Menlo council contender starts citywide political group Menlo council contender starts citywide political group (July 24, 2002)

**Menlo Park First aims to oust Schmidt, Borak.

By Pam Smith

Almanac Staff Writer

Add Menlo Park First to the list of local political groups starting up, or revving up, for the City Council election in November.

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Lee Duboc -- who last week said she definitely plans to run for one of three open seats this fall -- said she "started calling people" to form the new "ad-hoc" political group around mid-May, when many residents got upset about a traffic-calming project on Santa Cruz Avenue.

But the group "grown out of frustration" (as Ms. Duboc puts it) is "mad as hell" (as member Sue Kayton put it) about more than just Santa Cruz Avenue.

The City Council and government are communicating poorly with residents, spending irresponsibly, and eschewing the wishes of the majority of residents, the group says. It points the finger of blame at four-fifths of the current council: all council members except Nicholas Jellins.

The seats of Mr. Jellins and fellow council members Steve Schmidt and Mary Jo Borak -- a majority of the five-member council -- are up for grabs this fall.

"What we'd like is to get a group of -- surprise, surprise -- three strong candidates," to unseat Mr. Schmidt and Ms. Borak, said Ms. Duboc. "Certainly me," said Ms. Duboc. "And Nicholas (Jellins). And so far that's it."

Mr. Jellins said he will run, while Mr. Schmidt and Ms. Borak said they're undecided.

About 30 people are involved in Menlo Park First, which aims to gather members from every corner of the city, said Ms. Duboc, who lives on Santa Rita Avenue. The group has someone from nearly every neighborhood so far, she said, with Flood Triangle being one exception.

"I know that she (Ms. Duboc) will work for our side" of the city, said Tomas Jaime, a Belle Haven resident who sits on the parks commission with Ms. Duboc. "It seems to me they're going to work more for the people and with the people" than the current council, he said.

Some residents of Belle Haven, largely populated by Hispanics and blacks and separated from most of Menlo Park's residential neighborhoods by U.S. 101., say their needs are not given adequate attention by the city. The call for more code enforcement and policing there is one common complaint.

Menlo Park First will be looking for candidates to run against "the MPACT folks," said Ms. Kayton, who manages the group's Web site.

Council members Borak and Schmidt, Chuck Kinney and Paul Collacchi were endorsed by MidPeninsula Action for Tomorrow (MPACT), which is active in both Palo Alto and Menlo Park. Mr. Jellins was endorsed in his last election by the Menlo Community Association (MCA). Both are political action committees, or PACs.

Menlo Park First will likely stick to endorsements and volunteering, according to Ms. Duboc and Ms. Kayton.

The West Menlo Park Homeowners Association, formed just last month, will probably host candidate forums and give endorsements, said spokesperson Bob Creamer.

Menlo Park First seems to have more of a political focus, but "I'm sure we'll probably end up with [overlapping] membership," added Mr. Creamer.

Incumbent Steve Schmidt said he suspects the proliferation of groups is "a way to load up someone's campaign with literature with endorsements."

"They're all separate groups," Ms. Kayton said of the MCA, the homeowners association, and Menlo Park First. "The only overlap I know of is yours truly, because I'm running the Web sites for all three."

Mr. Jaime said he's been to an MCA meeting, but found Menlo Park First more to his liking. "Most of those groups ... don't address our problems or our community" in Belle Haven, he said.

For information on Menlo Park First, call Ms. Duboc at 322-3651, e-mail LeeBDuboc@aol.com, or visit www.menloparkfirst.com.

E-mail: Pam Smith at psmith@AlmanacNews.com.