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By Barbara Wood
Special to the Almanac
Now that the election is over, locating a new library in the park defeated, and a new council member on board, what’s next for Atherton?
In interviews with new council member Cary Wiest and incumbent Elizabeth Lewis, who was elected to a second four-year on the City Council, the emphasis was on mending the rifts that have divided the town.
“Now is the time for healing the town from the conflict that we’ve had,” said Ms. Lewis, who is vice mayor and expected to become mayor in December.
Mr. Wiest said he hopes to help set a new tone for town discussions. “I am going to try to make sure that I stay out of the sound bites,” he said. Past behavior and the way people treat each other is “shocking to me,” he said. “It doesn’t belong here and it doesn’t belong in our leadership.”
The City Council “should set the example,” he said. “I hope I will be an addition to making it better.”
One point Ms. Lewis said she believes all Atherton residents already agree on is that “we do need to rebuild or at least renovate our library and make it more modern, make it safer — make it better for future generations.”
“That’s what I really want to do,” she said.
Ms. Lewis said she believes the town will need to go back and do what residents had asked for a year ago: create a master plan for the town’s facilities.
“What I would like to see happen is a true, objective, professionally done master plan, considering all of our civic infrastructure building needs,” Ms. Lewis said. That would include the police, public works, administration, library and use of the park. “This is something that we need to kind of envision for the future,” she said.
She warned, however, that a master plan is “what I would like to see happen. What council votes on is another thing.”
Mr. Wiest, for one, said he will support a master plan. “The voters clearly said we want you to go in this direction and please respect our wishes,” he said. A master plan is “a proper way to get a good direction in a town like ours,” he said.
He hopes to involve citizens with different points of view in the process, he said, and “get opinions from all sides.” Mr. Wiest said he hopes for “better planning, better participation, (and) better diversity in the groups we establish.”
Another issue that will face the council is the joint powers agreement that governs the library. The council at a previous meeting had asked the city attorney to research the JPA issue and report back to the council. Ms. Lewis said she does not know if that issue will come up in November or December, and she is waiting to see the attorney’s report.
Some residents have expressed concern over the pre-election endorsement by the Atherton Police Officers Association of Ms. Lewis and Mr. Wiest, and the union’s campaigning for the two with signs, fliers, and phone calls.
Both say that the endorsement should have no effect on the upcoming negotiations over the contract with the union. “In my mind, absolutely none at all,” Ms. Lewis said.
“My responsibility is to the health and well-being of the town and the economic well-being of the town,” she said. What will matter in the negotiations, she said, is “whether we can pay for the services we’re wanting to have.”
The negotiations, she said, are “not going to be easy, but it never is when you talk about people’s livelihoods.” The town will probably have to do an analysis “of our top police services, what we can’t live without,” she said.
Mr. Wiest said he believes the police union members “just want to have a fair sit-down” when it comes time for negotiations. “I think they’re just looking to be treated fairly.”
However, “the bottom line is as a council member you’re representing the interests of Atherton,” he said.
Another issue that may come up soon in Atherton is the renewal of the town’s parcel tax. “I am a big proponent of our parcel tax,” Ms. Lewis said. She has twice in the past worked on successful campaigns to renew the tax.
Mr. Wiest said, “I think that the parcel tax has been something that has been very beneficial both to the police department and to the public works department.” Without sales taxes, and with lots of non-residents using the city’s streets and schools, the tax is needed, he said.
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When Mr.Wiest says: he believes the police union members “just want to have a fair sit-down” when it comes time for negotiations”, is he implying that they haven’t had fair negotiations in the past?
It seems that our Atherton police officers are and have been very well compensated and treated fairly. Unfortunately, there is no way to sustain the level of pensions that have been provided to public employees for years. I hope our newest council member doesn’t equate a discussion of pension reduction with unfair treatment.
Unfortunately, the endorsement and money entails towing the line for the cops. They paid for Wiest and Lewis’ campaigns for a reason: they believed they would be best off (i.e., emerge with the best contract) if they were elected. It’s elementary, my Dear Watson.
It’s unclear to me whether the Measure F library vote was a vote solely against a library in the park, up to the size specified in the 2012 EIR, PRIOR to doing town-wide master planning OR if the vote was a vote against a libary of any size in the park ever.
Can anyone clarify?
Measure F: “Should the Town of Atherton construct a new library in Holbrook-Palmer Park using funds dedicated for library purposes only, by replacing the Main House and some surrounding patios and walkways?”
I think it is no to any size, ever.
Some say the Town is divided. The library vote shows the Town is actually united.
Some 70% agreed the that the “McKeithen Community Center” was a terrible idea.
Atherton isn’t divided. The residents woke up to this nightmare and rectified it with good old fashioned Democracy.
Widmer, Dobbie, and McKeithen squandered their political capital on a costly attempt to permanently alter Atherton’s only open space. The price they paid includes two years of Dobbie and Widmer being in the minority. Come 2014, they will be voted out.
It is possible that McKeithen could run in 2014 and that in 2015 the council could put the library in the park back on a ballot.
Mend, of course it’s possible McKeithen could run again, but what is driving your statement? Anything is possible. Didi Fisher could run. Charles Marsala could run. ANYONE could run and any council could approve a ballot measure for any proposal whatsoever.
Sounds as if you want to continue the scare-mongering tactics that were used to such great effect in the election. But the election is over. Maybe you should give it a rest for two years.
Clarification Needed asked a question if a library could still be built in the park. At first I thought no, but as “get real” states, at any time the council can go back to the voters.
Who are these people? Are they supposed to be very important people?
