HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-01-05 City Council Summary Minutes Regular Meeting January 5, 1998 1. Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor......................85-379 2. Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Joseph H. Huber as Mayor of Palo Alto for 1997........85-383 3. Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of Ron Andersen as Vice Mayor and Council Member....................................85-385 4. Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of Jean McCown as Mayor and Council Member........................................85-388 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS........................................85-394 ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:15 p.m.............85-395
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The City Council of the City of Palo Alto met on this date in the Council Chambers at 7:15 p.m. City Clerk Gloria Young conducted the swearing in of City Council Members Sandy Eakins, Gary Fazzino, Liz Kniss, Dena Mossar, Victor Ojakian and Micki Schneider. PRESENT: Eakins, Fazzino, Huber, Kniss, Mossar, Ojakian, Rosenbaum, Schneider, Wheeler SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 1. Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor Council Member Fazzino nominated Council Member Rosenbaum as Mayor for 1998. In 1972, when he was a radio announcer for Stanford University, he had met Council Member Rosenbaum and was just as impressed then as he was currently. Council Member Rosenbaum demonstrated tremendous leadership for the community in a variety of ways. He first became active in the community with his concern
about a proposed high-rise Αsuperblock proposal≅ in the Downtown
area and ΑManhattanization≅ of Palo Alto. His success in the
campaign to defeat the Αsuperblock proposal≅ in February 1971 led to his election to the City Council in May 1971. During his first term from 1971 to 1975, Council Member Rosenbaum, along with several colleagues, led the efforts to preserve Foothills and Baylands open space and funded important social services programs such as child care and senior programs. He also authored Palo
Alto=s first Αno smoking≅ law in 1974 which prohibited smoking in theatres and a local hospital. He also authored the first law in 1973-74, during the first gas crisis, which required gas stations
to post gas prices. Most important were Council Member Rosenbaum=s qualities of thoughtfulness, experience, independence, careful scrutiny of fiscal and budget issues which led him to be an outstanding Council Member. After a successful first term, he was
elected to a second term 162 years later. During his current term, Council Member Rosenbaum continued to be an outstanding leader for the community. Most important, Council Member Rosenbaum
represented Palo Alto citizens and rate payers as the City=s representative to the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA), a consortium in California that represented municipally-owned utilities. His representation was a significant reason Palo Altans continued to enjoy outstanding utility service with electric rates far below the rates of Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He was also active in the effort for debt restructuring for hydro-electric and other power generating facilities. Finally, due to his leadership qualities, Council Member Rosenbaum was elected Chairman of the NCPA. Council Member Kniss supported the nomination of Council Member Rosenbaum as Mayor for 1998. She knew Council Member Rosenbaum
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from her college years at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, when she shared a dorm room with his current wife whom he was then dating. Nominating Council Member Rosenbaum for Mayor was a distinct privilege. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR MAYOR VOTING FOR ROSENBAUM: Eakins, Fazzino, Huber, Kniss, Mossar, Ojakian, Rosenbaum, Schneider, Wheeler City Clerk Gloria Young announced that Council Member Rosenbaum received nine votes and was elected Mayor on the first ballot. Outgoing Mayor Huber presented Council Member Rosenbaum with the
Mayor=s pin. Incoming Mayor Rosenbaum said it was an honor to be the Mayor of Palo Alto, and he appreciated the confidence the Council had shown in him. The last time he participated in a mayoral contest was in 1974 when Council Member Fazzino was doing the radio broadcast. In that year it took 37 ballots to elect the Mayor. During the process, eight Council Members received votes, the ninth being the retiring Mayor, and the eventual winner was Byron Sher. What most amazed him was that after the election of the Mayor and Vice Mayor, the Council went on to the regular agenda and attended to the
