NORTH BAY DESTINATIONS | ROHNERT PARK
Beyond the Boardroom Susan Hollingsworth Adams, Rohnert Park city councilmember and 2024 mayor
By Rosie Padilla
U pon meeting Susan Hollingsworth Adams, District 5 councilmember, it’s clear how deeply she cares about the Friendly City. Not only did her father, Art Hollingsworth, serve three terms as mayor but Hollingsworth Adams and her family moved to Rohnert Park in 1961, a year before the city was officially incorporated. Family is of the utmost importance to Hollingsworth Adams; in fact, she told NBb that family is the most important unit in society. Hollingsworth Adams, 66, originally went into business as the director of operations with her father in 1997 when they opened their wholesale insurance agency. Her father retired in 2021, and she now operates the agency with her brother. Though Hollingsworth Adams couldn’t initially picture herself running for city council, her deep-rooted ties in Rohnert Park and passion about seeing the city thrive led to her journey into local government. After serving on the city’s planning commission for 14 years, Hollingsworth Adams was first elected to the city council in 2018.
“Rohnert Park was a planned community designed to build out to a certain population, and I was happy to get involved to see to it that the city was growing properly,” says Hollingsworth Adams. For more information on Hollingsworth Adams and the work she does with her colleagues on the Rohnert Park City Council, visit rpcity.org .
What have you learned about yourself during your time last year as mayor? I really don’t enjoy standing up in front of a group of people talking, but I’ve learned I’m not going to die doing it. How is it managing that familial relationship when you are in business together? My dad and I would come to loggerheads about something and one day he said to me: “Look, everyone is entitled to the quarterly bad-hair day. That means between the two of us we are going to have eight. So, if you are having a bad day or if I’m having a bad day, feel free to go do something else for the day and then come back when you’re ready to work.” Is there a particular project throughout your time as mayor that stands out in your mind? The ribbon cutting we did [on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024] for the Rohnert Park People Services Center. The center [located at 6800 Hunter Drive] offers social services including housing placement, mental health counseling, domestic violence intervention, parenting classes and assistance with financial literacy, renters’ rights and government services. What is your adorable puppy’s name? Ella Caramella. She had these soft, long ears when she was a puppy that looked like elephant ears and I thought, oh my gosh, poor thing looks like Dumbo, but we can’t call her that. I thought, how about Ella like elephant. And then she’s this beautiful caramel color. She just turned a year. Any tips for moms out there raising boys? Hold on tight. They are so sweet and loveable. Boys are an experience, and every day is a new adventure. Just enjoy your time with them because it goes by so fast. One day you’re holding them in your arms and the next day you’re weeping because they are off to make their own way in the world. Describe one of the happiest moments of your life. I would say the first one would be when my soon-to-be husband, Sean, showed up on my doorstep and said, “I think I’m in love with you.” Then he said, “I think we should get married.” And I said, “How about we try dating first?” True story…And then, of course, the arrival of each of our three sons. What word or phrase do you overuse the most? Oh-my-good-stinking grief. Funniest movie you have ever seen? The funniest movie I ever saw was The Freshman [1990] with Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick. I mean I was in the movie theater laughing out loud. Last good movie you watched.
The Boys in the Boat [2023]. And you know why I like it? This is going to sound terribly corny, but to me it represents our city council. Five different strong-willed people, five chiefs, five people who are capable of being captain, sitting at the top of the boat, telling us all when to row. And yet we have five people, taking turns at the top of the boat, all rowing in the same direction. I watched that movie and thought, that’s why they won—because they all set aside their egos and tried to move forward together.
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