Election 2005: Harry Harrison to take seat on sanitary district board Election 2005: Harry Harrison to take seat on sanitary district board (August 24, 2005)

There will be no election in the West Bay Sanitary District as Menlo Park old-timer and former board member Harry Harrison takes the seat being vacated by Board President John Carcione.

Veteran incumbent David Knight will serve another term.

Mr. Carcione, a lawyer, is stepping down after two terms to focus on working as an advocate for children and their parents in the juvenile Private Defender program. "There are a lot of ways to serve," he said.

Mr. Harrison, a retired contractor and civic activist, brings solid experience to the board. He served as a Menlo Park planning commissioner from 1988 to 1996, and was appointed to the sanitary district board in 1997 to replace Carl Schrader during a difficult period for the district.

Mr. Schrader left the board to become general manager, replacing Charles "Sandy" Thomas, who was charged with embezzling some $300,000.

Mr. Harrison lost his bid for re-election in 1999, when a new majority was elected and promptly fired Mr. Schrader.

Mr. Harrison said he has been attending meetings ever since, and welcomes the chance to rejoin the board. "The young people are real, real good," he told the Almanac. "They're very bright and make good decisions."

The sanitary district treats wastewater for 13 square miles of Menlo Park, Atherton, East Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Woodside and unincorporated San Mateo County.

One of Mr. Harrison's goals on the board will be to push for reclaiming some of the water now wasted, for uses such as landscaping. "They're pumping around 20 million gallons a day into the Bay," he said. "That water is completely salvageable."
Los Trancos Water

Six candidates are vying for three seats on the board of the tiny Los Trancos County Water District, which recently sold its water system to California Water Service Co., and now needs to decide what to do with its real estate.

Incumbents George Lee and Curt Parkin are joined on the ballot by community volunteer David Smernoff, consultant Thomas Thayer, family therapist Perry Blackmon, and business executive Frazier Miller.
Other districts

There will be no election -- and a still-vacant seat -- in both the Ladera Recreation District and the Skyline County Water District.

With three seats up for election, the Ladera Recreation District has only two candidates: incumbent Marianne Gerson and Diane Gow.

In the Skyline County Water District, incumbents Leiv Lea and Christopher J. Reynolds will take two of three open seats. Incumbent John A. Jahraus is the only candidate for a two-year term.

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