Atherton's Carlson talks about cars, re-election Atherton's Carlson talks about cars, re-election (June 05, 2002)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

It's been a newsworthy week for Atherton Mayor Alan Carlson.

Mr. Carlson, who last week announced his intention to run for a second term on the City Council in the fall election, has a re-election campaign to organize. He also has some newfound notoriety.

Athertonians who tuned into NPR's Morning Edition May 28 heard about their mayor's passion for vintage Ford cars when he was interviewed by the program's host, Bob Edwards. And Mr. Carlson's colleagues, somewhat belatedly, discovered that he's a mayor.

"I've had e-mails from people I know in our law firm, in offices across the country, who heard that interview and said, 'Hey, I didn't know you were the mayor of Atherton,'" said Mr. Carlson, an employment law attorney with Littler Mendelson in San Jose.

But he's is not just the mayor. He's also a little bit of a weekend grease monkey who enjoys tinkering with a pair of 1930s Fords.

Atherton won the bemused attention of the national press thanks to a wire service story about the latest round of census statistics showing that the town has more cars than it has residents over the age of 18. That story quickly lead to more stories deeming Atherton the "Car Capital" and journalists querying residents on what they keep in their garages.

Most of the stories neglected to take into account that in California, most teens get their driver's licenses at age 16.

"According to the latest census figures, Atherton has more cars than people old enough to drive them," Mr. Edwards said to introduce his interview with Mr. Carlson on National Public Radio's popular morning news program.

Mr. Carlson confessed to owning as many as six cars at one time. One of them, a 1966 Mustang, he donated to the Atherton Police Department to use for its D.A.R.E. drug education program. It is in the process of being restored and repainted, he said.

"It was the first new car I ever bought," Mr. Carlson said.

His first car, he said, was a 1944 model he bought in high school, which he didn't get running until he was in college.

Although tinkering with cars is clearly a passion -- "I've always loved old cars," he said -- he is also dedicated to public service and has decided to try for another four years on the Atherton City Council.

So far, the council election's only other declared candidate is Charles Marsala, a member of several Atherton committees. Councilwoman Didi Fisher has said that she will not run again. Councilman Bill Conwell has said he is likely to run again, but hasn't made an announcement yet.

During his first term on the council, Mr. Carlson said he saw Atherton move from a town mired in turmoil and controversy to a smoothly running town enjoying the renewed confidence of its residents. Improvements include sound financial practices, new leadership on the town staff, especially City Manager Jim Robinson and Police Chief Bob Brennan, and lower employee turnover, he said.

Finding the money to repair and maintain Atherton's aging infrastructure, particularly its roads and drainage system, is a key challenge the town will face in the coming years, Mr. Carlson said. The town needs to aggressively seek grant money and collaborate with neighboring towns in order to fund the millions of dollars of work that needs to be done, he said. An example is the drainage problems on El Camino Real, a state highway, which will require pumping stations to solve, he said.

"Pumping stations on El Camino are really expensive, but that shouldn't be our responsibility. It should be the state's," Mr. Carlson said.