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City News

Meet Your Neighbor: John Scheuerman

Roger Brigham
Connection Staff
August 2008

John Scheuerman moved from Fremont to Emeryville about 15 years ago, but it has only been in the past few years that he decided to take the ultimate civic step: become involved in the decision making process that helps shape Emeryville as it continues to define its unique niche in the Bay Area.

He was sitting at home with his domestic partner, Steven Keller, talking about the rapid changes that were transforming the face of Emeryville.

“It really started with my first public meeting for the first general plan meeting about three years ago,” Scheuerman said. “I said, if we don’t get involved, we can’t complain about what we get.”

In for a dime, in for a dollar. Scheuerman, 51, went on to become chair of the city’s General Plan Update Steering Committee, and last year was named to the city’s Climate Change Task Force. Through the Emeryville Streetcar Project (www.reconnectingemeryville.com), he and his partner have been active participants in such issues as mass transit, pedestrian safety and bicycle routes.

In July Scheuerman was appointed by the City Council to fill an opening on the Planning Commission. The term will expire in 2010.

“I find John very personable and delightful to work with,” said Deborah Diamond, the Project Manager for the General Plan Update Steering Committee. “He pitches his ideas in a forthright manner and is a good listener. He is always prepared for Steering Committee meetings and has excellent attendance. He is kind and supportive of City staff.

“He loves living in Emeryville and is truly dedicated to improving the quality of life. He spends quite a bit of his own time considering and researching planning concepts and has made a number of presentations to the Steering Committee on transportation improvements. Improving the link between land use and transportation has been John’s primary interest.”

Scheuerman said his work with the General Plan and hearing public comments as the plan was created have given him a strong appreciation for the concerns of Emeryville businesses and residents.

“Walkability, liveability, traffic, more green space and more access to those spaces -- those are things people are concerned about,” he said. “The ability to get there from here to there.

“I find that a lot of people who complain about the traffic are part of the problem because they’re in the traffic. We have a wonderful system, better than most cities, and we can do more.”

Scheuerman is a design engineer for Siemens Building Technologies, designing control systems for biotech companies -- work that puts him into contact with many Emeryville biotech firms. He met Keller, a fifth-generation Californian who works for UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health, at a California Men’s Gathering. The couple live in Pacific Park Plaza.

“It’s like the best of all worlds kind of thing,” he said when asked what he liked about living in Emeryville. “It’s close to Berkeley, but it’s not too close to Berkeley. There’s the artistic community aspect to it, and it’s not suburban. I love its proximity to open spaces like Tilden Park. I think there’s a lot of potential for open space area in Emeryville.”

Roger Brigham is a writer for The Emeryville Connection. If you have a question or comment, please contact him at ecocnews@gmail.com