people=s business until adjourning at ll:30 p.m. Becoming the Mayor of Palo Alto was the last thing he had in mind when he moved to Palo Alto in 1961 to pursue his engineering career. Many people had helped him along the way. He introduced his family and thanked them for their support through the years and their willingness to put up with the time commitments and vagaries of the political process. Given the peripatetic nature of society, he was fortunate to have four generations of family living in the same area. Many Council Members started their political careers by joining neighborhood organizations or community groups and then securing an appointment to a City commission. He took out a full page ad in the Palo Alto Times objecting to a proposed Downtown development. George Desposito, a man passionate about his politics, with strong views on the issues and the candidates, became a good friend and campaign manager when he was elected to the City Council in 1971. Mr. Desposito died in 1976 and was sorely missed, but he was happy
to see Mr. Desposito=s wife and daughter in the audience that evening. In the modern era, his campaign manager was Lynn Torin, who brought to the job a remarkable combination of dedication to the task, organizational ability, creativity, and hard work. Without her efforts, he would not be a Council Member. His treasurer in both campaigns was Dick McQuinn, a neighbor with no prior experience, who quickly mastered the complexities of campaign laws and became a resource to others. Looking forward to the upcoming year, he emphasized one priority the Council set for
itself which was to develop a plan to renew the City=s public
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facilities. Palo Alto had its period of greatest growth in the
years following World War II in which many of the City=s public facilities were built. Palo Alto had an enviable reputation for its libraries, community centers, and parks. Today, while the reputation persisted, the reality was that the buildings were at least 30 years old, and in many cases, looked worn, outdated, and were in need of replacement or modernization and expansion. Palo
Alto=s neighboring cities were leading the way. San Carlos just finished a new library, Redwood City had a new City Hall, Menlo Park expanded and modernized its library and the City Hall to provide new space for the Police Department. To the south, Mountain View was a cornucopia of modern facilities with a new City Hall, performing art center, library, public safety building, and a sports center. With regard to finances in rough order of magnitude terms, Palo Alto had approximately $10 million in the bank and could easily identify $100 million in projects. He saw in the future a general obligation bond which would require a two-thirds vote of the public. It had been 30 years since the City of Palo Alto had gone to the voters for a bond which was a modest $3.5 million for a sewer treatment facility. Clearly, the City Council had its work cut out, but if some significant progress could be made on the issue, he would feel it was a good year. Last year around the same time, former Mayor Joe Huber noted he was from a small town in Iowa. He was from New York City himself, and as he looked at the Council Members, the fact was that everyone was from somewhere else, but recognition of the good fortune to have chosen
to settle in Palo Alto and a determination to plan for the City=s future to enable those arriving after would share the same feelings. Along with his Council colleagues, he looked forward to the challenge. Council Member Kniss nominated Council Member Schneider as Vice Mayor for 1998. Council Member Schneider was elected in 1993, served as head of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC), and the Downtown Marketing Committee prior to that. Council Member Schneider was taught by her father that in order to be successful and responsible, one gave back to the community. Council Member Schneider ran for office for the first time as early as the sixth grade. After college, marriage, children, and graduate school, she did some work in psychotherapy and was also a financial planner and stock broker. With that background behind her, she decided to open a retail store in Palo Alto which led her to become very involved in the Downtown and business community and at which time she began her leadership role. She felt that Council Member Rosenbaum and Council Member Schneider would be a fascinating combination. Council Member Eakins supported the nomination of Council Member Schneider for Vice Mayor. She had a good background as a Council Member, and she loved Palo Alto. She took her position as Council Member seriously, made a sincere effective effort to prepare carefully, but never took herself too seriously which was the joy of working with her. Council Members Schneider, Mossar, and she
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participated in Leadership Palo Alto=s Class of 1991 and also CPAC.
