Voter Guide: Four compete for three seats on Portola Valley council Voter Guide: Four compete for three seats on Portola Valley council (October 26, 2005)

** Election will bring at least one woman to the council.

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

In Portola Valley these days, the design, cost and financing of a proposed $20 million Town Center complex are hot topics that may be on the minds of many in the public -- including a contingent of residents who strongly oppose the project. In the race for three open seats on the five-member Town Council, the candidates tend to agree more than disagree.

The four candidates -- incumbents Ted Driscoll and Richard Merk and challengers Maryann Moise Derwin and Sally Ann Reiss -- agree on the major decisions facing the town and on their vision for the town 10 years from now.

"I have a very clear image of what (the town) is going to look like. It's going to look like it is when I drive home tonight," Mr. Driscoll told the Almanac in a thought that captured the sentiments of each candidate.

The candidates, whom the Almanac interviewed separately, agree on the need for a new Town Center complex, on the option of scaling back the design if the fundraising campaign does not raise the necessary $16 million to pay for it, on the notion that the council could have done better in explaining the project to the public, and on the necessity of renewing the two utility users taxes.

Project opponents don't appear to have a voice in the race, though on September 28, Mr. Merk did vote against approving the project's environmental impact report. "A lot of people" would like to stop the project, he said, adding that he personally "cannot support the conceptual plan as it stands," in part because the buildings will look "extremely dated" in 10 to 15 years. Mr. Merk voted for the plan in November 2004, but with reservations about project financing.

On the subject of housing in Portola Valley for people of moderate incomes -- teachers, firefighters, town staff -- Ms. Derwin stood out as an advocate for more of such housing.

One thing that will change with this election: the council will have at least one woman member.
Sally Ann Reiss

Candidate Sally Ann Reiss, 39, a former executive of Alviso-based TiVo Corp., has chaired the Parks & Recreation Committee and now co-chairs the fundraising campaign to solicit donations for the Town Center project. She also volunteered in school, served on the board of the Windmill preschool and volunteered as an athletic coach.

Ms. Reiss said that while the town is blessed with "four good candidates," her energy sets her apart. "I'm very dedicated to making our lives better," she said. "This is a time in my life when I can really give to my community."

Asked about the council's explanations to the community on why the complex should be replaced, she said the members should have done more to show the transparency of the decision-making process.

"They really didn't communicate enough and early enough to make sure that everybody was walking with them. When there is change, you need to over-communicate," she said, adding that the council's ineffectiveness on this score has eroded trust in the community.

If elected, she said she would advocate for a monthly newsletter if sufficient money can be found in the budget.

What if the fundraising campaign fails to raise the millions needed for the new complex? Facilities cost "a lot of money" and a new complex could be welcomed by future residents, she said. "We can only try. If (the community) doesn't want this project, then I'm not going to slam it down their throats."

The current plan "is not as fancy-shmancy as the rumors that are out there," she said, adding that she is ready to scale it back. "It's a civic building. I think it needs to be very bare-bones."

Does the town have enough affordable housing? "What's affordable in Portola Valley," she asked. Ms. Reiss said she's not against the idea of income diversity in town, but noted that the services that working women tend to need, such as day care and public transportation, aren't there.

As for smaller homes for empty-nesters, she asked: "Do we really need that," adding "we already have that" in the Brookside, Portola Valley Ranch and Corte Madera neighborhoods.
Richard Merk

The Portola Valley tradition of open space and rural character has been protected over the years by restrictive regulations and vigilant guardians, of whom Richard Merk is one.

Mr. Merk, 60, has been a resident for 45 years and a civic volunteer for 25 years, he said, including 10 on the Town Council. He said he sees "a lot" of his efforts on the council as serving to remind people of the town's traditions, which include no traffic lights or street lights. "I want to see a dark night sky," he said.

"I've always been very strong on having Portola Valley be really restrictive and maybe even a little exclusive so that we get high-quality developments, when we get them," he said. The town's readiness to restrict itself "has brought us to a place where it's such a desirable community."

Did the council do an adequate job of outreach on the Town Center project? There should have been more mailers, more advertising and more newsletters, he said. "We didn't really educate the people in town to understand the realities of the (earthquake) fault situation. ... Whether we like it or not, we have to do something."

As for the funding problems, Mr. Merk said: "I think we have the cart before the horse a little bit," noting that project plans preceded the acquisition of funds to pay for them. "I had no idea how big it was going to be," he said, adding: "I just have this gut-level feeling that we're moving too fast (on the project)."

On the issue of adequate housing for people of moderate incomes, Mr. Merk said that if subdivisions in Blue Oaks, Sausal Creek and Village Square are built, the town will have come close to meeting state goals.

