League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Council Member; City of Milpitas

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Experience, Concerns, Balancing interests Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What experience related to city government would you bring to the City Council? Answer from Rajeev Madnawat: Passion for public service, long community service record, legal experience, land use and administrative experience, Milpitas Planning Commissioner. Answer from Marsha Grilli: While others talk about strategic partnerships and fiscal responsibility aimed at improving our city I have demonstrated the ability to lead meaningful and effective change . During my 20 years serving the Milpitas community on the Milpitas School Board I have lead the effort to improve test scores and develop award winning schools while prudently managing the Districts budgets. While for the last 20 years education has been my priority, I have been serving the entire Milpitas community in dIfferent capacities . I have served as President of the Milpitas Chamber of Commerce and I currently serve the City of Milpitas Economic Development Commission appointed by Mayor Jose Esteves. My experience and involvement in the community has earned me the support of business leaders, environmentalists, educators, labor leaders, public safety and Milpitas community members. Answer from Robert "Rob" Means: As Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Commissioner for 10 years, I inspired and led development of the City's first Trails Master Plan which includes the Coyote Creek Trail. During 20 years on the Board of the Sunnyhills Neighborhood Association, I successfully fought for a Hetch-Hetchy linear park from Town Center to the northern city limit. As a 5-year member of the local Sierra Club Cool Cities Team, I wrote the critique of the City's Climate Action Plan. Over the past 20 years, I helped with almost every important issue that served our commons and improved the quality of life in Milpitas. Those efforts included: - protecting our hillsides from development - ensuring our libraries are adequately funded - helping our schools pass bond measures to maintain their facilities - supporting development plans that benefit our community while protecting our hillsides - participating in Council meetings and public forums with suggestions for more affordable housing, reductions in CO2 emissions, increased energy efficiency and PV panels, single-use plastic bag bans, and convincing the City Council to transfer critical property to the School District (a project that took two years). As Woody Allen says, showing up is 80 percent of life. For 20 years, I showed up for the City, its residents, and its future. 2. What concerns are of particular importance to the city and how would you address them? Answer from Marsha Grilli: The residents of Milpitas deserve a Councilmember that will base decisions on improving the quality of life for the entire community while tackling the difficult issues of traffic, economic development, education and public safety . I will continue to be a strong advocate for education and assure that the City and the School District work together for the benefits of our families. Answer from Robert "Rob" Means: 1) I will ensure that the new school planned for the transit area will continue to move forward. 2) Milpitas endures serious traffic congestion, largely due to drivers passing through town. A solution that provides cross-town transit for residents could come from using advanced transit. A nearly-ideal opportunity to begin lies in the city's rapidly developing transit area. We can start with a critical crossing over Montague Expressway near the BART station. 3) Create "green energy" jobs that upgrade homes and buildings with water-saving, energy-efficiency and energy-generating features. A PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program eliminates upfront costs for the property owner, and provides low-cost long-term financing. 4) Many problems arise from the capture of our democracy by monied interests. A 28th Amendment that says money is not speech, and only people enjoy Constitutional rights, is the first step to restoring our democracy. 5) Restore city staffing levels that were cut by 25% over the past 5 years. The needed revenue could come from pollution and free-loader fees. Answer from Rajeev Madnawat: I will focus on balanced growth and bringing more jobs to the city. I will also focus on better public safety, new school and traffic issues. Odor also continues to be a nagging issue. I will work with stakeholders to find a reasonable solution to it. I will reach out to people before making critical decisions so that people have a say in the decision making process. 3. How would you balance the needs of the City as a whole with groups' interests? Answer from Rajeev Madnawat: I am not aligned with any group. I will work collaboratively with all stakeholders that relate to the city and make justifiable and reasonable decision. I will reach out to the people for feedback on major issues. Answer from Robert "Rob" Means: Various groups want policies that favor their interests. As long as those policies support the vision of a sustainable, family-friendly Milpitas, I doubt significant conflicts will arise. Otherwise, I will look for policies that adhere to the vision. Answer from Marsha Grilli: As an elected official in the City of Milpitas I serve all the people. It is my duty to carefully consider, analysis and make good strong independent decisions based on the needs of the City of Milpitas. I believe open , honest communication is vital to my work as an elected official of the people. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. The answer to each question should be limited to 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.