HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-01-06 City Council Summary Minutes
Regular Meeting January 6, 1997 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS........................................81-105 3. City Council's Reconfirmation of the Application Process for Appointment to Fill a Vacancy on the Palo Alto City Council81-105 1. Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor......................81-106 2. Resolution 7644 entitled "Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Lanie Wheeler as Mayor of Palo Alto for 1996".............................................81-109 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. to a reception.81-111
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The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers at 7:11 p.m. PRESENT: Andersen, Huber, Kniss, McCown, Rosenbaum, Schnei-der, Wheeler ABSENT: Fazzino MOTION: Council Member Schneider moved, seconded by Huber, to move Oral Communications and Consent Calendar items forward to precede Election of the Mayor and Vice Mayor. MOTION PASSED 7-0, Fazzino absent. Mayor Wheeler announced that the January 13, 1997, Special City Council Meeting would commence at 7:30 p.m. rather than 7:00 p.m. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Edmund Power, 2254 Dartmouth Street, spoke regarding civic responsibility. Horace C. Anderson, 1084 Embarcadero Road, spoke regarding Embarcadero Road traffic issues [staff report (CMR:468:96)]. Dr. Nancy Jewell Cross, 36866 Corum Court/Peachtree Avenue, Newark, spoke regarding Embarcadero Road traffic. Sophia Dhrymes, 485 Hawthorne Avenue, spoke regarding City government and its effectiveness. Virginia Briggs, 55 Waverley Oaks, spoke regarding representing the Palo Alto Civic League. Carey-Andrew Crittenden, 1556 Halford Avenue No. 379, Santa Clara, spoke regarding homelessness issues. CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION: Council Member McCown moved, seconded by Kniss, to approve Consent Calendar Item No. 3. 3. City Council's Reconfirmation of the Application Process for Appointment to Fill a Vacancy on the Palo Alto City Council MOTION PASSED 7-0, Fazzino absent. SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 1. Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor Mayor Wheeler said Vice Mayor Huber had an undisputed reputation among his colleagues and those who knew him well as having the best
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sense of humor among Council Members and the City. All Council Members had received a book on leadership at the beginning of 1996 which had been written by one of the modern-day gurus on leadership from the Kennedy school at Harvard, Ron Heifitz, who had come to California to give a one-day training seminar for elected city officials and appointed city officials. At the beginning of the book, Mr. Heifitz described leadership and how it had evolved through the ages, beginning with the gorilla bands which had roamed the earth. Vice Mayor Huber was like the leader of the gorillas, the "Silver Back." The directness, humor, and strong leadership skills he exhibited would be needed as the City went through the Year 1997. The City seemed to be able to match the right mayors with the right times. It was with great confidence in Joe Huber's abilities to lead the City through the heady decisions which would be necessary in 1997 concerning Sand Hill and the Comprehensive Plan and others that she, with pleasure, honor, and respect, nominated Joe Huber as Mayor of Palo Alto in 1997. Council Member Kniss seconded the nomination for Vice Mayor Huber for 1997. Although Vice Mayor Huber had taken his work, his job as Council Member, and as a family member seriously, he never took himself seriously. One of the hardest aspects of sitting next to Vice Mayor Huber throughout the year was the humorous remarks made only to her. Vice Mayor Huber was known as a tough and competent attorney who would do a terrific job as Mayor. Mayors set the tone, had the most contact with staff, had the most contact with the press, and was the most often quoted by the press. Mayors gave the sense of the City. Council Members made approximately $400 per month while the Mayor made a little over $500 per month. The City was delighted to have someone with Midwestern values and a good solid upbringing as Mayor for 1997. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR MAYOR VOTING FOR HUBER: Andersen, Huber, Kniss, McCown, Rosenbaum, Schneider, Wheeler City Clerk Gloria Young announced that Vice Mayor Huber had received seven votes, with Council Member Fazzino absent, and had been elected Mayor unanimously on the first ballot.
