ClaytonPatch
If you want a glimpse into the future of Clayton's leadership ranks, you might not have to go any farther than a historic house on Oak Street.
That's where Ted Meriam has set up camp, just a few blocks from the city's picturesque downtown.
Meriam returned to the town he grew up in two years ago, buying the Oak Street abode and diving immediately into community activism.
The 27-year-old native son serves on the Clayton Planning Commission. He's president of the Clayton Historical Society. And he volunteers for the Clayton Business and Community Association, the Clayton Valley Garden Club and the P2C Foundation.
Meriam ran for City Council in November, finishing third in a four-candidate field for two seats. Another council candidacy is almost a certainty.
"I feel it's important to give back to a community that has given so much to me," he said.
The Microsoft account manager's dedication to his community goes back two decades.
Meriam's family moved to Clayton when he was 5. He attended Mount Diablo Elementary School, where he sold ice cream and helped run the student store. At Diablo View Middle School, he sat on the Technology Planning Commission and helped allocate a $500,000 grant from the Clinton administration.
Meriam graduated from Clayton Valley High School in 2001, taking with him the Grand Altair, the school's highest award for academics, service and leadership.
JoAnn Caspar, the treasurer of the historical society, was Meriam's third-grade teacher. She remembers him as a self-assured youngster who was involved in civic activities.
"He wasn't one to play around in the mud," she recalled, "but he always had a lot of friends. He really was very much like he is today."
After graduation, Meriam left Clayton for seven years. He went to college at the University of Puget Sound and was hired by Microsoft. The company's philanthropy fit right in with Meriam's philosophy. The high-tech firm donates $17 per hour to organizations at which he volunteers.
Meriam returned to his small-town roots in 2008. He continues to work for Microsoft as a technical account manager for four Silicon Valley companies. Most of the week, he does his work from the comfort of his Oak Street residence, a house that was built in the 1800s and is on the city's historical homes tour.
"I have the best of both worlds," he said. "I work for Silicon Valley and I live in small-town America."
Meriam is strongly attached to his hometown. He calls it a "small, scrappy community" that honors its history and encourages civic involvement. "There's something about Clayton," he said. "It has a small-town charm and it calls a lot of people back to it. The town also cherishes its historic roots and it's also a community that is intelligent and active."
Active is an apt description of Meriam the past two years.
He joined the Planning Commission in June 2009 to get involved in governmental affairs and signed up for the business association to form relationships with the town's movers and shakers.
"I value personal relationships very highly," Meriam said. "Getting involved in the community is a way to deepen those relationships."
Perhaps Meriam's strongest passion is the Clayton Historical Society. He's been on the board the past three years and is in the second year of his presidency. He believes in honoring Clayton's past as well as those who built the town.
"We really need new blood, for younger people to step up," he said. "We need to preserve the good work our town's pioneers have done."
Mary Spryer, the Clayton Museum's curator, said Meriam has been an important factor is raising money and awareness for the historical society. "He really wants to make where he lives a better place," she said.
Caspar added that the historical society was in a bit of disarray when Meriam joined but has bounced back under his leadership.
"He helped turned that thing around," she said. "He's very personable and very capable." Caspar said she does wish Meriam would slow down. It seems to her he's doing a lot at a young age.
Cutting back on his schedule is unlikely. Meriam said he has his eye on the 2012 council election, in which three seats will be up for grabs.
Many city leaders expect to see Meriam in a council chair in the near future.
"He's an ambitious young man who cares a lot about his community," said City Councilman Joe Medrano. "Ted is definitely a future leader here."
Meriam has one more important goal. He would like to get married and have children in his home on Oak Street.
"Clayton is an excellent community to raise a family," he said.
