Editorial Editorial (October 22, 2004)

Local election endorsements

Mountain View City Council

On Nov. 2, voters will elect four of the seven city council members, choosing from six residents who are seeking the four-year seats. Two will replace retiring members Rosemary Stasek and Mary Lou Zoglin.

All six candidates in this race possess significant local government or volunteer experience, and we applaud them for offering to spend 20 or more hours a week on the public's business, for very little compensation.

After interviewing each candidate, and studying their records, we recommend that voters re-elect Nick Galiotto and Matt Pear, and bring in newcomers Stephanie Schaaf and Laura Macias. We believe these candidates would responsibly and effectively manage the city's budget as well as promote the values residents hold.

* Nick Galiotto is a retired Mountain View police captain finishing his first two years on the council. He provides knowledgable, responsible oversight to the city's projects and is well versed in local toxics issues, saying the council should continue to pressure the Navy to clean up local contaminants. During the council's historic preservation discussions, he called for funding of a new professional inventory of the city's historic resources.

We appreciate his increasingly active participation on the council and believe he will add valuable insight during a full second term.

* After four years on the council, the last one as mayor, Matt Pear has shown himself to be most interested in the city's financial stability and the basic services it provides. The council needs his economic expertise and his strong ties to the business community.

Pear has made availability to the public a priority during the past year, hosting neighborhood coffees and office hours. He also worked with other council members to improve local Caltrain service.

Pear's business expertise and dedication to the city are assets that will make him a valued member for a second term.

* After six years on the parks and recreation and two on the environmental planning commission, Laura Macias is ready to step up to the council. She has correctly identified economic development and the need for more affordable housing as two of the city's key issues.

She said she supports funding a new inventory of historic properties, which she considers the key to defusing this sensitive and divisive issue that disrupted the city this year. With a background in corporate communications, Macias will bring valuable skills to the council.

* Stephanie Schaaf, a young software engineer and avid volunteer, is our choice to provide a fresh voice on the council. While she does not have any experience as a full member on any city board, she has been very active on local issues, participating in toxics discussions, helping lead the Measure J campaign for Mountain View-Whisman schools and attending every council meeting for the last two years.

Schaaf's priorities are addressing the city's financial sustainability, preserving neighborhoods and advocating programs that protect the environment. She has demonstrated the type of commitment, intelligence and creativity that will be valuable on the council.

The two remaining candidates, Margaret Abe-Koga and Tom Means, have impressive records in various community posts, and although they do not receive our endorsement, we hope they continue to serve the community.

Mountain View-Whisman School District Board

In the coming months, the Mountain View-Whisman board will need to make some very important decisions, including whom to hire as superintendent and which school to close in order to balance the budget.

Leading the community through these issues will be challenging. Current board members Rose Filicetti and Carol Fisher are retiring, but there will be strong leadership to take their places. We recommend voters select incumbent Gloria Higgins and challengers Fiona Walter and Juan Aranda.

* Gloria Higgins is completing her two-year term, having replaced Juan Aranda who resigned for health reasons in 2002. A parent in the PACT program at Slater, she has served on several district committees, led the parcel tax measures and was the district's liaison to the city's downtown committee.

Higgins considers herself a big-picture thinker and has presented real solutions for issues the district faces. The board needs her experience, commitment and ideas.

* Fiona Walter, a mother of two children at Huff Elementary and a former mechanical and aeronautical engineer, has considerable leadership experience in the community. She has been president of the Huff PTA, was a board member of the Measures E and J campaigns and is now participating in Leadership Mountain View.

Walter's priorities are addressing the achievement gap, leveraging the community's resources and efficiently utilitizing technology. She is able to look at the district as a whole and would promote positive, realistic goals for it to achieve.

* Juan Aranda is seeking a board seat two years after resigning in 2002 during a bout of prostate cancer. During his most recent term, he was a champion for the former Whisman district and for Castro Elementary in particular.

Aranda remains a visible community leader and a valuable liaison to Castro and the Hispanic community. He is a knowledgeable candidate with a unique perspective, and we believe he is committed to serving a full, four-year term.

Although they did not win our endorsement, candidates Michael Kelly, a former Whisman board member, and RoseMary Sias Roquero, have shown a strong interest in our schools. Kelly, in particular, impressed us. He is familiar with the issues and has creative, thoughtful ideas to address them. We hope he, and Roquero, stay active in the Mountain View-Whisman education community.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.