One on One with Sebastopol's new Mayor Stephen Zollman, Part 1

Stephen Zollman became mayor in December. In Part 1 of this two-part article, we'll learn about his early life and his career as a public defender and advocate for children and the mentally ill

Sebastopol’s new Mayor Stephen Zollman is a former public defender for the city of San Francisco, who worked with both juvenile and adult offenders, and as an advocate for the mentally ill.

Zollman has lived with his husband Jim Haidler in Sebastopol for eight years, and he quickly wove himself into the fabric of the town, joining the Library Advisory Board, and the boards of the Chamber of Commerce and Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

He became mayor of Sebastopol last month under a new policy in which the person with the highest vote count in the previous election automatically becomes mayor.

In his short tenure, he has already achieved a remarkable goal: significantly shortening the length of city council meetings by means of his strict whip hand on the agenda. (He graciously credits his fellow council members for cooperating with this plan.)

We met for the interview in the Sebastopol Times office just before Christmas with the goal of helping our readers get to know Zollman as a person and not just as “the Mayor.” This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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So where did you grow up?

I grew up in a very small town in northwest Indiana, somewhere between Notre Dame and Gary—very small, very rural.

Was it hard growing up where you did?

It was different, realizing the fact early on that I was from a marginalized community, meaning gay.

Let’s just say, similar to a lot of our backgrounds, home was a little—probably a lot—dysfunctional. My mom had mental health struggles back in the day when depression was treated in lots of ways—some of which are somewhat back in vogue—I mean we’re talking about ECT [electroconvulsive therapy]. I don't really know whether that helped or not. It probably didn't. She was very much of a recluse.

And my father, well, I think he tried. I think he was very overwhelmed. I was born in 1962 so back then, it’s like men, they go out in the world, they get a paycheck, and they come home, and there’s expectations of how things will be in the home, right? And if not—they didn’t have therapy back then—so, yeah, things happened.

What did your dad do?

He was a public utilities person. So I have a lot of appreciation for public works because basically he worked for an electric company. So he would climb up the poles…

Like ‘The Wichita Lineman’?!

Exactly.

What would you say were the major values emphasized in your home?

I guess, as far as values, I picked them up more from my friends in school—as far as just knowing that valuing education just seemed like the right thing to do. Also, I quickly learned that, ‘Well, things maybe aren't so great at home, so what am I going to do to propel myself out of here?’ And education was there.

I just feel very fortunate that a lot of my close friends were very bright, and they were like, ‘I’m going to university to become an engineer’ and I was like, “I’ll just tag along with them.’ So I did that. Granted, I wasn’t a perfect youngster, but for the most part, I knew education was what I was going to focus on.

I left to go to Indiana University at Bloomington in 1981, and that was a blessing in more ways than one. It was great because there was all sorts of diversity—for Indiana. I was like, wow, this is how the world works, and I really thrived. It was a very bright community. It’s a public university, but the kids were very eager to learn. It just seemed like I could just pick whatever I wanted. I knew I wanted to go to law school early on, even when I was six or seven.

Really? How did that happen?

It’s one of those weird stories. You know, when you give kids books with pictures of people with different job descriptions. It started with A for Attorney — and I was, like, ‘This gentleman is very well dressed and has a briefcase. I’m going to do that.’ And once I figured out more and more what attorneys did, I was, like, this is great: they advocate for marginalized voices. So that’s how it all started.

Looking back, can you name two people who had the greatest influence on you in your life and why?

Because I do tend to run on the fast side of life, I tried to figure out who and what would sort of calm me down. So [the author] Eckhart Tolle. I read that 30 years ago now, and I was trying to figure out things, like ‘Where are you?’, breathing, realizing you’re connected with the universe. So that was very grounding.

I guess I’m thinking about people in the real world—a teacher, a professor, an early employer?

There was an elementary school teacher—I think we were distantly related—who was very, very kind and understanding, and probably sensed a lot that was going on. My parents were not very observant, so they didn’t realize I was colorblind. So the teacher’s like, ‘Steven, go get some purple pieces of paper.’ And I was. like, ‘I don't know what you mean.’ And so instead of saying, ‘What’s wrong with you? Didn’t your parents teach you your colors?’ She was very understanding. So she gave me a good perspective of what it’s like to be compassionate and to take a moment and not jump in with ‘What’s wrong with you?!’ I can very vividly remember being in that class, and that was kindergarten. So she had a big influence in my life.

Other than that, I don't know. Primarily, I would say it’s many women—I’ve always gravitated towards the more female energy because I think they’re more intuitive. So, many different employers—mostly women, mostly women of color—have been my guiding star.

Tell me about college and law school.

In high school, I tried to get good enough grades to get to university, and when I did, I had a counselor who said, ‘I don't care what you do, just pick a major. Do well in it, get 4.0, and you’ll be fine.’ So psychology was my very first course in that first year, and I was like, ‘Whoa, this is really cool. This explains a lot.’ Then I did a double major with forensic studies, which was the old way of saying criminal justice.

I really wanted to do well, and even though I had undiagnosed dyslexia and dysgraphia, I graduated with the two majors in three years. I wanted to go to law school, but the family money was not there, so the military was next. I did that for two years, got enough money, started law school.

I've always had a fond admiration for those who learn what they can learn, intuit what they can intuit, and then just fight for the underdog. And I think that comes from where I grew up and how I grew up.

