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Woodside residents living in District 2 and 3 will have new representatives on the council. In an uncontested race, Lyle Weaver and Dan Druker were elected to serve the next four years on the Woodside Town Council, replacing Mayor Brian Dombkowski and Councilmember Dick Brown on the dais.
The town decided to continue with the election despite there being two candidates running unopposed “because there is always a chance for a write-in candidate,” said Interim Town Manager Pam Antil.
This has been a tradition since former Councilmember Chris Shaw won as a write-in candidate in 2015, making him the second person in Woodside history to do so. For this midterm election, there was no write-in candidate.
Weaver and Druker will be sworn into their new roles as council members in early December, according to town officials.
Lyle Weaver
Weaver was elected to the District 2 seat, succeeding Dombkowski, who has served on the council for eight years. As a Planning Commissioner, Weaver told The Almanac hopes to apply his engineering background and logical decisionmaking skills to his new role on the Town Council. As a future council member, his focus is on transparency, he said.
“It’s a great responsibility … My goal in this is not with any personal agenda, but to do what I think is best for the entire town,” Weaver said. “I’m elected by one of five districts in Woodside, but I intend to do what I think is best for the entire town, even if it necessarily isn’t the best thing for my particular district.”
Over the last two months, Weaver said he has been getting out in the community to hear about residents’ concerns and being transparent about his goal to do what is best for the town overall.
“Going forward, it would be good if the new council made a concerted effort to keep things as transparent as possible, and to give the residents of Woodside an assurance that they have full transparency into seeing the council In action,” Weaver said.
As an active community member, Weaver said he has been tuning into Town Council meetings for many years. Looking ahead, Weaver said he is prepared for conversations about the town’s automatic license plate reader contract and is aware of the recent discussions around reckless driving on highways 84 and 35.
Living in the Western Hills neighborhood on a dead-end street, Weaver said emergency preparedness and evacuation is a struggle that his family faces. He would like to prioritize working with local fire agencies to increase awareness among the community on how to stay safe during wildfires, floods and other emergencies.
Dan Druker
The 14-page whistleblower report released by former Town Manager Jason Ledbetter, accusing incumbent council members of corruption and workplace hostility, has stirred up the community for months. As the town continues to navigate the contentious aftermath of the report, Druker said he wants to focus on getting positive things done for the town.
Druker, a Woodside Circulation Committee member, will be replacing Brown for the District 3 seat. Days before the election, he said he’s feeling excited about joining the council.
“I have found my public service in Woodside to be really rewarding. In a small town like ours, you can really make a difference, and you can make a difference quickly,” Druker said. “I’m super action-oriented, really outcome focused.”
He told The Almanac that his top priorities as a council member is to push state legislators to pass a bill allowing speed cameras on highways 35 and 84 and improve recreational trails and paths for public safety.
Druker said he is also inspired by Dombkowski’s efforts to engage residents in philanthropic projects to fund infrastructure improvements across Woodside. In January, the town received a donation of $2.5 million from anonymous donors to fund a beautification project on Woodside Road.
The Town Center Area Plan update, outdoor dining and supporting Woodside’s equestrian culture is also at the top of his list. Druker said he’s also thinking ahead about the growth of the town as the state continues to increase its mandated housing requirements. With the lack of sewers across Woodside homes, infrastructure projects are a challenge that he anticipates as higher density housing becomes necessary.
In preparation for his new role, Druker said he has been reading up on the town’s municipal codes, attending Town Council meetings and meeting with residents, business owners and employees to hear about what they would like to see from the council.
“There’s so many positive things going on in the town. I think helping to remind people of that is also really important,” said Druker, “There’s been so many really great things going on in the town, and I think as we deliver more things for our residents, the noise in the background will calm down, and I think trust will come back.”