In 2003, Mr. Merk voted to rezone 3.6 acres at the Nathhorst Triangle near the corner of Alpine and Portola roads to allow construction of 15 to 20 small homes. "Nathhorst was a good plan, a morally justifiable plan," he said. "It was no more dense than the neighborhoods around it."
Ted Driscoll

Ted Driscoll, 52, told the Almanac that four or five years ago, he was "sorely tempted" to step down from the council after eight years but stayed on for a third four-year term to address the aging Town Center complex.

Now, with plans for a new complex well under way, he is running for a fourth term. "I'm really running principally because I want to see that Town Center through," he said. "We have a serious problem to be fixed. My theory is that the town's residents occasionally have to invest in the town's infrastructure."

Asked if the council could have done a better job of outreach on the Town Center project, Mr. Driscoll said yes, but added that it may not have mattered. Eighty percent of the residents have never been to a Town Council meeting and can't be expected to inform themselves, he said.

It's tough making the case, he said, citing as an example the residents' questioning of the logic of building a new complex within sight of the vulnerable current complex, which geological tests show to be sitting on ground likely to move in different directions in a quake while at the proposed new site, the ground is expected to merely shake.

"We can make a building stand up (when it's) shaking. We can't make a building stand up for shearing," he said. "A lot of people don't want to understand that issue."

How is the town doing on housing for people of moderate incomes? Mr. Driscoll, who voted to rezone the Nathhorst Triangle, said he is satisfied with the current stock, which includes second units. He said he is skeptical as to how many people eligible for such housing actually want to live in town, and that state laws attempting to raise the number of such homes in towns like Portola Valley "are not cognizant of market forces."
Maryann Moise Derwin

Maryann Moise Derwin, 51, told the Almanac that she believes the town is in danger of becoming polarized over the disagreements about the Town Center project and the renewal of the utility users taxes. The town needs to heal and unite behind its core values, she said.

Residents should renew their emphasis on community service and respecting the land. "It's always been more of a 'live lightly on the land' low-key sort of thing," she said. "We need to remember that going forward."

Though her community participation has focused on the Portola Valley Elementary School District -- she's been PTA president and co-chair of the Measure J school construction bond measure -- she said her experience has prepared her for a seat on the Town Council.

"I've been through very tough times in the community with very rancorous issues," she said, referring to the school district's recent cycling through several middle-school principals. "I wouldn't run if I didn't think I had something different to add."

As for the council's handling of the proposed new Town Center complex and how plans have roiled parts of the community over funding and design issues, she said: "They just needed to do more outreach. If they had done that, perhaps they wouldn't find themselves in that little pickle now."

Perhaps the council should disaggregate the project and float bond measures for individual buildings, such as the library, she said.

Is she satisfied with the availability of housing for people of moderate incomes? "No way," she said. "It would be really nice if we could get a few in. What does it say about a community that cannot afford to house its teachers and firefighters?"

"I don't know what people are afraid of. It's middle class people," she said. "I almost think that the Nathhorst Triangle referendum put (affordable housing) years behind. People have such a knee-jerk reaction. It's so unfortunate."
SallyAnn Reiss

Civic service: Co-chair of Town Center fundraising committee; former chair of Parks & Recreation Committee; school and school foundation volunteer; former board member of Windmill preschool; member of Blues & Barbecue committee; soccer, baseball and basketball coach. Profession: Retired business executive. Education: B.A. in political science and economics, University of Victoria; certificate in business French and French civilization, La Sorbonne University. Years in Portola Valley: 10
Richard Merk

Civic service: 13 years on Planning Commission, 10 years on Town Council, plus service on other town committees. Profession: Retired general contractor and incumbent council member. Education: Canada College, University of Hawaii and San Francisco State University. Years in Portola Valley: 45
Ted Driscoll

Civic service: Twelve years on Town Council; past member of Planning Commission and Architecture & Site Control Commission. Profession: Entrepreneur and incumbent council member. Education: B.A. in fine arts, regional planning and architecture, University of Pennsylvania; M.A. and MLA, Harvard University; Ph.D., earth sciences and satellite imaging, Stanford University. Years in Portola Valley: 20
Maryann Moise Derwin

Civic service: Portola Valley School District: co-chair of school bond-measure committee; board member of foundation; past president of PTA; member of Blues & Barbecue committee. Elected to San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee. Profession: Homemaker, small businesswoman and freelance writer. Education: B.A. in English, California State University, Sacramento; M.A. in English, University of Illinois, Chicago. Years in Portola Valley: 13

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