She looked forward to a year of Council Member Schneider=s kindness, graciousness, and charm. Council Member Fazzino said Council Member Schneider was an outstanding business and community leader in Palo Alto. Before becoming a Council Member, she was a member of the Downtown Marketing Committee in which she did an outstanding job of improving relations in the Downtown. She was instrumental in improving Downtown sidewalk cleaning and achieving other improvements. She was also a cofounder of the Another Way program which provided Downtown customers with constructive ways to help the homeless in Palo Alto. On the Council, she was an advocate for economic vitality and permit streamlining. She brought an important small business perspective to the Council and the City. Those were reasons Council Member Schneider should be Vice Mayor, but finally, what was most enjoyable about her, was her sense of humor and perspective. He supported Council Member Schneider as Vice Mayor. RESULTS OF THE FIRST ROUND OF VOTING FOR VICE MAYOR VOTING FOR SCHNEIDER: Eakins, Fazzino, Huber, Kniss, Mossar, Ojakian, Rosenbaum, Schneider, Wheeler City Clerk Gloria Young announced that Council Member Schneider received nine votes and was elected Vice Mayor on the first ballot. Mayor Rosenbaum congratulated Vice Mayor Schneider and looked forward to working with her. Vice Mayor Schneider thanked her colleagues for their confidence in her and for electing her Vice Mayor for 1998. She thanked her friends and family for believing in her. She was honored to serve as Vice Mayor and promised to give only the best which was the expectation. She would be available to the community to address its concerns and would work with her colleagues to build the Council into the most productive, consensus producing legislative
body. She would stay out of staff=s way when not needed but would jump into the middle of things if invited. She would support and work with Mayor Rosenbaum to see that his priorities for his year as Mayor were met and his expectations exceeded. She was excited, fully prepared, and thankful for the opportunity to serve as Vice Mayor. 2. Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Joseph H. Huber as Mayor of Palo Alto for 1997 MOTION: Council Member Fazzino moved, seconded by Schneider, to adopt the Resolution.
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Resolution 7733 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Honoring Joseph H. Huber as Mayor of Palo Alto for 1997" Council Member Kniss said having Council Member Huber as Mayor for 1997 made it a special year. He not only made it through one of the most trying years with various serious issues, but she was grateful that he made it a standard that the Council meetings would not go on too late. She hoped that Mayor Rosenbaum would adhere to the same standard. Mayor Huber ran a terrific meeting and kept the Council on course, which left 1998 with a relatively clean slate. It had been a pleasure to work with Council Member Huber and wonderful having him as Mayor in 1997. Council Member Eakins said Council Member Huber was kind, fair, and firm while running meetings which was a standard worth remembering. She hoped the entire Council would help uphold that standard. Council Member Wheeler was not reluctant to hand over the gavel to Council Member Huber one year prior. If she could have hand-picked a successor, it would have been Council Member Huber. Luckily, her eight other colleagues saw it the same way. One of the reasons the Council got through those many hours of meetings was the way that Mayor Huber helped conduct Council business. She thanked him for an extremely productive year.
Council Member Fazzino said in addition to Council Member Huber=s sense of humor, he appreciated that he knew what the role of Mayor was all about. He acted as the presiding officer and did not attempt to be Council Member, participant, staff, or community advocate. He focused on running the meetings and making sure that everyone had an opportunity to participate. He moved toward a decision and action. One could not pay a higher compliment to anyone who might serve in the position as Mayor. Vice Mayor Schneider said having Council Member Huber as Mayor for 1997 had been a true joy and a lot of laughs. The Council sat through 70 meetings, approximately 300 hours, and she enjoyed every minute of it with him. Mayor Rosenbaum congratulated Council Member Huber for getting the Council through Sand Hill Road and the Comprehensive Plan, which would secure him a place in the history of Palo Alto. He enjoyed having Council Member Huber as Mayor in 1997. MOTION PASSED 8-0-1, Huber Αabstaining.≅ Mayor Rosenbaum presented Council Member Huber with a Resolution and a plaque. Council Member Huber said he thoroughly enjoyed serving as Mayor in 1997. It was a lot of work as well as fun. It had been a pleasure serving the community, his colleagues, and the staff as point
