Elizabeth's Statements on Important Issues and Goals for 2013

By Elizabeth Lewis

There are many issues that are of interest and concern to residents. While the council is elected to address matters on behalf of residents, Elizabeth has not supported the position of the council majority which believed itself empowered to make decisions on major development projects based upon their own preferences on behalf of the town. Elizabeth's basic stance was that, as an elected official, it was her (and their) responsibility to allow residents to have a voice on important town matters and support the needs and preferences of residents.

Elizabeth has posted special statements regarding each of the three key ballot measures being voted on by residents this November. You can see them here:

Measure F:

Library Location (Measure F): OPPOSED

Vice Mayor Lewis is opposed to Measure F. She believes that residents were not provided with any meaningful opportunity to impact the decision to move the library to the park by the Library committee. Before the library location is decided, the town should conduct a master plan that takes into account the competing needs of a wide array of town constituents, evaluating and assessing what is in the best interests of the town.

Measure L:

Town Center (Measure L): SUPPORTS

(and no opposing argument was filed on Measure L):

During the past year Atherton City Council has unanimously supported building a new Town Center. All City Council Members agree that the facilities are in dire condition. The police headquarters represent unsafe working conditions for staff and serious code violations. The Building, Planning and Public Works departments reside in temporary trailers, which after 15 years are functionally obsolete.

Twelve years ago in 2000, Council began assessing a `building fee' on building permits in anticipation of paying for the Building Department's portion of a new facility. There is approximately $1,800,000 in a special account designated for this project. No other Town funds are planned to be used with the remaining coming from private donations. A resident committee has formed a not-for-profit foundation to raise funds for the new town center and public safety buildings.

In 2010 the City Council unanimously authorized the formation of the Town Center Task Force (TCTF), an ad hoc committee, to study the needs of a new Town Center including new police, administration, building, planning, and public works facilities. TCTF is working diligently to develop an architectural program through public outreach. The final Town Center project will truly reflect the Town's character and needs.

In 2012 City Council unanimously approved an architect to conduct a public outreach campaign which is scheduled to begin early 2013. With continued public outreach, a New Town Center will be built which all Atherton residents will be proud of.

Please vote YES on this Ballot Measure indicating your approval to move forward with the public outreach, facility planning and private fund-raising for this very important project.

Elizabeth Lewis, Vice Mayor, Town of Atherton

Jerome Carlson, Council Member, Town of Atherton

Rose Hau, Town Center Task Force Member, Town of Atherton

Philip D. Lively, Town Center Task Force Member, Town of Atherton

William Grindley, Blue Ribbon Task Force Member (former), Town of Atherton

Measure M:

Baseball Diamond (Measure M): SUPPORTS

I fully support playing fields for our youth and organized sports who reach out to not only our Atherton population, but other kids in other neighborhoods who may not have as many opportunities as our Atherton kids do.

I commend the efforts of the Little League to improve the safety of the current playing field and I trust that they will create a safe and modern Little League venue that will compliment the park and not overwhelm the park.

Elizabeth's Goals for 2013

Town Facilities:

Atherton has a lot of work to do to both improve and maintain town facilities. Clearly, we need to be mindful of the importance of maintaining our facilities, buildings and streets, as these are critical not only to our residents' enjoyment of their town but also for safety.

1. Street maintenance and repair is a priority.

2. Proper drainage and storm water run-off from properties is a priority.

3. Atherton needs to address its aging civic buildings and develop a comprehensive Master Plan to evaluate and assess how and where to remodel or rebuild its structures. Together with town staff, residents and town leaders need to develop a plan that will balance the needs of many groups, departments and town services and put together the proper financing plans, so that Atherton's facilities and assets are developed and/or protected based upon what our needs are. Abandonment of unfit town buildings is not an option.

4. Maintaining existing and expanding playing fields is a priority. Playing fields are at a premium in our area, as many available fields have been encroached upon by the needs of expanding schools. Our children's health and well-being is enhanced through sports activities and I believe we must do everything we can to protect open fields.

5. Addressing building code violations is a priority. Atherton's Police Headquarters represent unsafe working conditions for staff and serious code violations. The Building, Planning and Public Works departments operate in temporary structures which are functionally obsolete and in disrepair. Both the Library and the Council Chambers have been assessed as needing seismic upgrades that must be done. In the case of the Library, this unsafe condition has been allowed to continue while the political agenda of the JPA has been pressed upon the town, despite the fact that the Atherton Library has amassed enough money to do 20 seismic upgrades.

6. Creating the Town of Atherton to meet the needs of the next 100 years is a priority. As chair of the New Town Center Task Force -- together with six experienced residents -- we have developed an architectural program and a plan for public outreach in 2013 to insure that the final Town Center project will truly reflect the Town's character and needs. We are undertaking the large challenge of raising the necessary funding privately, so that no additional public monies will be needed. All of these plans will be thoroughly presented and reviewed by residents through a proper vetting process. Measure L is asking for your support to allow us to continue this process. I support Measure L but we are still very much at the beginning of the process for the Town Center and could use your help. Please contact me if you are interested in participating in the Master Planning process that we hope to undertake with the passage of Measure L and defeat of Measure F.

Financial Stewardship:

Balance Expenses against Revenue

I have worked with my fellow council members to bring our expenses in line with revenue by reducing overhead through outsourcing some of our Town's services where practical + without compromising resident services + and in most cases + IMPROVING the level of services at lower costs. We have also restructured remaining staff positions for a more efficient organization.

