Serving Foster City now
Art is Foster City's current Mayor. The City's official biography lists his term through December 2026 and notes that he is serving a third Council term after eight prior years on the Council and two prior turns as Mayor.
CURRENT MAYOR • DISTRICT 1 • NOVEMBER 3, 2026
Experienced leadership for Foster City.
Art Kiesel currently serves as Mayor of Foster City and is running for the District 1 Council seat in the November 3, 2026 election. A 30-plus-year Foster City resident, Art brings decades of local public service and a practical approach to city finances, planning, infrastructure, and quality of life.
Current MayorThird Council Term30+ Year Resident
Serving today asMayor of Foster City
Current termThrough December 2026
2026 electionDistrict 1 candidate
See current service →
WHY ART KIESEL
Foster City experience matters.
Local government is increasingly complex. The next Council will need to balance state mandates with Foster City's physical limits, preserve high-quality services while managing costs, and make long-term infrastructure decisions that protect residents for decades.
Local and regional experience
His current Foster City liaison assignments include ABAG, the Council of Cities, the League of California Cities, BAWSCA, the Library JPA, the Regional Water System Financing Authority, and SBWMA.
Financial and operating experience
The City's biography notes more than 50 years in software development and consulting, including building financial systems and 13 years as CFO of a privately held government- and military-contracting company.
PRIORITIES
Practical solutions. Foster City first.
Art's focus is on protecting the qualities that make Foster City exceptional while preparing responsibly for the challenges ahead.
Responsible Housing & Managed Growth
Foster City is largely built out, yet state housing requirements continue. Art supports managed growth and will advocate for solutions that recognize Foster City's four-square-mile footprint, infrastructure capacity, and traffic realities.
Fiscal Responsibility
With operating pressures ahead, Council must protect core services, scrutinize spending, maintain prudent reserves, and reduce unnecessary exposure to unpredictable outside funding.
Parks & Recreation
Foster City's parks and recreational amenities are central to our quality of life. Art supports protecting and improving these community assets rather than sacrificing them for short-term development pressure.
Infrastructure & Levee Protection
Long-term stewardship of water, transportation, utilities, and flood-protection infrastructure requires disciplined planning and investment. Art will prioritize maintenance before problems become crises.
Public Safety
Residents deserve responsive police, fire, emergency preparedness, cybersecurity resilience, and a city government that treats public safety as a foundational responsibility.
ART'S APPROACH
Listen. Prepare. Decide.
City Council should be accessible, fact-driven, civil, and focused on outcomes—not political theater.
A RECORD OF SERVICE
Experience you can measure.
Art's candidacy is grounded in direct Foster City public service, regional leadership, and private-sector financial and technology experience.
Recognition, official record & recent coverage →TodayMayor of Foster City
Currently serving as Mayor, with his present Council term running through December 2026.
City CouncilThird Council term
Foster City's official biography says Art previously served eight years on the Council, including two terms as Mayor, and returned for a third Council term.
PlanningPlanning Commission
Art's civic involvement began on the Information Technology Advisory Committee and included 3½ years on the Foster City Planning Commission.
Regional leadershipLeague of California Cities & C/CAG
He has represented Foster City and the region through League policy committees and the League board, and previously served four years on C/CAG.
WaterBAWSCA Board of Directors
Art was appointed by the Estero Municipal Improvement District to the BAWSCA Board in December 2025.
CommunityFoster City Lions Club
A member since 2004, Art has served as club president and was selected as Lion of the Year.
VIEW HIS RECORD
Independent judgment. Documented decisions.
Campaign claims should be verifiable. These examples link directly to official City records or published reporting, and distinguish formal roll-call votes from policy positions expressed during Council discussion.
DOCUMENTED SPLIT VOTE • SEPT. 15, 2025
Willing to be the independent vote on City oversight
Art was the sole NO vote on Ordinances 693 and 694. Those measures assigned the Foster City Planning Commission the additional role of Board of Appeals for building-code decisions. The other four Council members voted yes.
The City's current Board of Appeals page confirms that the Planning Commission now serves in that role, assisted by a neutral third-party consultant when an appeal is heard.
POLICY POSITION • MAY 2026
Protect traffic capacity while improving bike safety
During review of bicycle and pedestrian projects, Art warned that taking Foster City Boulevard from two travel lanes to one could worsen existing backups approaching Highway 92. Council advanced feasibility work, so this is a documented policy position—not a split roll-call vote.
Read the Daily Journal coverage →UNANIMOUS VOTE • JUNE 2025
Keep flexibility on future water and sewer increases
Art voted with the unanimous Council to authorize multiyear maximum utility-rate increases, while emphasizing that future Councils would not be required to impose the maximum permitted amounts.
Read the Daily Journal coverage →UNANIMOUS VOTE • AUG. 2025
Measure results before committing more taxpayer dollars
Art voted with the unanimous Council for a nonlethal geese-management contract, while pressing for regional population data to determine whether Foster City's spending was reducing the problem rather than simply shifting geese to neighboring communities.
Read the Daily Journal coverage →Record note: A formal vote is labeled as such only where the official record or reporting identifies the vote. Statements made during deliberations are labeled as policy positions. This page does not attribute another Council member's views by name.
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Art Kiesel stands for integrity, commitment, and perseverance.
Recognition entered into the Congressional Record upon Art's retirement from City Council in 2015.
Recognition & Recent CoverageJOIN THE CAMPAIGN
Help keep experienced leadership working for Foster City.
Questions, endorsements, yard signs, volunteering — send Art a note and he'll get back to you.