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Editor’s note: This story was updated at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 18
The typically ceremonial, low-key procedure to pick Portola Valley’s mayor and vice mayor for the year became the topic of debate over who should be installed in the top spot last week.
In the weekend leading up to the vote, resident Bob Turcott posted a video on YouTube under his handle “This WUI Life,” which refers to the town’s placement in the wildland-urban interface, calling on the Town Council to nominate Judith Hasko for mayor. He cites the fact Hasko garnered the most votes during a high voter turnout election a year ago in his Sunday, Dec. 10, video.
But the council unanimously voted Sarah Wernikoff, who most recently served as vice mayor, as mayor and Hasko as vice mayor during its meeting Wednesday, Dec. 13. The two will serve in these roles until December 2024.
Part of the contretemps perhaps stemmed from the previous council reshuffling when Wernikoff asked not to be nominated for mayor due to personal reasons. The council went on to keep Wernikoff as vice mayor for 2023 with a 3-2 vote and unanimously chose Council member Jeff Aalfs to be mayor.
Several public speakers, including Leslie Kriese, called on the council to bypass Wernikoff.
“This is not a comment about Sarah,” Kriese said, “but if Sarah goes forward at this point, she will take some other Town Council member’s turn at leadership before they’ll rotate off. … Let’s see Judith Hasko as mayor.”
Community members and former council members voiced their support of following the typical mayoral rotation in comments to the town leading up to the meeting. Former council member Maryann Derwin said in a Dec. 12 letter to the Town Council that over the years, councils in other cities have made news with “combative re-org meetings and lengthy votes with results that split the council and left everyone in the room feeling disappointed.”
“I was always proud that Portola Valley took the high road on re-org night with no drama, following established protocol,” she said. “This has been an exceptionally difficult year for the Portola Valley Town Council, but you are all still standing! Please pay forward the recent stability our new town manager has brought to town and choose the vice mayor as mayor for 2024.”
‘This has been an exceptionally difficult year for the Portola Valley Town Council, but you are all still standing!’
Maryann Derwin, former Portola Valley Town Council member
Derwin noted that, historically, those who have served on the Portola Valley Council are not seeking higher office nor are they looking for perceived status as mayor; they serve as unpaid volunteers to help the community. She noted that the top vote-getter in elections is often a newcomer who has yet to make controversial votes that angered a portion of the voting public.
“A fresh face has no baggage,” she said.
History made, 2023 reflections
Wernikoff noted that this is the first time in the town’s history that women have held the positions of mayor and vice mayor at the same time.
“So congratulations on that,” she told those in attendance. “Slow but steady progress.”
She also pointed out that with Council member Mary Hufty also on the council, this is the second time since the town’s incorporation in 1964, nearly 60 years ago, that it again has a female majority council, Wernikoff said.
Wernikoff takes the mayoral reins from Aalfs, who finished his third term in that role. She thanked him for his lengthy, dedicated service.
“Jeff’s second term was during COVID — say no more,” she said. “His third term now has been through a year of incredible change, and I so appreciate (that) and I have big shoes to fill. The other thing I wanted to reflect on is, this year alone, my guess is Jeff has probably spent nearly 200 volunteer hours serving the town. … So you’ve done it with good integrity and stability.”
Before switching seats with Wernikoff, Aalfs briefly reflected on the tenure he just completed.
“I would like to thank a few people, namely mostly my colleagues from the council (and) our staff — old and new,” he said, referring to the significant turnover in Town Hall. “It has been a difficult year. A lot of things changed over this year. We did not get as much done as I would have liked for obvious reasons. I think we have worked together. I hope I have shown patience. … In spite of everything, I actually feel like we are putting the pieces in place for a much better path forward and a better future for everyone.”
Wernikoff, who was elected to the council in 2020 and served as vice mayor the last two years, will now helm Portola Valley through some big challenges.
Among them is revising a housing plan to the satisfaction of state officials while trying to preserve the town’s character as much as possible. Portola Valley has tried but failed three times to garner state approval for its housing element document. The town has finished a fourth draft and is expected to submit that by the state’s fast-approaching deadline of Jan. 31.
The state Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) program calls for Portola Valley to plan for 253 new units during the current 2023-31 cycle — a significant increase from the 64 in the last eight-year period.
Moreover, Town Hall is undergoing a potential restructuring following a high staff turnover rate the past year and to correct long-running deficiencies in financial operations.
In 2023, nearly 70% of the staff departed, and the town is way behind on completing annual audit reports and bank reconciliations, among other issues. Still, Town Manager Sharif Etman has said that Portola Valley remains in good financial standing.
Other concerns facing Wernikoff’s tenure include townwide emergency and evacuation planning in the event of a large wildfire or other widespread disaster.
Watch a video of the Dec. 13 meeting here.
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