Grover Beach City Council member resigns — to move to Arroyo Grande
Mariam Shah is a Grover Beach City Council member no more.
Instead, Shah, who has sat on the council since 2014, is now an Arroyo Grande resident.
Shah confirmed her departure at the Grover Beach City Council meeting on March 8, though she had indicated she could be leaving the council at previous meetings, she told The Tribune on Sunday.
Shah said she “suddenly got a very rare opportunity to move to Arroyo Grande” on a property that would have room for her entire family, including her parents and husband’s parents.
“It’s super, super bittersweet for me because I’ve never left a job before that I actually love the job,” she said.
Shah said though it was difficult to say goodbye to the city, she felt she was leaving it in a good place.
“The one thing that I really felt at peace about is that we have such good momentum going in Grover, and we’re headed in such a positive direction,” she said, noting the recent announcement that Grover Beach would get $2.5 million in federal stimulus funding.
Shah’s departure leaves another vacancy on the Grover Beach City Council, which in the past two years has seen a marked turnover in members.
As of Sunday, only Grover Beach Mayor Jeff Lee and Councilmember Karen Bright have sat on the council prior to this year.
Shah said she has already heard from several community members interested in potentially taking her place on the council.
“There are a lot of new faces and new energetic people that are excited about this, many that have already reached out to me that are like, ‘I think I’m gonna apply for this position,’ which is invigorating, you know?” Shah said.
City manager Matt Bronson on Sunday said the city will discuss options for filling Shah’s seat for the remainder of her term, which expires in 2022, at the March 22 meeting.
“She has contributed a tremendous amount to our community and we will miss her on the council,” Bronson said of Shah.
In the meantime, Shah is now trying to determine her next steps.
An attorney before going into public service, Shah said she recently took the California Bar Examination to be able to practice law again.
She also plans to join the Five Cities Homeless Coalition board of directors, something she was unable to do while on the City Council.
Because Shah and her family moved to an unincorporated area of Arroyo Grande, not within city limits, she said she would not likely be able to run for city governance again any time soon.
That doesn’t negate the possibility of other public office moving forward, she said, but that will depend on what opportunities arise.
“Would I ever consider running for office again? Absolutely,” she said. “I think it’s been the most positive experience, the best job I’ve ever had and I would love to do it again. So I just have to wait and see what opportunities come my way hopefully.”
This story was originally published March 14, 2021 at 1:41 PM.
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