One of the reasons I posed the question is because it’s unclear whether those who voted against measure F did so because:
a)they don’t want to spend ANY funds on a library ANYWHERE, or
b)they don’t want to build such a BIG LIBARY ANYWHERE or,
c)they don’t want such a BIG LIBRARY in the PARK, or
d)they don’t want ANY LIBRARY in the PARK, or
e)they don’t want anything done WITHOUT a MASTER PLAN
I’m concerned that those who voted “no on F” due to reason d), are assuming that all who voted “no” did so for that reason. I HOPE OUR ATHERTON CITY COUNCIL REALIZES THIS ISN’T THE CASE.
The “no of F” vote, definitely CAN’T BE TAKEN AS A MANDATE that Atherton citizen’s want a new library in the town center, nor can it be taken as a mandate that citizens don’t want any library in the park ever.
it seems the only clear message that can be derived from this vote is that citizens don’t want the library as described in the EIR built in the park now, prior to master planning.
Looks like a survey is needed.
Clarification,
The ballot measure should have been more direct. I think the petition was for a vote-“Do you want a Libary in the Park?” Yes or No.
From the 2007 Grand Jury Report on Atherton’s Council/City manager problems. Deja Vu all over again. Guess WMD never read the report.
Conclusions
The Grand Jury concludes that:
Strident public statements by Council members and appointed officials inhibit the management independence that is necessary to ensure effectiveness and constructive criticism within Town administration.
•
There is an opportunity for the Council and the new Town Manager to address the causes of the recent turmoil in the Town in a constructive manner.
•
Personnel openings in the Town’s management will provide an opportunity todevelop a more cohesive management team.
Recommendations
The Council of the Town of Atherton should:
Review their procedures for safeguarding the independence of the Townmanagement team, so that department heads and staff can freely investigate,discover and report any perceived improprieties or inefficiencies that may arise.
Revise those procedures as necessary to make them more effective.
Establish a new policy whereby Council members, Town staff and appointed officials are encouraged to carefully consider the ramifications of their public pronouncements when sensitive Town matters are being investigated.
Meet periodically with the Town Manager to ensure an ongoing mutual understanding of the respective roles of the Town Council and Town Manager.
Clarification,
Here is an Almanac story I found. At the council meeting most residents and Council members Lewis and Carlson wanted the ballot measure to allow them to vote on the statement for No Library in the Park.
Atherton: Library issue heads for ballot after heated debate
by Renee Batti
By a 4-1 vote, the council approved what was probably the most controversial matter on the agenda: the language for a November ballot measure on whether a new library should be built in Holbrook-Palmer Park.
The approved ballot language is: “Should the town of Atherton construct a new library in Holbrook-Palmer Park using funds dedicated for library purposes only by replacing the Main House and some surrounding patios and walkways?”
Councilwoman Elizabeth Lewis voted against the language, arguing that it wasn’t straightforward enough.
Library in the park?
Ballot language recommended for council approval by City Attorney Bill Conners asked voters if the town should “construct a new library in Holbrook-Palmer Park using funds dedicated for library purposes only, and not using any existing park open space for this purpose.”
Council members Carlson and Lewis, as well as numerous residents who addressed the council, wanted the references to funding and open space deleted, arguing that the question should be: Should a library be built in the park — yes or no?
Mend,
Thanks for sharing the article. Not sure whether you were being sarcastic or not when mentioning further up “time for a survey”, but I do think the town could benefit from feedback on surveys IF they were able to construct specific, well defined, unbiased questions and get responses from a broad swath of the community.
There is NO need to reinvent the wheel on surveys – there is a standardized and well tested citizen survey instrument and methodology:
Viewpoint – Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Letter: Challenge for council to take citizen survey
Whoever is elected to the Atherton City Council, now is the time for our five elected representatives to set a new direction and standard of governance. We no longer want or can afford 3-2 votes and a divided and an uncivil council.
Our five elected representatives should seek unanimity on every issue that comes before them and demand unanimity on the important issues.
A superb place to start would be for the council to unanimously vote to participate in the National Citizen Survey, which has been widely tested in communities around the nation. The survey is a low-cost citizen survey service for local governments. Tested, flexible, affordable, and efficient, the NCS would allow Atherton to survey citizen opinion for program planning, budgeting, goal-setting and performance measurement.
The council would select from a set of standard questions to assess citizen opinion about basic services and community life. Additional customized questions allow the council to tailor the survey to our unique needs.
Our elected officials can use the results to set spending priorities. The town manager can use the results to measure progress and chart future steps. Staff can use the results to improve service delivery.
The survey program includes three mailings to 1,200 randomly selected households, which include the pre-survey postcard and two mailings of the survey instrument. A margin of error (95 percent confidence interval) of no more than plus or minus five percentage points around any percent.
I am so convinced of the need for a new approach to our town governance that I will personally pay for the cost of participation in the National Citizens’ Survey provided such participation is approved unanimously by our new City Council.
Peter Carpenter Larch Drive, Atherton
Clarification,
After I found the Alamanc story, I think there are two issues.
1. For months WMD ignored the Park and Recreation Commission, dozens of residents, and two other members of the city council asking for a straight up and down vote- yes or no- on a library in the park. Size was not an issue.
At council meetings the residents that did not want a library in the park stated they would live by the town vote, but they wanted a straight yes or no vote and be done with it.
2. Now with a 70% no vote, to want to restrict a park library to being over 10,000 square feet likely does not meet the expectations of the 2,000 no votes.
I do hope that the council places the vote on the agenda and you can state your opinion and see how much support there is to press ahead with a smaller library in the park.