Short Takes Short Takes (January 26, 2005)

Hail to the chief

Atherton City Councilman Bill Conwell was so pleased to be chosen as the town's mayor last month that one can only imagine his delight at being crowned the "Town Council president" in a story in last week's Palo Alto Daily News.

Although Atherton is a bit quirky with its terminology -- the town of Atherton has a City Council that meets in the Town Council Chambers -- the ceremonial offices are that of the mayor and vice mayor. Last we checked, there's no such thing as a town council president.
New digs for Arnold campaign

The Almanac's new neighbor is the Amend for Arnold campaign, which just moved into offices across the hall at 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas in Menlo Park, the former site of Nina's restaurant.

Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones of Woodside is heading the crusade to amend the U.S. Constitution so Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a native of Austria, can seek the presidency. The Constitution requires presidents to be native-born citizens.

The campaign has aired two TV commercials and attracted national attention. She and her husband, David, worked on Gov. Schwarzenegger's election campaign last year, donating both time and money.

For information, call 839-1400 or go to AmendUs.org.
Recipe for success

Students at La Entrada School found sweet success in treats they sold at a bake sale for tsunami victims on January 18. The kids raised $660, says parent Mike Glass. A match from his company, Flextronics, raised the total to $1,320 donated to the Red Cross.
Quote of the week

"Eating here is like making love to a widow: you can't overdo it." -- Atherton Mayor Bill Conwell, recalling a sign in a restaurant window during his youth in Iowa, in reference to the amount of effort needed to campaign for a renewal of the town's parcel tax.

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