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person for the City of Palo Alto. He met many interesting people and dealt with some diverse and interesting issues. He learned more from the citizens and from the problems dealt with. The year was not only about Sand Hill Road, although it seemed so. Other important issues were the Comprehensive Plan, historic preservation, and tennis courts. Many issues were underway, and a number of important ones had been concluded. If he added anything to the process, he hoped everyone appreciated it. He applauded his colleagues and the staff for the work that was accomplished. It was also a year where he had the pleasure of being interviewed by both metropolitan newspapers as well as elementary school reporters. He met with kindergartners, neighborhood groups, individuals, businesses, and many international visitors interested in Silicon Valley. There were numerous proclamations, ribbon cuttings, tree plantings, ground breakings, parades, boy scout meetings, etc. All were a great deal of fun and gave him a chance to meet very interesting people in the Palo Alto community. The Mayor had the pleasure of presiding over Council meetings and being the point person, which could not be accomplished without the cooperation of many people. He thanked June Fleming, Ariel Calonne, Gloria Young, Bill Vinson, and all of the staff members that worked for and with them. He thanked his colleagues, old and new, saying that it was a multi-talented, intelligent, energetic group who always had the best interest of community at heart. He thanked his family who were there that evening, both personal and extended, whose encouragement, support, and tolerance were needed and appreciated. It amounted to long hours, late telephone calls, and many distractions. He also thanked his colleagues in his law office, many of whom were in attendance that evening, for covering for him when he spent time in the City of Palo Alto. Finally, he thanked the citizens of Palo Alto for giving him the opportunity to serve as a Council Member and ultimately as Mayor. He felt at the start of his role as Mayor the previous January, he would be happy when the year was completed if people said that at the meetings he ran, they had a fair hearing, a chance to speak, and were treated courteously. He tried to do that and could not judge if he accomplished it. It had been enjoyable, much was accomplished during the year, and he looked forward to two more years as a Council Member.
Children from the Children=s Theatre sang a medley of songs for the City Council. 3. Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of Ron Andersen as Vice Mayor and Council Member MOTION: Council Member Fazzino moved, seconded by Schneider, to adopt the Resolution.
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Resolution 7734 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of Ron Andersen
as Vice Mayor and Council Member≅ Council Member Huber had the pleasure of working with former Vice Mayor Andersen as his Vice Mayor and found him to be an individual who truly cared. Former Vice Mayor Andersen cared about the social issues in the community, and he was not afraid to take positions even though others might not agree. He would be missed, especially his point of view and his kind and caring manner on the Council. Vice Mayor Schneider said she enjoyed the time she had spent on the Council with former Vice Mayor Andersen. When she became a Council Member four years prior and was the only new Council Member, he was very generous to her with regard to giving advise and spending time with her. She would miss him tremendously. Council Member Eakins said former Vice Mayor Andersen had an exemplary sense of justice which was only outdone by his fine sense of humor. She would miss him as a Council Member but reminded him that there were still issues such as Louis Road, the flood zone, and residential design regulations. She asked if he would be there for the Council. Council Member Kniss said former Vice Mayor Andersen brought teaching to its finest peak, and being on the Council for the past eight years had been a classroom for him. As a teacher at Palo Alto High School, he brought his wonderful teaching skills with him into the Council Chambers. Those kinds of skills made former Vice Mayor Andersen a very special person on the Council. He would be missed. Council Member Wheeler said there were two words that came to mind when she thought of former Vice Mayor Andersen: integrity and morality. His positions and votes cast while on the Council, regardless of where his colleagues stood, were always based on those two principles. If all members of Councils and Congresses could be elected who had the qualities that former Vice Mayor Andersen possessed, there would be no need for term limits. He would be missed. Council Member Fazzino said former Vice Mayor Andersen was a constant reminder that Palo Alto was not composed solely of young people with stock options ready to buy another trophy home. He cared about the community, about the different communities within the City of Palo Alto, and pushed hard at times to take into account the people who lived in the community and the kinds of actions that needed to be taken to address issues such as housing.
He had tremendous respect for former Vice Mayor Andersen=s integrity. His point of view was unique and that would be missed by the Council. He thanked former Vice Mayor Andersen for his service.
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MOTION PASSED 9-0.
Former Vice Mayor Andersen said he appreciated his colleagues= kind remarks. He said it was wonderful working with all of his colleagues, each who had remarkable qualities that served Palo
Alto=s public in ways the public could not know. He had been in awe of past Council Members with whom he had served over the past eight years and was certain he would be in awe of the new Council.