Unfunded Pension Liabilities

To address our unfunded pension liabilities we set aside $1,290,000 in a special account and are in good shape there. We will continue to bring on resident experts and to keep our eye on the status of this liability.

Renew Parcel Tax in 2014

In 2009, I spearheaded a resident committee to renew our critically needed parcel tax measures which passed overwhelmingly by the needed 2/3 vote. Then in 2011, I voted to designate that 40% of those funds will go to pay for street repairs and 60% to police services. This parcel tax will need to be renewed again in 2014 by a 2/3 vote, and I intend to work diligently to insure its passage.

Collaborative Council / Transparency:

Over the past two years I have often been in the minority of the council when voting on residents' rights. I am distressed by the apparent failure of the council majority to listen to and be responsive to residents' concerns. I believe that council actions should reflect their representation of the majority of all residents. Over the past years I have joined fellow council members with colleagues' memos to council requesting attention to a more collaborative council and have been rebuffed. Recently, I have been studying and researching how our neighboring cities build collaboration on their councils. There are three main methods that I think would be effective:

Hold an off-site, professionally facilitated Team Building workshop to build relationships; review our Code of Conduct; and Rules and Procedures. A clause in the Preamble of our Code of Conduct stipulates: "The Code of Conduct and Procedures shall be discussed at least annually, in either a regular meeting or a study session by the council, Commissions, Committees and staff as an on-going means of developing a thorough understanding of the Code of Conduct and Procedures and the Brown Act."

Prior to each Council meeting, the Mayor should meet with the Vice Mayor, City Manager, Finance Director and City Attorney to discuss the agenda, ensuring that all questions are vetted, without violating the Brown Act.

The Mayor sets the tone of the meetings, has responsibility for maintaining decorum and has the opportunity to bring council members to compromise in their wrap up of the issue. It is my promise look for ways to compromise and to vote for policies that are best for Atherton.

Transparency:

Update our website, keep it well maintained and use Social Media for better communication. We have an opportunity to build community through better + faster + real-time communication using the technology available to us. Use of push-type information sharing through Town-wide email system giving residents the necessary meeting and agenda information in time to be able to attend meetings.

Approve term limits -- not just for Council Members but also for membership on Town Committees and Commissions! Having term limits broadens the base of political experience, gets more people involved and brings fresh ideas and perspectives, improving the quality of input and also helping to expand awareness and putting a limit on the undue influence of small groups of insiders.

Put an end to Nepotism and Cronyism -- Pass a policy that Council Members are not allowed to vote for their spouses or close relatives for Committee or Commission positions. Selection committees for key memberships should be composed of "bi-partisan" teams and selection done openly with true transparency.

Know your government

For residents who would like to understand protocols and procedures regarding how Atherton City Council is supposed to conduct itself, please visit my website where there are links to our Code of Conduct and Rules and Procedures: http://www.ElizabethLewis.org.

Be Involved!

More and more residents are expressing desires to be involved. This is good! Our residents have talents and skills that can help us bring community together and define the vision for Atherton's future. I am reminded of something that Bill Lane, founder of Sunset Magazine and Former Mayor and Founding Father of Portola Valley said about Volunteering:

"It is often said that you get out of life what you give. Through volunteerism, we not only provide support for our Town; we obtain the rich rewards of friendship and of truly making a difference, while setting a meaningful example for future generations."

Transportation and Traffic Safety:

Safe Bike and Pedestrian routes through our Town. We need to improve the safety of our bike routes through town. This is a critical task to achieve because at this time parents do not feel comfortable having their kids ride their bikes or even walk across town to go to schools because there are not designated paths. We need more Atherton residents to help support this effort. We are lucky that Menlo Park has hired a Transportation Safety Coordinator, Kathy Schrenk, who is working with Atherton and Menlo Park to improve the safety for children taking alternative means to get to school. Atherton is home to 10 schools -- and our town population nearly doubles every day that school is in session because of the numbers of school children entering Atherton. We need to do better to keep these children and other bicyclists safe in their passage through Atherton. (See this YouTube video showing how difficult it is to cross El Camino at Selby Lane.)

Safe Streets and reduced traffic + It is no secret that regional growth is impacting our rural, bucolic residential community. We have become a "pass-through" commute route. While much of this problem needs to be tackled on a more regional level there is much that we can do. Facebook has committed funds to Atherton to help study and address traffic impacts from its campus on arterial roads, including Marsh Road and Middlefield Road, in Atherton.

For the past 2 years I have served on the Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance a San Mateo County regional board. We develop policies and programs to take cars off streets by providing shuttle services from transit hubs to businesses and promote biking, carpooling and mass transit use. Integrating the efforts of these groups with our own town planning (such as thinking critically about where we place county buildings in our town) can have a meaningful impact on traffic impacts.

High Speed Rail + is still a potential threat to our community, as is the loss of Caltrain service to Atherton during the work week. I have been serving on the Atherton Rail Committee where dedicated resident volunteers meet regularly to plan and lobby against the full 4-track + HSR system and to advocate for better local rail service. This fight will continue. Elizabeth has worked relentlessly to build consensus and to breathe sanity into processes that have been mired in political combativeness. Elizabeth is hard-working, comes prepared and although she strives to maintain a collegial and respectful manor. She is willing to voice and support resident concerns on matters of importance for the town.

Additional issues:

Elizabeth would like an opportunity to talk with you about her positions on a wide variety of other issues, including the importance of finding a new Town Manager, whether or not to become a Charter City and much more. Please contact Elizabeth at 650-533-8830 or via her website http://www.ElizabethLewis.org