October 22, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, October 22, 2004

Nick Galiotto

"When I was on the police department," said Nick Galiotto, who first joined the Mountain View force in 1961, "you could walk in the door and say, 'I want to talk to the person in charge.' And you'd get the watch commander."

After serving two years on the city council following his election to replace deposed former Mayor Mario Ambra, Galiotto said he is trying to be as open as possible to all of his constituents. And so when he recently met a woman on the campaign trail who complained to him about the city charging her neighborhood $100 to throw a block party, he quickly investigated and discovered the fee was not in keeping with city law. The residents were later issued the block party permit free of charge. Galiotto has a record of opposing fee increases for residents and businesses alike. Most recently, he voted against recommended increases in the cost of downtown parking permits, with an eye toward struggling businesses that might not be able to shoulder additional charges. While the city's economic development department is focused on attracting businesses to Mountain View to replace lost sales tax revenue,

Galiotto prefers focusing on making things easier for existing businesses. "It makes more sense to encourage ones that are here to stay here," he said. Galiotto has recently pushed for stronger incentives to entice owners of historic properties to preserve their homes and has been the most vocal supporter of a professional survey of the city's historic resources.

Galiotto said his environmental policy accomplishments are among the proudest in his time on the council. These include incorporating green building standards into city projects, initiating the replacement of the city's fleet with hybrid cars and adding particulate matter filters to the city's heaviest vehicles.

He is also well-versed on the threat of toxic pollution left by tech companies and military operations in several areas of the city. He said the council should continue to ask for more testing of homes west of Whisman Road and pressure the Navy to fully clean up the contamination in a former wetlands on Moffett Field. Galiotto said he would like to see half the recommended density at the 27-acre Mayfield site -- up for redevelopment as housing -- in order to integrate it with the surrounding neighborhood. But he also expressed concern about the potential ramifications of changing commercial areas throughout the city to residential. Said Galiotto, "We need to step back right now and take a look at how developer-initiated rezoning is going to affect our general plan," which he called "the road map for the whole community." Retired from the police force after 26 years, Galiotto said he enjoys contributing on the council level, and wants to continue doing so. "I feel like I've only started launching some of these issues that are going to affect the long-term quality of life here," he said.

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