He wanted to get the Αconscience≅ issue clear. Each Council Member was the conscience of the community and served Palo Alto well in that regard. They demonstrated the highest examples of integrity and conscience for the community, and he felt Palo Alto was in good hands. He acknowledged the extraordinary staff who had served the community loyally and with tremendous effort and talent. He conveyed his hope that the current Council would respect and honor the many talents the staff provided and asked that the Council acknowledge the staff with its words and deeds. Staff deserved more than the Council had given them to date. If he had any concerns as he left the Council, it would be that Palo Alto would continue to lose talented people because staff was not appropriately recognized for their commendable service. He hoped the Council would listen carefully to the City Manager when she
expressed her concerns regarding the City=s work force and her recommendations to improve it. He believed there was a morale problem within the ranks, and it was costing the City of Palo Alto. He encouraged the Council to deal with the issue of morale in ways that would make all employees excited about working for the City of Palo Alto. It was significant to know of the many exciting accomplishments the Council frequently got credit for which were generated by a creative staff. A few examples that came to mind included the fiber optic ring, mission driven budgeting, anti-gang and graffiti solutions, recycling innovations, alternative transportation possibilities, etc. There were excellent ideas being generated within the staff, and he hoped the City could create an environment where each employee looked forward to presenting new ideas for City improvements and efficiencies. He asked Council to give the staff the appropriate recognition when they succeeded and the latitude when they did not. When he and several other Council Members first came onto the Council in 1990,
they were concerned about the City=s fiscal health and acted appropriately to incrementally make Palo Alto more business friendly and carefully made policy choices that took into consideration City expenses and revenue stimulus. There might be a time in the future when that again would need to occur, but today the City clearly had a different set of challenges. Instead of not enough economic activity, there might be too much. Instead of paying too much for talented resources, the City might need to get more competitive. Another major focus he hoped the Council would assertively address, was that Palo Alto was a small community in a
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major metropolitan area, and the challenges the Council faced were demanding regional solutions. Palo Alto often took the lead in regional affairs as had been witnessed by many who had served on the Council. It was important to hear clearly from the Council the necessity of making recommendations that had positive regional impacts. He hoped the Council would work closely with all of the neighbors, involving itself with state and regional bodies, keeping in mind the big picture, making the tough calls that worked in the interest of the region. Examples included housing, alternative transportation, air quality, library services, the homeless and disenfranchised, and park services for all taxpayers. He asked, as a southern Palo Altan, that the Council seriously consider the consequences of the revisions of the historic regulations. For the newly installed Council Members Mossar and Ojakian, he shared the top ten list he learned as a Council Member: 10) Be yourself; 9) Trust your instincts; 8) Do not use the position as a source of love, self esteem or adoration; 7) Patiently persist, pursue, and
plod processes, Palo Alto=s most important product; 6) Try not to think about it all of the time; 5) Encourage staff and colleagues to give suggestions and alternatives to your thinking--respect their expertise; 4) Know you will be lobbied by many--listen carefully; 3) Differ with policies not personalities; 2) Remember what it was like when you were not an elected official in order to keep your perspective; and 1) Have fun and maintain your sense of
humor. He met wonderful people, grew to know Ed Power=s perspective, and got a lifetime supply of T-shirts. He thanked the public who were so kind and trusting when they chose to cast their ballot for him as a political unknown. He publicly thanked his wife and family, who were in the audience that evening, for the support and great sacrifice they provided the past eight years. It had been an honor and a pleasure to work with everyone, and the City was truly in good hands. 4. Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of Jean McCown as Mayor and Council Member MOTION: Council Member Wheeler moved, seconded by Huber, to adopt the Resolution.
