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Portola Valley has three potential candidates for Town Council as of July 25. PV Forum Founder Rebecca Flynn, sustainability analyst Helen Wolter and architect Carter Warr are the first to pull papers for Portola Valley’s Town Council, according to the town’s website.
There will be two open seats on the council for the November election. Incumbent Mayor Sara Wernikoff and Council member Jeff Aalfs confirmed to The Almanac that they will not be seeking reelection. If an incumbent hasn’t declared candidacy by Aug. 9 at 5 p.m., the deadline for non-incumbents is extended to Aug. 14 at 5 p.m.
Rebecca Flynn
Flynn, a Portola Valley resident for 24 years, is known for founding PV Forum, the town’s private social media platform, in 2004.
She serves on the Sustainability Committee. She is also vice chair of the Architectural and Site Control Commission. She told The Almanac that she raised her two children in town and is familiar with the public school system.
Flynn, originally from Tennessee, has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and molecular biology from Brynmore College and a master’s degree in immunology from University of Pennsylvania.
“I’m the type of person that can show to be fair, I do a lot of research and talk to people to hear their views,” Flynn said. She attends Town Council, Planning Commission meetings and has been involved with the housing element.
If she were to fill a seat on the council, she’s hoping to focus on balancing the town budget, finalizing the housing element and rebuilding a positive relationship between residents and town staff.
Helen Wolter
Wolter and her family have lived in Portola Valley for 40 years. She is a sustainability analyst for the city of Half Moon Bay and has worked in the sustainability field for 10 years. She previously worked for state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, from 2021 to 2023, where she served as a district representative.
Wolter has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Scripps College, a master’s degree in political administration from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Southern California.
Her main concerns for the town are with the structural budget deficit, recruiting and maintaining staffing, sustainability and public safety. She hopes to “create better Firewise communities across town.”
“We have an abundance of natural resources but we can’t love them to death. Making sure that PV is as sustainable and resilient as possible is part of my platform,” she said.
Carter Warr
Warr, who has lived in Portola Valley since 1988, serves as the chair of the ASCC and is the founder and principal architect of CJW Architecture.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Oregon at Eugene, according to his company’s website.
Warr sought a seat on the town’s Planning Commission in 2023, but lost out to retired attorney Lynda Brothers and computer engineer Ronny Krashinsky. When he applied for the position, he noted that as a commissioner he would have to recuse himself from a lot of topics because of his work with local architecture clients. His clients have included the Woodside Priory and Woodside Fire Protection District, he said.
“I know that in some ways I can be a firebrand because I do have to recuse myself,” he said at the time. “I do think there’s value … because of the insight I can have from both the applicant’s and the opponent’s position.”
The Almanac has contacted Warr for an interview. This story will be updated with more information upon his reply.
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The ages of these candidates is not unimportant, and a standard included data point in a story like this one.
I find it troubling that while Carter Warr admitted “…that as a commissioner he would have to recuse himself from a lot of topics because of his work with local architecture clients,” as the chair of the ASCC, he failed to recuse himself when one of his client’s proposed projects came before the committee. His actions speak louder than his words and he has lost my trust.