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Uploaded: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 11:46 AM
Atherton council nixes phone survey on library
Issue may go to voters
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by Sandy Brundage
Almanac Staff
After the vote was over, some in the audience wondered whether they were hallucinating. "Odd," one woman murmured while staring at the dais, where the Atherton Town Council had just voted 3-2 against conducting a phone survey of 300 residents to assess support for building a new library in Holbrook-Palmer Park.
The audience was used to 3-2 votes from the council on that topic. But before Wednesday night, the split always favored Mayor Bill Widmer, Councilwoman Kathy McKeithen, and Councilman Jim Dobbie, who support building the library in the park.
It was noteworthy, then, when Ms. McKeithen defected to vote with Councilman Jerry Carlson and Vice Mayor Elizabeth Lewis against conducting the survey. Mr. Carlson and Ms. Lewis thought the bitterly polarizing issue would best be settled by either a ballot vote or a survey mailed to every single registered voter in Atherton.
Ms. McKeithen had spoken in support of the phone survey earlier, saying that people in Atherton weren't going to take the time to read the dense environmental impact report and make an informed decision. "Look at high-speed rail and how the voters bought into believing it would work," she said. No matter how many times the council presented factual information about the proposed library, "it just doesn't register."
Mr. Carlson retorted that Atherton was the only town to vote against high-speed rail when the state proposed the project. "Which says to me that Atherton residents are pretty damn smart."
Not one to let a challenge escape without response, Ms. McKeithen said, "And if you go back to who brought both of those (high-speed rail) lawsuits? It was me. I was mayor at the time. Thank you."
Still, something in the arguments presented by speakers during public comment as well as colleagues on the dais must have swayed the councilwoman. The speakers pointed out how easy it is to create bias in a survey, based on how questions were worded, and that calling only a few hundred residents would enrage those who weren't selected for the survey. And they applauded when Ms. Lewis said that she thought only a ballot would heal the town.
Mayor Widmer said that mail surveys had a 1 to 3 percent return rate, rendering them "inconsequential." He suggested increasing the number of residents to be surveyed by phone to 300; the proposed $18,500 contract with research firm Godbe recommended calling 200.
A motion by Mr. Carlson to conduct a mail survey of all registered voters failed. The mayor then made his motion to have Godbe call 300 residents, and after hearing two ayes and two nays, looked at Ms. McKeithen, who sat in silent contemplation some time before she finally said, "Oppose."
Atherton resident Peter Carpenter began circulating a petition on Thursday morning that calls for a special meeting of the council to decide whether the library issue should be settled by voters. Other items the petition wants included on the meeting's agenda: whether a new library should be built, and if so, whether it should go in the park, the new town center, or on the current site.
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Posted by Seeing Clearly, a resident of the Atherton: West Atherton neighborhood, on Jun 21, 2012 at 1:08 pm Why is anyone surprised that Ms McKeithen doesn't want a phone survey regarding the "Library in the Park" issue? She doesn't want ANY kind of survey. Proponents of the big, new building in the park know very well that a majority of Atherton residents don't want the proposed library/community center in H-P Park. However, a survey of all the residents is a necessity to put the issue to rest at last. It doesn't matter if a substantial number don't even vote . . . that happens regularly in America. Those who are concerned enough to follow the issue and then vote are the only citizens we should be concerned about anyway.
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Posted by Hmmm, a resident of another community, on Jun 21, 2012 at 1:10 pm Clearly, the town "leaders" couldn't find their hind ends w/both hands & a flashlight. Just another reason to have a good chuckle at their expense! It's just a bummer that other solid citizens once again get short shrift.
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Posted by Right to Vote & Freedom of Speech, a resident of the Atherton: West Atherton neighborhood, on Jun 22, 2012 at 7:21 am Recently the Almanac wrote an editorial regarding Widmer, McKeithen, and Dobbie's desire to "shut down" an Atherton email group that was allowing residents to comment on the library in the park and informing them of upcoming votes.
This week Widmer, McKeithen, and Dobbie voted not to allow the residents a vote on the issue.
In Atherton home to executives of Google and Facebook, companies who are bringing Freedom to the World, the council blocks freedom of speech and freedom to vote.
The agenda item was carefully worded by Widmer. Hiring a company to do a phone survey with the questions approved by a majority vote of the council. Lewis presented that the only solution was a "town wide vote" Widmer would not let her speak on the issue, claiming the Brown Act only allowed items on the agenda.
Carlson found a solution, he called for a town wide "Survey", the word on the agenda, by mail to all registered voters. Lewis supported that way to obtain the opinion of all of Atherton.
Widmer, McKeithen, and Dobbie voted "no" to a written townwide survey.
The same three that want to "Shut Down" an email group will not let the residents vote.
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Posted by Commissario, a resident of another community, on Jun 22, 2012 at 1:19 pm It's surprising that no mention has ever been made of Dobbie's conflict of interest - his wife is on the Board of the Friends of the Atherton Library. Shouldn't Dobbie recuse himself from all matters pertaining to the Library issue? Not in Atherton, I guess.
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Posted by Peter Carpenter, a resident of the Atherton: Lindenwood neighborhood, on Jun 22, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Peter Carpenter is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online There will be a Special Meeting on the library issue called by a petition signed by more than 100 adult residents of Atherton. As one item on that agenda the council will be required to vote YES or No on letting the citizens vote on this issue.
If the council votes not to let the citizens vote on this issue then a citizens' initiative will place this matter before the voters.
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Posted by Menlo Voter, a resident of the Menlo Park: other neighborhood, on Jun 22, 2012 at 7:53 pm Very interesting. There are 100 Atherton citizens willing to put their names on a petition regarding this issue. Atherton city council are you listening? You have a town full of apathetic citizens yet 100 of them will sign this petition. Are you stupid? Time to wise up and put this before your constituents for a vote. I know you already know how that vote's going to go, so why don't you give up on this stupid fantasy of a library in the park and save the town a bunch of money you can ill afford to spend? And I thought Lewis is ethically challenged? She's been on the smart side of this whole debate since the begining. Makes me wonder if there's an honest politician alive in Atherton. One has to wonder what the supporters of this nonsense have to gain. There really isn't any other logical explanation than some type of self interest. You have an existing library. The park is quite nice without a new library building. The town was making money from the existing park buildings. Yet, we need to build a new building there? Hmmmm.
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Posted by Legacy, a resident of the Atherton: West Atherton neighborhood, on Jun 23, 2012 at 8:31 am The WMD Team (Widmer, McKeithen, and Dobbie) simply want to leave their legacy in Atherton. This legacy will probably be a White Elephant building the residents of Atherton do not use and turning over Atherton's Park to San Mateo County to host events.
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Posted by Peter Carpenter, a resident of the Atherton: Lindenwood neighborhood, on Jun 23, 2012 at 4:27 pm
Peter Carpenter is a member (registered user) of Almanac Online The Citizens' Petition is available for download from this site:
Web Link
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