Resolution 7735 entitled ΑResolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Commending the Outstanding Public Service of Jean McCown
as Mayor and Council Member≅ Council Member Wheeler said she and former Council Member McCown started their political careers together in Palo Alto serving as Planning Commissioners in 1979. It became apparent that Council Member McCown knew more about land use and as her leadership capabilities were demonstrated, she became a leader on the Planning Commission, and the rest of the Commissioners soon looked to her as a mentor. When former Planning Commissioner McCown announced her
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desire to become a Council Member two years later, she chaired her campaign because she knew that former Planning Commissioner McCown was clearly one of the best of the 17 candidates running for Council. Luckily, the voters recognized the five people who were the stars of the group, and former Council Member McCown was one of the five elected. Words from the song sung earlier that evening correctly identified how Council Members sometimes went home at a late hour and rethought what was said at the meeting and realized the right words that should have been said. After a few years, a Council Member did not stay awake over such matters. The few times when she stayed awake and worried were those times when she disagreed with former Council Member McCown. It was rare, but those times she always tried to figure out why she was wrong because Council Member McCown was always so clear, analytical, precise, and so right. She would miss her on a personal sense and felt the community would miss her because she brought some very unusual skills to the Council. Former Council Member McCown was not only a great analytical thinker, but also able to craft and propose solutions that were practicable and accepted by the majority of her colleagues. Those qualities were not often combined in one individual. She hoped there would be someone on the current Council who could take on that duty as she felt it would take some time to fill that gap. Council Member Eakins said former Council Member McCown was her mentor from the night she was seated on the Council and the person whom she learned the basics from. Former Council Member McCown had superb analytical skills, and she concurred with Council Member Wheeler that Council Member McCown produced a solution which got the Council out of the holes it was digging itself into. Council Member Fazzino said it had been a pleasure serving with former Council Member McCown as a fellow City Council Member for the past eight years. Her environmental and land use credentials were impeccable. She was a tremendous asset to the Council. He felt former Council Member McCown was born and trained to be a judge, and he was fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve with her at the Council level of government. She was the clearest of thinkers, solution-oriented, had real time negotiating skills, and most important, was one of the fairest people he had known in public or private life. If he had a difficult issue facing him or someone close to him needed advise from someone he considered to be totally objective to resolve it, that person would be former Council Member McCown. He felt the City was going to miss her for those kinds of personal qualities. She not only provided those personal talents and skills, she contributed significantly to the maintenance and expansion of Caltrain and was instrumental in developing a strong long-range regional transportation plan. Many of those types of issues came before the Council, and former Council Member McCown was truly committed to the concept of regionalism. She believed that issues needed to be addressed on a regional basis, and her actions reflected that commitment to
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regionalism. During his term as Mayor, the Council was focused almost exclusively on crime in East Palo Alto and developing the
Red Team. Former Council Member McCown=s tremendous contribution
was not only to maintain the Red Team but to move Palo Alto=s relationship with East Palo Alto beyond crime and Police and develop other long-term relationships in areas such as recreation, public works, and economic development. In the final analysis, those were far more critical to the long-term success of East Palo Alto than specifically short-term anti-crime efforts. Former Council Member McCown was a tremendous member of the Council, and the Council looked forward to working with her in other capacities in the years ahead. He thanked her for taking the time and effort to serve the Palo Alto community. Council Member Kniss said former Council Member McCown convinced her that lawyers had something to offer to society and to those who served in public office. She had great analytical and real time negotiation skills as had been mentioned. Council Members got caught up in their own beliefs, and it took that ability to back off and take a look, and as Council Member Eakins mentioned, pull the Council out of a hole. She had been one of the 17 candidates that ran with former Council Member McCown in 1989. Running for Council was not former Council Member McCown favorite thing to do, but serving was what she did absolutely the best. She would be missed enormously, both by the Council and personally. Vice Mayor Member Schneider said she met former Council Member McCown when she was appointed as co-chair to the CPAC. It was
former Council Member McCown=s idea to appoint 37 people. It had always been her style to get the community involved as much as possible. She recalled that on the evening that the Sand Hill Road project was finished and it was time for the Council to take action, the Council sat there with massive documents in front of them, and former Council Member McCown calmly took over and suggested how the Council should accomplish that task. Through her leadership, the Council was able to get through massive documents, get all of the input necessary, and make a decision. The same was done with the Comprehensive Plan which was a tremendous credit to former Council Member McCown. She was one of the most intelligent, literate people she knew, and she looked forward to spending more time with her than she was able to during her time on the Council. Council Member Huber said former Council Member McCown did one phenomenal lawyer-like job in analyzing issues and creating solutions. Former Council Member McCown was now leaving him alone amongst the non-believers as the only lawyer, so he would look to her for guidance and conference when he needed it. He thanked her for all she had done. MOTION PASSED 9-0.