Mayor Huber thanked his colleagues and said it was an honor to serve the community and to be chosen to do so by his colleagues, a hard-working intelligent group of people who were very fun to work with and which the job would be impossible to do without. When asked why he wanted to be Mayor, he had responded with the fact it was fun and enjoyable. His Midwestern upbringing had shown him it was better to listen more than speak and just do the job, which was appropriate in his current position. His grandfather, also Joe Huber, had been Mayor of the town of Fort Atkinson for about five years in the 1920s when the Mayor also served as Justice of the Peace. When a person charged with stealing a harness had been
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brought before his grandfather, his grandfather had found him guilty, fined him, and then loaned him the money to pay the fine. He had come to Stanford to attend law school and had remained not only because of the beauty of the community but also because of the nature of the people. Palo Alto was a community of very involved and concerned individuals. Just after he and his wife had purchased a home in 1976 and while working in his yard, a woman whom he had not known had walked down the driveway carrying a box. The woman had said that the person who had lived in the house before him had been president of the neighborhood association and had also been a lawyer; therefore, the box was turned over to him and he was declared the president of the neighborhood association. Tay Gallagher was attributed to getting him involved in neighbor-hood concerns resulting in spending numerous non-elected hours in front of the Planning Commission and City Council which ultimately led to a position on the Planning Commission and Council. He acknowledged individuals who had donated time and money to his two campaigns including former Mayor Mike Cobb, former Planning Commissioner Pam Marsh, Ron Wong, Victor Ojakian, Susan Beal, and Emma Jean Hilbers. The citizens of Palo Alto were also thanked for the confidence placed in him, particularly as Mayor, and as a Council Member over the following three years. His parents were thanked for years of training, his wife and her parents, his son, sister-in-law, and nephew who had all kept him going when things became tough, kept his perspective right, and often felt the heat of frustration without whom his being Mayor would be impossible and no fun. According to the Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC), the Mayor's responsibilities included presiding at meetings, signing official documents, acting as official head of the City on public and ceremonial occasions, administering oaths, and serving as an ex officio member of boards, commissions, and committees. The most important action of the Mayor, however, was to serve as spokesper-son and point person for Council, staff, and the community. Local government was the place where most of the good things a government did actually happened, where elected officials were visible, accountable, accessible, and the reason elected officials could remain in touch with the community. The interesting issues which would face the City in 1997 included Sand Hill Road, the backfill portions of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, the Comprehensive Plan, and traffic. Although impossible to say where the issues would end, anyone who appeared would be listened to by both staff and his colleagues. He would treat everyone fairly and respectfully, attempt to be accessible to all, move proceedings along in a fair manner, and possibly end meetings at a reasonable hour. At the close of his tenure, he hoped people would be able to say, even if not agreeing with everything, that they had received a fair hearing and a rational decision. He looked forward to working with his colleagues, staff, and the community. Council Member McCown nominated Council Member Andersen as Vice Mayor. Council Member Andersen had just begun his eighth year as a Council Member and was unique, having been the best prepared to
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take the job since his professional background included teaching government to students at Palo Alto High School. During the seven years of serving the community, Council Member Andersen had served as Chairperson of the Finance Committee, Chairperson of the Policy and Services (P&S) Committee, liaison for many years to the Human Relations Commission, and a member of a number of ad hoc committees working with the City of East Palo Alto. Council Member Andersen's tenure had also been marked by a consistent and strong commitment to environmental issues, which included serving outside Palo Alto on the environmental issues as a member of the League of California Cities (LCC) and National League of Cities (NLC). Council Member Andersen had been instrumental in facilitating the community's ability to recycle flashlight batteries. On the occasions when Council Member Andersen had voiced an independent opinion on certain important topics, both he and Council had learned much from the discourses. Even when Council Member Andersen had carried the perspective forward without having carried the day on a difficult issue, he had returned and made significant contributions on the next tough issue which had faced Council along the way, which was an enormously strong skill and attribute. In more recent years, Council Member Andersen had been a strong force within Council in leading the renewed focus on the future of Midtown shopping and revitalization. Given his background as a teacher of government, Council Member Andersen's perspective about his time in service for the City would be interesting to hear. Council Member Schneider seconded the nomination of Council Member Andersen for Vice Mayor, a person who always acted very quickly after taking the time to ponder things. Council Member Andersen was a trailblazer, frequently the lone wolf, one of the most principled men, unafraid to stand up for what he believed, dedicated, a family man, patient, thoughtful, articulate, intelli-gent, generous, and humorous. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR VICE MAYOR VOTING FOR ANDERSEN: Andersen, Huber, Kniss, McCown, Rosen-baum, Schneider, Wheeler City Clerk Gloria Young announced that Council Member Andersen had received seven votes, with Council Member Fazzino absent, and was elected Vice Mayor on the first ballot. Vice Mayor Andersen expressed appreciation for the support Council had given. His colleagues were thanked as well as his wife and father. He looked forward to working with Mayor Huber. Children's Theatre Assistant Director Michael Litfin announced that the children from the Children's Theatre would sing a song in honor of the special evening.
