Town Council · special closed session, Aug 20, 2026
Behind closed doors, council weighs town manager's fate as residents demand a say
The Town Council met in a special closed session on August 20 devoted entirely to personnel matters tied to the Town Manager's office — discussing public employment, appointment, and performance evaluation for both the Interim Town Manager and Town Manager positions, plus labor negotiations for those unrepresented roles. Mayor Rosa Thomas and Town Attorney Richard D. Pio Roda were named as the town's designated negotiators.
“CM residents are shocked that Adam Wolff is 'leaving'. We don't know what is going on but we do not approve of removing Adam Wolff as Town Manager. We want you stop your closed process and put it to residents to decide. We are going to pursue this one way or another.”— Maureen O'Rorke, Redwood Avenue resident
No outcome from the closed session has been made public; the agenda simply calls for the Council to reconvene in open session afterward and report out on any action taken.
But word of a possible change at the top clearly got out before the meeting. Resident Maureen O'Rorke of Redwood Avenue submitted late public comment objecting to what she described as the impending removal of Town Manager Adam Wolff, calling the process closed and demanding residents be given a say.
She wasn't alone in wanting answers — her letter framed the issue as one the town can't simply settle behind closed doors.
Climate Action Committee · meeting of Aug 19, 2026
Emissions down 34% since 1990, but committee frets over stalled progress on cars and turf
Corte Madera's community greenhouse gas emissions are down 34% since 1990, a consultant from the Marin Climate & Energy Partnership told the Climate Action Committee — progress toward the town's 40%-by-2030 goal, but transportation remains the largest and still-growing slice of the pie. Staff clarified that isn't because people are driving more; the state simply recalculated emission factors upward for the on-road vehicle fleet. Natural gas emissions dipped thanks to a warmer year and conservation, while waste emissions are unlikely to hit 2030 targets without full compliance with the state's organics law, SB1383.
“There's lots of dead trees that are in dire need of new friends.”— David Bell, Lions Club, on Bayside Trail Park
The harder truth: vehicle miles traveled, the single biggest lever, hasn't budged. One committee member asked point-blank whether there's any effort to get people to consolidate trips. "It's been such a tough nut, the vehicle miles traveled," the MCE presenter replied, "and as you said, it really hasn't dropped... behavior change though in that is just really difficult."
The committee spent much of the meeting reorganizing itself for the year ahead, forming three subcommittees: one on heat pump communications ahead of a looming state mandate, one on replacing nonfunctional turf with drought-tolerant landscaping at the Central Marin fire headquarters under state law AB1572, and one focused on expanding EV charger access, particularly for residents who can't install one at home. One member voiced a broader worry: "the town's declared a climate emergency but there's not really... a sense of urgency about it. That's a little disconcerting."
On outreach, Lions Club vice president David Bell pitched the committee on tree planting beyond Town Park. "There's lots of dead trees that are in dire need of new friends," he told the group, pointing to Bayside Trail Park. The committee is eyeing tables at the Repair Fair (Feb. 27) and October Fest (Oct. 10, pending Lions Club sign-off) as ways to reach residents directly.