October 22, 2004

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Publication Date: Friday, October 22, 2004

Tom Means

Tom Means said he is not bringing any political agenda to the race for city council. But he has a sense that he might change the voting patterns if he wins a seat.

"Too often when I see things I think should be controversial, the votes are 7-0," he said. "There's not enough critical discussion going on." Means has taken a non-traditional route to the council race. An economics professor at San Jose State, Means has volunteered as a Little League and junior high baseball coach and as the official sports publicist at Mountain View High School, where his sons played baseball. A parks and recreation commissioner, he said he enjoys being able to impact the community in very tangible ways but wants to tackle the increased responsibility that comes with being a council member. Means' positions on issues facing the city often are shaped by one of two things that figure prominently in his background: the use of market-based solutions and a commitment to recreational facilities.

On some issues, that puts him in agreement with the current council. On others, it would make for a 6-1 vote. He authored a paper criticizing the city's study of recreation fees in May, arguing that the current system was inefficient. He also opposes rules requiring developers to either build a certain amount of affordable housing or pay in-lieu fees, a policy he said drives up the cost of the housing in general. The issue will impact the Mayfield project, which the next city council will vote on. The developer's current concept to build 600 to 800 units, potentially some of them restricted for lower-income residents, has generated outcry from neighbors. "I'm not sure it needs to be that dense. Personally, I don't see how it fits into the community," said Means. On historic preservation, Means sides with property

owners who complained that the mandatory law put an unfair burden on them and think that preservation should be a privately-organized affair.

He also thinks that more cuts can be made to the city budget and that the city's policy of leaving vacated positions unfilled is not a permanent solution. Overall, Means said, the city is relatively healthy, and he wants to keep it that way by following through on two projects he worked on while on the parks and recreation commission: construction of a state-of-the-art senior center and completion of the Stevens Creek Trail. "I'd like to finish the Stevens Creek Trail before I die. Whatever it takes, I'd like to work on getting funding for it and finishing it."

For most of the projects facing the city, Means takes a broader view, shaped in large part by his command of economic theory. "There are a lot things I'd like to see in town, but I'm only one person," he said.

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