Marin supervisor Charles McGlashan dead at 49

Marin County Supervisor , who emerged as one of the leading political forces in Marin over the past seven years, collapsed and died of an apparent heart attack Sunday in Truckee after a day of skiing, county officials have confirmed. He was 49.

McGlashan, a Mill Valley resident, was known throughout the North Bay for his activism and leadership with Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, or the SMART project.

The Nevada County Coroner’s Office could not be reached for comment late Sunday night, but Marin County Administrator Matthew Hymel confirmed McGlashan’s death in a statement sent to Patch and prepared by McGlashan’s staff. A similar statement was posted early Monday morning on McGlashan's Facebook page, delivering the news with "devastating sadness."

“Marin County lost a visionary environmental leader suddenly and tragically on Sunday,” read the statement. “Supervisor Charles McGlashan died of an apparent heart attack (near) Lake Tahoe, a place to which he had deep family ties and loved since boyhood.

“Supervisor McGlashan leaves a legacy of environmental leadership that was passionate, inspired and pragmatic. His many accomplishments during his short political career include the formation of the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), the Marin Economic Forum and the Marin Energy Authority."

McGlashan is survived by his wife, Carol Misseldine, and "by family, friends and colleagues who all greatly mourn his passing," according to the statement.

As the supervisor for District 3 in Marin, McGlashan represented Strawberry, Sausalito, Mill Valley, Belvedere, Marin City, the Floating Homes, Almonte, Tam Valley and Tiburon.

“Charles was so passionate about what he believed in and was courageous enough to take those passions and turn them into reality,” said Supervisor Judy Arnold, who represents Novato. “He was a dear, dear friend. It’s such a loss to the board and to the county.”

McGlashan was born on July 15, 1961 in Hillsborough and spent his childhood in Santa Barbara and the Lake Tahoe area. He graduated with a degree in English from Yale University and received an MBA from Stanford. McGlashan moved to Marin in 1991, and later launched an environmental consulting firm that took on Marin County as a client.

He was appointed to fill a vacancy on the board of the Marin Municipal Water District in 2003, and ran a successful campaign for supervisor the next year, winning re-election in 2008.

In more than six years on the board, McGlashan established himself as a staunch advocate for progressive causes.

Perhaps McGlashan’s biggest accomplishment was spearheading the December 2008 creation of the Marin Energy Authority, a joint powers authority consisting of the county of Marin and seven Marin municipalities, including Mill Valley. In May 2010, the authority launched its , which took advantage of a state law passed in 2002 that allows cities and counties to purchase or generate their own electricity and sell it to customers.

Dawn Weisz, who served as interim director of MEA until she was hired as its permanent executive officer in February, declined to comment immediately on the news of McGlashan’s passing except to say, "Of course I’m very shocked like everyone else."

McGlashan was also a leading force behind the SMART train project, which has in its ongoing campaign to bring commuter rail service between Sonoma and Marin counties.

Fellow SMART board of director Deborah Fudge said on Facebook, "I
am in shock and so sad for all of us. He and I traveled to Japan together for
SMART. He was SO proud of Marin Clean Energy. I will miss my best buddy. We
love you Charles."

He championed an ordinance to at local markets and place a fee on paper bags, a move that drew widespread praise from local environmentalists and also a .

McGlashan served in dozens of other appointed roles ranging from the Marin County Housing Authority to the Transportation Authority of Marin to the Greenbelt Alliance, according to his website.

Bay City News supplied information for this report