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2. Resolution 7644 entitled "Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Lanie Wheeler as Mayor of Palo Alto for 1996" City Clerk Gloria Young presented a videotape from Council Member Fazzino acknowledging Lanie Wheeler as Mayor of Palo Alto for 1996 and congratulating Joseph Huber as Mayor for 1997. Bernard Coley, representing the Kiwanis Club, recognized Lanie Wheeler for her contributions to the community as Mayor during which time she had participated in building homes, the Special Olympics, painting over graffiti, serving as liaison to the service club to Gunn High School, bell-ringing for the Salvation Army, packing food for the needy, and serving on the Board of the Kiwanis Club. Susan Frank, Executive Director, Chamber of Commerce, 325 Forest Avenue, congratulated Mayor Huber and Vice Mayor Andersen. Lanie Wheeler was acknowledged as having had a tremendous impact on the business community, the Chamber, and herself through her warmth, interest, and enthusiasm in all activities over which she had presided, and for her assistance after passage of Measure R in bringing the community back together. Bob Moss, 4010 Orme Sreet, expressed appreciation for Lanie Wheeler who had brought a sparkle and community sense seldom seen in other Mayors. Lanie Wheeler had been warm, friendly, and helpful, and special thanks were given for her interest in the neighborhoods and her view regarding the importance of Palo Alto as a community of communities. Samantha Spielman, representing Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Member Joseph Simitian, read a letter from former Council Member and current Supervisor Simitian (on file in the City Clerk's Office). MOTION: Council Member McCown moved, seconded by Schneider, to adopt the Resolution. MOTION PASSED 6-0-1, Wheeler "abstaining," Fazzino absent. Mayor Huber presented the resolution, plaque, Mayor's pin, and gift to Council Member Wheeler and expressed his appreciation for having worked with her as Vice Mayor and thanked her for all her hard work as Mayor. Council Member McCown presented Mayor Huber with a Mayor's pin. Council Member Kniss spoke about the outstanding quality and quantity of Council Member Wheeler's service as Mayor and thanked her for all she had done.
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Council Member Schneider had wanted to nominate Council Member Wheeler for a second term as Mayor because of the great job she had done. Vice Mayor Andersen expressed appreciation for Council Member Wheeler who had worked diligently to bring about unity in spite of Measure R. Clearly, Council Member Wheeler had ably infused the concept of kindness into the political process not because of having a lot of politician in her but because she genuinely loved Palo Alto and had given a great deal to it, for which she was thanked. She had made "just enough noise." Council Member Wheeler thanked the City Council Members for their support during the year. She thanked the City Clerk's Office staff including City Clerk Gloria Young, Kathi Hamilton, Beverly Kline, Linda Hall, Yolanda Schiller, Mary Jo Bucchino, and Marcia Guy for the support which had been given to the Mayor and Council. She recognized City Auditor Bill Vinson for his unique position as the conscience of the City, City Attorney Ariel Calonne who was the City's trusted advisor, and especially City Manager June Fleming whom she admired, respected, and liked very much. All of the other members of the Senior Management Group (SMG) and City employees had been of tremendous value. The City's motto, "It's a matter of Pride," was very evident in the City employees, and she was proud to say she was from Palo Alto. She thanked the Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC), the Kiwanis Club, and the citizens of Palo Alto. The public's dialogue with Council contributed quality as well as quantity, recognizing for the most part that Council had done its job for love of the community. The press was thanked for having always treated Council fairly and with respect. Her husband was thanked for his support and patience. The year 1996 had been remarkable, the memory of which would be cherished during her remaining years. The Mayor's role was largely ceremonial, but a number of groundbreaking ceremonies for projects which had had significant City involvement included the Hamilton senior project, the Yamanouchi/Shaklee at 1050 Arastradero Road, and the Alma Street Single Room Occupancy (SRO). The year had also involved several official ribbon cutting ceremonies including the Home Chef store which turned out to be owned by a distant cousin, the long-awaited and hopefully long-lasting cutting at Borders, the Genencor opening ceremonies, and Bloomingdale's. Several special moments which had occurred during the year included the opening of the police substation, the first Thank You Breakfast for contributing businesses in the community, and the leading of parades. The year had afforded her an opportunity to address issues of particular import to the citizens of Palo Alto including escalating rents, potential loss of current stock of affordable housing, and working with the leadership of the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) on the Building for Excellence program. She had been very proud of her vision to recreate a sense of community among Palo Altans through the Block Party Month, Council approval of the Palo Alto Together Program, the first proposal of which had been
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submitted, the formation of a new neighborhood association by residents around the Lucie Stern Community Center, and Canopy, just to name a few. Early in the spring on a visit to Kauai, she had participated in a tree planting project at Poipu Beach. Upon her return in December, she had noticed how her saplings had grown and thrived but recognized it would take some time before the saplings really became trees. The saplings which had been planted in 1996 in Palo Alto needed tender care, feeding, and nurturing in order to mature into healthy trees which, she was confident, could occur. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m. to a reception. ATTEST: APPROVED:
City Clerk Mayor NOTE: Sense minutes (synopsis) are prepared in accordance with Palo Alto Municipal Code Sections 2.04.200 (a) and (b). The City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are made solely for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of the minutes of the meetings. City Council and Standing Committee meeting tapes are recycled 90 days from the date of the meeting. The tapes are available for members of the public to listen to during regular office hours.
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