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Council Member McCown echoed some of former Vice Mayor Andersen=s comments about the City staff. First, she wanted to focus her comments on the four Council Appointed Officers (CAOs) who represented a much bigger organization, but were the ones she wanted to thank personally. Gloria Young was the City Clerk when she joined the Council in 1989, and if she had served on the Council that appointed Ms. Young as City Clerk, she would have done that. She did, however, have the opportunity in three different
Closed Sessions to vote for each of the remaining CAO=s: City Manager June Fleming, City Attorney Ariel Calonne, and City Auditor Bill Vinson. She was convinced that those were excellent choices for the community because they were the best and had proven that to be the case. She had enormously enjoyed serving with them and with all the members of their organizations that served the City. Second, she thanked her colleagues saying that in all respects, the Council understood as did the community, what a great team the diverse set of personalities actually made up. That was what she remembered about serving with the Council: the different styles, different strengths, and idiosyncracies. It was amazing to her how a group of nine people bringing all of those different perspectives together could actually wind up pulling as hard as they could in the right direction of the community and trying to make the best decisions for the community on the challenges that it faced. Third, she wanted to thank the community, the residents, and citizens of Palo Alto who gave her the opportunity to serve. She did not know if everyone could begin to understand the breadth and depth of communications that the Council received from members of the community. Those communications were often supportive and encouraging and extremely unhappy and discouragingly critical of what the Council was doing. She knew it was true of all of her colleagues that, as a Council Member, she read and listened to every one of the communications. Her one regret was that she often wished that she had more time in her schedule to actually respond to those communications. What she did instead, was to respond through the way she conducted herself in the office, and she hoped that was overall satisfactory and pleasing to members of the community who watched and cared about what the Council was doing. Last, she could not remember the number of times over the last eight years that people she did not know approached her asking if she were Jean McCown on the City Council. After replying yes, the
first thing they would say was, ΑI can=t believe you spend that
many hours in those meetings.≅ The second comment was, ΑI really
appreciate that people like you are serving the community.≅ She was always very honored to hear that because it was genuine. Her answer was that she was honored to have the opportunity to serve, but the strength of the community was when her term was over and it
would be someone else=s turn. She looked forward to watching the current and future Councils getting the opportunity to serve the community as she had the last eight years.
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Mayor Rosenbaum thanked former Council Member McCown for her years of service. State Assemblyman Ted Lempert presented resolutions to former Vice Mayor Andersen and former Council Member McCown and thanked them both. He enjoyed getting to know former Vice Mayor Andersen as a Council Member and also in his role as a teacher. He had grown to respect him a great deal, epitomized by the type of comments former Vice Mayor Andersen had made that evening. He felt the community was sorry to see him leave the Council, and he thanked him for his service. He said that former Council Member McCown was not only a model Council Member but also a model public servant. Many people in public life aspired to the qualities she had. He thanked her for her service, and he looked forward to future achievements. Jonathan Noble, representing Byron Sher, State Senator, 11th Senatorial District, thanked both former Vice Mayor Andersen and former Council Member McCown for their good service. He was a resident, grew up in Palo Alto, and had no complaints, which spoke very well to the Council of Palo Alto. Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian congratulated the Council Members on their re-election and election to the City Council and also Mayor Rosenbaum and Vice Mayor Schneider on their elections to Mayor and Vice Mayor respectively. As a former Council colleague and now current colleague in local County government, it was satisfying for him to be there that evening for the ceremonies. He thanked former Mayor Huber, whom it had been a pleasure to serve with on the Council and agreed with the earlier comments made with respect to Council Member Huber. He was pleased with the re-election of Vice Mayor Schneider. Although she was a delightful and engaging colleague and brought with her a great knowledge of the Downtown, behind that pleasant exterior, there lurked the tough-minded, common sensed, number crunching wisdom of a small business person. She brought that same rigor and discipline to her work as a Council Member. He was delighted to hear Mayor