Shocking news out of San Carlos this morning, where mayor Omar Ahmad died of a sudden heart attack:

San Carlos Mayor Omar Ahmad died suddenly this morning after suffering a heart attack, according to Council member Randy Royce.

Paramedics responded to a 911 call from Ahmad and took him to Sequoia Hospital, but Ahmad passed away before he arrived. He was 46.

I had the chance to work with him on a few different occasions, both in Democratic Party politics statewide and on the high speed rail project. Ahmad also served on the Caltrain board of directors, and was a voice of reason in the debate over how to improve the Peninsula rail corridor. As NIMBYs began flooding the Peninsula with their false and misleading propaganda, Ahmad quietly but persistently worked to ensure that the debate happened in the real world, based on evidence. In January 2010, he attended the Simitian/Lowenthal hearing in Palo Alto and gave an excellent presentation on the rail overpasses in his city. Ahmad explained how the aerial structures have generated economic value – property values near the tracks are higher than they were before the grade-separation – and improved safety dramatically, an important consideration in Palo Alto. Ahmad said that not everyone is happy with the berm, but that it was a tradeoff and done in a way that was buildable and generally acceptable.

Unfortunately, Ahmad appears to have been ignored by Simitian and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who have instead thrown in their lot with the NIMBYs. That’s too bad, because Ahmad had a good point – done right, aerial structures can really benefit communities, and San Carlos proves the point.

Ahmad also was an advocate for better and effective public engagement with government. His TED talk, “Political change with pen and paper,” was an inspiration to many people in his community and to those who heard his message:

Ahmad was an excellent public servant and a fundamentally decent human being. It really sucks when good people die so suddenly like this. Rest in peace, Omar.