City of Saratoga City Council Councilmember Mary-Lynne Bernald

A resident of Saratoga since 1978, Mary-Lynne Bernald was active in the community well before joining the City Council in 2014. In addition to spending 10 years on the Saratoga Planning Commission, her volunteer roles include PAL soccer coach, Cub Scout troop leader, president of the EMQ Auxiliary, paralegal for Senior Adults Legal Assistance, and a member of the Saratoga Library Expansion Committee. She was appointed by the Cities Association of Santa Clara County to serve on the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals in 2015, where she reviewed FAA proposals, collected constituent input, and made recommendations regarding airplane noise to congressional representatives.

First elected: November 2014

Alma maters: University of Colorado Boulder (bachelor's degree, political science); UC Santa Cruz (certificate in human resource development and training)

Other offices held: Saratoga Mayor (2018), Saratoga Vice Mayor (2017 and 2020)

Board and committee assignments include:
Hakone Foundation Board & Executive Committee
Public Art Committee
Santa Clara/Santa Cruz Airport/Community Roundtable
Saratoga Historical Foundation

Notable quote: As mayor, Bernald envisioned a partnership between the seven school districts and West Valley College. “Our schools are truly the bedrock upon which our community is built,” she told Bay Area News Group.