Rosenbaum talk about fiscal matters that evening, but behind the financial rigor and the discipline he brought to bear, there was a kindness, a sensitivity, and a concern for individual community members and families which might not often be displayed but which guided him through every decision and should be recognized. For the two outgoing Council Members, whom he had served with on the Council, he brought regrets from Congresswoman Anna Eshoo who was out of town that evening and could not attend. He presented resolutions from the United States Congress in honor of both outgoing Council Members. Congresswoman Eshoo began her service in local government and understood how important those who served closest to the public were in the work that they did. Former Vice Mayor Andersen was fearless, had questioned the conventional wisdom, and often spoke for those who needed a voice, but it was important to note that by his service on the Council, he pointed out that dues could be paid in many ways before serving on
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the Council. Some by being on the school board, some on the Planning Commission, some by serving in years past, but former Vice Mayor Andersen did it by working with 25 years worth of Palo Alto youngsters and their families which brought a certain wisdom and connection with the day-to-day needs of families in the community. He agreed with all the comments about his former colleague Council Member McCown. She was thoughtful, wise, and brought intellectual discipline and rigor to all the work she did, but was a person of great passion and commitment. The fact that she was quiet and calm and reasoned in no way diminished the strength of her commitment for the environment, a broader sense of community, and the importance of fair dealing in all that she and the Council did in a community. He wished both former Vice Mayor Andersen and former Council Member McCown well in their retirement from Council duties. He presented a resolution and proclamation to each of his former colleagues. Mayor Chuck Kinney, City of Menlo Park, congratulated the new Mayor and Vice Mayor and all the new Council Members. He came to extend the favor from when several Palo Alto Council Members came to his installation in 1996, but also to share in the true celebration of the finest traditions of a new Council and the continuation of the
democratic process. He extended to the Council Menlo Park=s interest in cooperating and jointly addressing mutual concerns that
went beyond the two cities= boundaries. There were some recent differences, specifically with regard to the Sand Hill Road project, but in a democratic process, differences were healthy, should be encouraged, perhaps could result in a better project, open dialogue, and better understanding. That evening, he wished to build upon the past good relationships as both cities viewed toward the future. The two communities were separated by a boundary, but shared much in common. If the citizenry were asked, there were common goals between the two communities. One common boundary was San Francisquito Creek. Menlo Park was reworking to preserve, restore, and protect that beautiful, natural resource which was one of the last natural waterways in either of the counties. The new flood control maps put out by FEMA impacted both communities and the two cities needed to collectively analyze and investigate and reduce the impacts of flooding to the communities. Both communities were part of a large metropolitan area and were affected by land use and transportation decisions outside the boundaries. Both were part of the Airport Roundtable, and there would be opportunities to coordinate efforts because both communities needs and concerns were far different than the north San Mateo County communities. Both were studying a shuttle bus system for the neighborhoods and perhaps there would be opportunities for linkage in the future and sharing of information. Traffic continued to be a major problem for both communities which had been accelerated by the great economic boom that was happening in Silicon Valley. Yet, the boom caused concern to the residents of both communities with regard to environmental qualities which were held dear in the peninsula. He wished the new Council well in
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its future deliberations and as the Council continued to manage the
affairs of Palo Alto. He offered Menlo Park=s Council cooperation and commitment to jointly share in solving issues and concerns that went beyond the two boundaries. He looked forward to the opportunity of collectively working together. Mayor Rosenbaum looked forward to opportunities to cooperate with Menlo Park during the coming year. He recognized and thanked many elected officials and former Council Members who were in the audience that evening. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS T. J. Watt, P. O. Box 213, spoke regarding unenforceable debt or City of Palo Alto and East Palo Alto should be incorporated with Menlo Park. Edmund Power, 2254 Dartmouth Street, spoke regarding corruption. 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 2.04.180(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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