ELECTION 2002: Menlo Park roundup ELECTION 2002: Menlo Park roundup (September 11, 2002)

Let the games begin

Within the space of a week, two homes within a stone's throw of each other in Menlo Park are hosting events for six of the eight candidates for City Council. Another candidate, Eric Kinney, is planning his own event later this month. Three seats will be open -- those of Mary Jo Borak, Nicholas Jellins, and Steve Schmidt.

No. 1 : About 40 people showed up Saturday, September 7, at Councilwoman Mary Jo Borak's home on Santa Rita Ave. to kick off the campaigns of Planning Commissioners Bill Halleck and Toni Stein, and David Speer, who served on a city resident task force in recent years.

Mayor Schmidt and Councilman Paul Collacchi were there, as were: San Mateo County Supervisor Rose Jacobs Gibson; Dan Dippery, Menlo Park resident and a founder of the local political group MPACT; Ira Ruskin of the Redwood City council; and Jim Burch of the Palo Alto council.

Noticeably, but not surprisingly, absent was Councilman Chuck Kinney, whose seat is safe until at least 2004. His son, Eric Kinney, is running this fall.

No. 2 : Incumbent Councilman Nicholas Jellins' kick-off with Housing Commissioner Mickie Winkler and Parks & Recreation Commissioner Lee Duboc is planned for September 15 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Ms. Duboc's home, 300 Santa Rita Ave.

The public is invited to come and meet those candidates. For information, call or e-mail Ms. Winkler: 473-9722 or MickieWinkler@aol.com.

No. 3 : Eric Kinney, who has no plans to entwine his campaign efforts with any opponents', is planning his kick-off party at Burgess Park for the last weekend in September. Stay tuned for date and time.
To cap, or not to cap?

Candidate David Speer has proposed to his fellow candidates a spending cap of $25,000 each for this year's council election. "If no one else signs on, that's fine," said Mr. Speer. "I'm going to stay there."

Councilman Nicholas Jellins and parks commissioner Lee Duboc said the concept wasn't a bad one, but that it's a discussion that should happen outside of the campaign season.

"I don't think we should change the rules mid-game," said Mr. Jellins.

The campaign season is the time to discuss "real" issues facing the city, and this is not one of them, said Ms. Duboc.

Candidate Eric Kinney disagreed with Ms. Duboc. Fiscal responsibility and accountability are big issues, he said.

He favors a limit as low as $15,000 to $20,000, though "in terms of being an independent, [a spending limit will] probably hurt me." Candidates who choose to do joint ads may get more for their money, but "I'm willing to take that hit," he added.
Endorsements aplenty

Candidate Michael Meyer said he's already received several invitations to meet with local groups. (He turns them down, because he's not seeking endorsements, he said.)

One group that never gave him the chance to interview, he noted, was Mid Peninsula Action for Tomorrow (MPACT), historically active in Menlo Park and Palo Alto council races.

MPACT only invited five of the eight candidates to interview this year, and four accepted, said Edie Keating, the Palo Alto resident who heads the group's steering committee.

"We're looking for candidates who support our values but also have experience and the base in the community to be elected," she said. In some cases, they had enough information without meeting the candidate, she said.

MPACT isn't alone in its selective approach, pointed out candidate Eric Kinney.

He was never invited to chat with Menlo Park First, he noted, a local political group that sprouted earlier this year and has already announced its endorsements on its Web site (for Lee Duboc, Nicholas Jellins and Mickie Winkler).