cash transaction. The city could then own Friends Field, guaranteeing that the site is permanently devoted to outdoor recreation. In return, the school district would own the Hamilton Drive land. The planned housing would proceed.

Under its new ownership, much of the affordable housing would then be reserved for eligible teachers and school staff including janitors, groundskeepers and aides.

For decades, the cry has been to build housing for teachers and public safety workers to enable them to live in the communities they serve.

Chelini's research indicates, “According to the MVSD salary schedules, certificated employees earn between $71,000 to $135,000 per year. Classified staff are between $20.43 per hour and $58.60 at the high end. Many of these classified positions are also not full year positions. … With some of these low salaries, potentially having a housing perk could keep good people in those positions longer.”

Her idea, a potential win-win, should be explored.

Columnist Dick Spotswood of Mill Valley writes on local issues Sundays and Wednesdays. Email him at spotswood@ comcast.net.