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Councilman says he hasn't left Atherton

by Andrea Gemmet

Atherton Councilman Charles Marsala says he hasn't moved out of Atherton. Responding to a complaint from a neighbor who thought he'd left town, Mr. Marsala said that he is leasing his home for a couple of months to a Stanford Hospital patient and her family.

In the meantime, he's been staying at a friend's house in Atherton, and he spent about a week in the guest cottage in his backyard, he told The Almanac. The rest of the time he's been traveling, either for business or back to his native city of New Orleans, he said.

"I'm helping out someone from out-of-state (who is) having brain surgery at Stanford," he said. "The inconvenience to me is minimal because my dad just passed away and I've been going back to Louisiana to help my mom clean out their house."

A friend approached him with the idea of leasing his house to the patient and her family for seven weeks, Mr. Marsala said.

"Having just seen my dad in hospice care, trying to help someone out seemed like the right thing to do," he said.

Atherton City Attorney Wynne Furth confirmed that there are no issues with Mr. Marsala's residency that would impact his ability to serve on the Atherton City Council.