Jim Neal, who ran for City Council last November has continued to be very active in city politics. He still attends all regular City Council meetings and speaks on issues that are of concern to the community.

Last night, Neal and several other local residents were very passionate in their pleas to ensure that the Berlin Wall sections would be given a place of honor and treated with the proper respect.

Neal spoke about his experiences in High School during the Cold War Era when the schools conducted bomb drills. He also spoke about how Hollywood made movies depicting various aspects of the conflict between east and west because at the time everyone was afraid of what would happen.

He spoke very eloquently about how "No one remembers the wall now because it is gone" and how it makes it an even more important part of history because of the freedom that the Wall's fall gave everyone on both sides.

Neal has made comments to the Council on several occasions regarding the Berlin Wall. He believes that it is a National Treasure and should be treated as such. At the end of his comments, he told the council that if the Mountain View Public Library was the best place they could find, then he would support that location over the remote, Shoreline Park location; and requested that the Council take all appropriate steps to make sure that the Wall sections are protected and well lit at all times.

Don Bahl, another resident of Mountain View, also gave a very moving commentary when he told the story of how he grew up during WWII and would see his classmates crying in school because they had lost a loved one, and how it hit home for him when he also lost a close relative in the war and how the wall represents a "Sacrifice made in blood".