What branch of the service were you in?

Army.

Was it during peacetime?

Yeah, but there were one or two days overlapping with the Lebanon and Grenada conflicts. So that’s how I ended up getting to be qualified for veterans’ benefits.

Being in the military reminded me that diversity matters. When I was an undergraduate, that was my first exposure to people from different races and different socio-economic backgrounds. Then when I was in the military, I realized not only do you have to go to have a good understanding, you best figure it out, because when you’re doing exercises, you're going to rely on the person next to you, and it doesn't matter skin color, male, female—it doesn't matter. So I was, like, ‘Wow, this is a really good life lesson.’

What did you do after law school?

Well, I knew I was gay, and I wanted to figure out a way to get out to a more metropolitan area. So I practiced law in Chicago. I did personal injury law, and my clients were all from Cabrini Green on the South Side of Chicago, so they were struggling. I learned a lot about compassion and understanding.

Then I came to California. You’ve got to take the licensure all over again, and it was hard. I thought, ‘I don’t understand why this is so difficult?’ So then I got tested for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and a whole bunch of other things.

Interesting that that didn't come up earlier in school.

Because I just sort of overcompensated. I mean, I studied a lot. So when kids were out doing heaven knows what, I was at the library, taking my time, reviewing the material, and not understanding why it took me so long to understand the concepts.

So the diagnosis was a revelation.

How did you end up working as a public defender?

While I was waiting to become licensed in California, I worked doing mental health advocacy, and that involved going into all the locked psychiatric units for a nonprofit called Patient Rights. It was that experience, along with doing CASA [Court Appointed Special Advocate] work on behalf of abused and neglected kids.

I approached Jeff Adachi, who was second in command of the Public Defender's office, and he knew my passion for working with kids plus my past experience. He was like, ‘Yeah, I think you should get hired, and I’ll support you. And I think you should just come right into the juvenile unit.’

So I did the juvenile stuff and then I went to the adult stuff—and I learned about how if you don’t get proper services when you’re a child, you will simply migrate into the adult system.

At the end of my time there, I represented mental health consumers. So I was at places like Napa State Hospital, advising people about what their rights were. It was very intense. I would be sitting across the desk from someone, and they're like, ‘I’m never getting out, right?’ And internally, I thought, ‘No, you’re probably not.” But my exterior was always, ‘Let’s find the hope.’

Ultimately, I needed to get out of that work and do preventative stuff for kids because that’s where I feel like the real hope is.

What lessons did you draw from that experience?

I think, again, compassion always. So no matter what area you walk into and no matter how frenetic and how many channels there are, always try to take a deep breath, always try to center yourself, and just try to do the best thing you can at the moment.

And above all else, you’ve got to be compassionate because you have no idea…Everyone presents in the way that they feel is the most socially acceptable. But, you really have no idea what’s going on or what they’ve been through.

What sort of books do you read?

I feel like if I'm going to read, I pick up different psychological books—psychological and Buddhist—books that have a spiritual edge.

And is that the form of spirituality you practice? Buddhism?

Yes. It started with Eckhart Tolle back in San Francisco, because as he said in the prologue: ‘You are not your mind.’ I was, like, what do you mean? I live in my mind all the time!

But I started to meditate—or try to meditate—and I joined different dharma sanghas in San Francisco, and since then it’s just been an ongoing thing. I haven’t done very well with it, but I try. I try to take a deep breath and center myself—that’s always the aspiration.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?

Hmm, let’s see—goal-oriented.

And I have to say—impatient. I can be impatient, especially when I go into situations and it’s, like, ‘Wow, a lot of time and effort has been dedicated to this, and why are we still in this situation? Why are we not moving in some direction? I don't know what direction, but I really would like to see movement in some direction.’

When I feel like that, then I do the breathing thing, and I’m like, ‘Okay, whatever you’re feeling, try to be compassionate, try to read the room, try and understand why this seems to be very stagnant and offer up ways to not have it be stagnant.’ I try to go into compassion.

And the third one?

Reliable. I do not like to be late. My father was, like, ‘You will be wherever you’ll be, and you’ll be there 10 minutes early. You'll be calm, you’ll be prepared. You’ll have your notepad out and your pencil, and you will not be scrambling.’ So yeah, people who know me know that I start right on time, and I do my best to just move things along.

That’s my experience of how you’re running the council meetings. And I gotta say it’s a pleasure not to have to sit through a five-hour meeting.

Frankly, it’s about respect and the fact that we all try—I mean, traffic is traffic—but we try to arrive early and be prepared.

Give me one word that your friends would use to describe you?

Friends and past employers—some have described me as “intense,” which I’m not really a fan of. I’d say I’m passionate and focused when I decide I’m going to dedicate myself to something.

That's the positive side of intense.

Exactly! So when I decide to commit, I’m not going to dilly-dally and second guess myself. I’m there and I feel like I’ve taken the time to get educated. And if people are, like, ‘I don’t know. I don’t think that sounds right,’ then I’m open to discussing that. But I just want to get together with other people who want to see momentum, and if it stays stagnant then I’m probably not that interested.

Part 2 of this interview, which we’ll post tomorrow, will focus on Zollman’s experience on the council, why he serves on so many boards, and what he’d like to do next.

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