Standing ovations, cheers at Menlo council meeting Standing ovations, cheers at Menlo council meeting (December 15, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace

Almanac Staff Writer

Nobody sang "Kumbaya." But December 7 still marked one of the warmest, fuzziest meetings seen in a long time in Menlo Park's City Council chambers.

Before a standing-room-only crowd, outgoing council members Chuck Kinney and Paul Collacchi got standing ovations. New members Kelly Fergusson and Andy Cohen got whoops and cheers after taking oaths of office.

"I've given that oath for 14 years and I've taken it for 14 years, and it's never meant as much to me as it does tonight," said Mr. Cohen, a retired workers' compensation judge.

Despite the fact that the council has often split 3-2 on major issues, this time the votes were unanimous as the new council chose Mickie Winkler as mayor and Nicholas Jellins as mayor pro tem. There were no other nominees.

"We might not always agree, but we have always tried not to be too disagreeable," council member Lee Duboc said as she finished her year as mayor. She also got a standing ovation.

Ms. Duboc did act as a bit of a tease when she announced her nomination for the new mayor pro tem. After describing a mayor pro tem as someone who must be a leader for the rest of the council, she said, "I hope Kelly Fergusson will be a consensus-builder" -- and then added that she hoped to nominate her for mayor pro tem next year.

Instead, Ms Duboc said she was nominating Mr. Jellins for mayor pro tem because of his experience on the council. Mr. Jellins was elected in 1998 and served as mayor in 2003 and 2001.

In Menlo Park, being mayor is largely ceremonial. The mayor chairs council meetings and helps craft the agendas, but his or her votes don't have any extra weight than those of other council members.

The mayor pro tem typically leads a meeting if the mayor is not present, and is often seen as next in line for mayor.

By choosing Ms. Winkler as mayor, the council abided by a rotation policy in place since 1993, under which the mayor must have been on the council for at least a year but not yet served as mayor. Ms. Winkler is the only one in this position.
Lasting budget woes

At the meeting, the speeches were plentiful and the issues mighty.

After being chosen mayor, Ms. Winkler gave thanks to her colleagues and city staff, as well as to Lorie Sinnott and Michael Lambert for participating in the council campaign. The two ran unsuccessfully against Ms. Fergusson and Mr. Cohen.

The new mayor then turned serious as she discussed Menlo Park's ongoing budget woes.

"We are forecast to outspend our revenues until the year 2010," Ms. Winkler said. City officials have been cutting services and personnel in the last few years as revenues have remained stagnant. Sales-tax income has been notably sluggish.

Possible financial strategies include a parcel tax, a bond initiative and more cost-cutting, Ms. Winkler noted. She chimed in in favor of another option: concentrating on enhancing revenues.

As she has before, Ms. Winkler emphasized the need to make Menlo Park more business-friendly to help increase sales-tax revenues. She called the council's recent vote to expand the zoning in the Haven Avenue area in the northeast corner of the city a good start. Officials hope that expanded zoning could entice auto dealers, hotels and big-box retail.

If the city remains cash-strapped, residents will notice more problems with infrastructure such as streets and storm drains, Ms. Winkler said.

"Some of our potholes are getting so big, we'll need to put life preservers near them," she said.
Goodbyes and thank-yous

Bidding farewell to Chuck Kinney and Paul Collacchi after their eight years on the council, Ms. Duboc read a resolution praising Mr. Collacchi's fiscal sensibilities and Mr. Kinney's environmental sensitivity.

Mr. Collacchi was "instrumental in helping the city to achieve a Triple A bond rating" and helped the city double its general fund reserve, Ms. Duboc said. Mr. Kinney worked hard on San Francisquito Creek- and water-related issues, she said.

For his part, Mr. Kinney said goodbye to the council accompanied by the vocal stylings of Sarah McLachlan and Norah Jones.

He showed a short film that he and his daughter, Ursula Ringham, had made, which included music and pictures of city staff and business people. An image of the Almanac's 1996 cover picture of Mr. Kinney and Mr. Collacchi after their election to the council, headlined "The winners," drew supportive chuckles from the crowd.

The film also touched on issues Mr. Kinney worked on, including beautifying El Camino Real with new trees. There were images of Seminary Oaks Park, the Hamilton Avenue shopping center and the revamped City Hall, which were completed during his tenure.

Mr. Kinney also lamented the fact that the residential zoning code still has no design guidelines, and said the council "missed an opportunity" by not building a new child care center.

Afterward, Mr. Collacchi gave a speech filled with thanks for the city staff's work. While he and Mr. Kinney had been seen as minority members after the election of 2002, he also said he respects and admires his colleagues.

Most of all, he thanked Mr. Kinney, his original running mate with whom he often shared council votes and goals.

"We didn't always get it right, but we often got it right," he said. "And when we got it wrong, we said so."

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