Mike with his daughter,
Nicole, son, Sean, and
wife, Kim and their two
French bulldogs, Coco
and Max.
Photo by Tina Case
Erin O’ Brien said she is“ a big fan” of Wasserman. As CEO of Community Solutions, a Morgan Hill-based human services agency, O’ Brien has served alongside Wasserman as co-chair of South County: United for Health, a federally-funded project aimed at improving community health and wellness. O’ Brien described Wasserman as“ an effective problem-solver” who seems to be“ omni-present” in South County.
This included a recent visit by Wasserman to the Morgan Hill Library where he read a book to preschoolers during their story time activity. Librarian Tamara Palmer said he also led the children through an exercise to help them understand how reading allows people to travel anywhere through the power of imagination.
“ The kids were enthusiastically engaged and had lots of thoughts to share with him,” said Palmer.
Encouraging business development and entrepreneurship is also important to the county. Over the past several years, Wasserman said the County has hosted Economic Summits, with positive results.
“ When the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley approached us for help to expand its operations, I made
a motion to fund it on the condition that it be involved with and in the South County. Mayor Tate got behind it and a Small Business Development Center was launched.”
Mastering the Work-Life Balance
How does Supervisor Wasserman maintain a worklife balance? Without missing a beat, he said:“ I love working, and I enjoy doing what I’ m doing. At the same time, if there’ s a special function like Taste of Morgan Hill, Kim goes with me and we call it a date night.”
“ We love our home and community and are fortunate that we get to see our kids regularly. Sean is now a financial analyst in San Francisco. We try to get in an occasional round of golf. It gives us time to unwind and talk. Nicole is a cosmetologist. In fact, she cuts Kim’ s hair and mine, too. I go in the early morning, before the salon opens, and it’ s a great time to catch up on what’ s going on in her life.”
Wasserman’ s office is filled with sports memorabilia including the bat Ted Williams used in his last game and a painting autographed by the U. S. ice hockey team after winning the 1980 Olympics. He loves it all, but more like a coach would than a collector. Displayed here in his office at County headquarters, these items represent something bigger.
“ It’ s all about focusing on the tough challenges, and encouraging talented people to tackle those challenges effectively, together.”
Robin Shepherd is a journalist and marketing executive. She also advocates for non-profits dedicated to social justice and environmental conservation. She is a resident of Morgan Hill and mother of two children.
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