Mayor tells story of election funds Mayor tells story of election funds (February 25, 2004)

By Lee B. Duboc

Even after more than a year in my new profession as a City Council member, I can still be surprised by some of the things I read about myself in the newspapers.

Recently a couple of letters to the editor (Almanac Feb. 18) asked me to "tell the truth" about myself. Well, here is the truth.

I have spent the past 20-some years raising my three wonderful children along with helping to raise millions of dollars for our local public schools and Menlo Park through my work on local PTA projects, school bond and parcel tax measures, being an active board member of the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation, a long-time Parks and Recreation Commissioner, and working on the Measure T steering committee.

I ran for the City Council about two years ago because I felt I could help the citizens of Menlo Park by using the knowledge and life-experience I have gained from actively living and working in this great town. Running was not only an extremely time-consuming endeavor but also a personally expensive one.

One thing as a candidate one does in this day and age is to answer questionnaires and go to interviews of various interest groups. My first rather scary experience of this type was being part of a panel of seven City Council candidates vying for the San Mateo Labor Council's endorsement. I had a similar interview with the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR). It was just as daunting to me. The only difference was that each candidate was called in for a private interview and every one of the seven active candidates had an interview.

In fact, I was right behind candidate Toni Stein. It is amazing to me that some people who supported the losing candidates who competed for the SILVAR and Labor Council endorsements and donations, are critical of me for taking the funds that their candidates would have taken. I was very grateful to get donations from those two groups as it meant less money from my family's limited "pocket book."

The reason I am serving on the City Council is to help my city and continue to give back to this great community. I go about my job as council member with one thing in mind: am I performing my duty so as to make my family proud of me? I am beholden to no one but my family and the citizens of Menlo Park.

Lee B. Duboc is Mayor of Menlo Park.

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