Luke Zarzecki
lzarzecki@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Richard Kondo became the newest Northglenn city councilor May 9, picked to fill a vacancy left by former City Councilor Julie Duran Mullica.
Councilors chose Kondo out of eight candidates.
“There was this energy increase I wanted to call out because it was across the board as soon as we shifted (to talking about Kondo),” Mayor Meredith Leighty said during a study session discussing applicants.
Duran Mullica vacated her council seat after moving from Northglenn to Thornton.
Kondo’s resume showed plenty of leadership experience, councilors said. He is a director of a medical device company, served 28 years in the U.S. Navy and made his way up to the rank of captain, attended the U.S. Naval Academy for an undergraduate degree and earned a master's degree from Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Administration.
During his interviews, Kondo stressed good listening and engagement skills are necessary for the council position and explained the importance of considering multiple perspectives when coming to conclusions. It creates a more well-rounded decision, he told councilors.
“It’s really important to encourage diverse dialogue,” he said
He compared accepting many viewpoints to the U.S. Supreme Court. When someone reaches that level of achievement in the judicial body, he said, they develop an open mind and want to hear the counterpoint.
“There’s no one right answer; there are multiple right answers,” he said.
Other applicants for the vacated seat included Charles Appleton, Mark Bromley, John Kiely, Robert Konrade, Lindsay Lierman, Mary Peery and Christina Sharkady.
