Whether its pro-business vs. pro-environment, pro-development vs. slow-growth, or residentialists vs. the establishment, different people have a range of ways to characterize the long-standing divided political scene in Menlo Park.
Now there are three new City Council members and two sitting members who say the city doesn’t have to be divided.
Whether they follow through with that plan, and the rest of the city follows suit, is unknown, but across party lines, the new council says it is focused on acting as one body — not two parties.
Just 12 hours after John Boyle found out that he, Heyward Robinson and Richard Cline would likely be Menlo Park’s newest City Council members, his focus shifted from keeping his opponents off the council to working with them.
“The unfortunate truth of our election process is that it creates this season of contrasting, differentiating and polarizing,” said Mr. Boyle. “Now it’s time to make a transition, and turn our attention to where there is common ground.”
Common ground, and whether or not it’s being established among council members, will likely be a key issue as the new council takes office.
Partisan politics, not an attempt to reach common ground, have guided some major decisions of the current council, with council members Lee Duboc, Nicholas Jellins and Mickie Winkler often voting together on contentious issues such as building sports fields at Bayfront Park and privatizing the city’s aquatics center. Colleagues Andy Cohen and Kelly Fergusson were often opposed to those decisions.
The recent campaign season was also a far cry from finding common ground, as two political camps — one supporting the slate of Mr. Boyle and incumbents Winkler and Duboc, and the other backing candidates Cline, Robinson and Vincent Bressler — campaigned fervently against each other to fill three open seats on the council.
In the election, incumbents Duboc and Winkler were rejected by voters, coming in last among the six candidates.
Political ties suggest that new council members Cline and Robinson will join sitting council members Cohen and Fergusson to create a four-member majority, but all four say that isn’t the case.
“The big issue the new council has to take on is the divisiveness,” said Mr. Cline. “People didn’t feel like they were being heard, but they made their voices heard through the election. If [the new council] doesn’t listen to different point of views, we’re history too.”
“We’re a historically fractioned community,” said Ms. Fergusson. “Changing that will be a challenge, but I’m optimistic we can leave the era of us versus them behind.”
Bayfront Park
The councilmen-elect will be sworn in Dec. 5, and newcomers and incumbents Fergusson and Cohen alike have already agreed that one controversial effort will come to a screeching halt: building sports fields at Bayfront Park.Bayfront Park was an especially contentious issue in the election, as Mr. Boyle and incumbents Winkler and Duboc backed Measure J, which asked voters if the city should consider building sports fields on 17 acres of the 160-acre park off Marsh Road.
About 61 percent of voters rejected the measure. Opponents labeled it a “politically motivated” move to garner votes for the incumbent slate from sports groups.
Mr. Boyle denied it was a political ploy, and insisted that putting the issue to voters was worthwhile.
“I’m personally disappointed because [building sports fields at Bayfront] was a good project that warranted further investigation,” he said. “But the voters have spoken with the clear direction to not waste time on this.”
Mr. Boyle said all of the council members have noted that the city needs more sports fields, and he’s “looking forward to trying to solve the problem.”
Mr. Robinson said the city should consider revamping the underused Kelly Field, and look for long-term solutions to the field shortage. “I know fixing Kelly [Field] doesn’t solve the problem, but in the short-term, we have to utilize what we’ve got.”
Mr. Cline said the council should keep trying to negotiate with St. Patrick’s Seminary and the Veteran’s Administration to acquire land for fields.
The effort to privatize the city’s Burgess child care programs was also a contentious issue leading up to the election, but that effort also is likely dead.
Council members Fergusson and Cohen, and new councilmen Cline and Robinson oppose re-bidding the programs after a previous request for proposals ended prematurely — the one serious bidder withdrew due to opposition in the community.
Budget woes
One of the first major decisions the new council may have to make won’t be an easy one: If Measure K, the city’s utility tax measure, doesn’t pass (the vote count as of Nov. 13 shows it’s 71 votes short), the council will likely be forced to reduce services, increase fees, or both.The current council opted to defer a variety of cuts and fee increases until they knew if voters would approve the tax measure. Among cost-cutting options that are likely to resurface are eliminating the city-subsidized adult sports programs, raising the Belle Haven child care fees for non-residents, and reducing staff in the city manager’s office.
Council members would not specify the cost-cutting measures they will pursue, but they agreed they face difficult choices.
“If Measure K doesn’t pass, it’s going to make the next couple of years pretty tough,” Mr. Robinson said. “It really handcuffs your agenda to go forward if you have to make more cuts.”
Councilman Cohen said the city needs to nail down its financial figures — something he said wasn’t done when the city debated privatizing the aquatics center and child care programs, or asked voters to approve a tax.
“Over the last several years, we’ve been playing political football with our finances,” he said. He noted the council should consider reinstating the budget advisory committee as an economic development committee to further study the city’s budget.
Derry project
The new council’s role in the fate of the Derry condo-commercial project is undetermined, but the three newly elected members have their views of what should be done with the project.Mr. Cline and Mr. Robinson supported the successful referendum campaign against two zoning ordinances related to the 135-condominium project: one that rezones the site proposed for the project, and the other changing the zoning language for the adjacent property at 1300 El Camino Real.
Both said they want to see the project re-negotiated rather than repealed or put to the voters in an election.
“I want to see the project preserved, but we just need to get more out of the deal,” Mr. Cline said. “If we can find a way to negotiate more elegantly without a vote, we should do it.”
Mr. Boyle, who opposed the referendum, said he isn’t sure how the city should go about dealing with the referendum, but he wants the project to be built.
“The bottom line is that the Derry project is a great project for Menlo Park, and I’d like to see it get back online,” he said.
The current council, at its Nov. 14 council meeting, is expected to give direction on the project, but the new council could consider a re-negotiated project proposal.
Bigger council?
If Mr. Cline has his way, the new council will discuss increasing the number of council members from five to seven.Mr. Cline said having seven council members would make the council “more inclusive,” and he labeled the discussion a “top priority.”
“More voices on the council equals more input, and that’s good for the city,” he said.
Ms. Fergusson said she’s open to discussing the idea and has already discussed it with City Manager David Boesch.
Ms. Fergusson may lead that discussion, as Mr. Cline and Mr. Robinson have endorsed her for mayor — the title given the chair of the council.
At the election party for candidates Bressler, Cline and Robinson, Mr. Robinson led a toast to Ms. Fergusson “the next mayor.”
Mr. Cohen said the council should discuss other city policies, including setting limits on fundraising for council campaigns, and evaluating the city’s mayoral policy.
“Anything we can do to get rid of party lines in everyday affairs is a good thing, in my view,” he said.
