he amplifier has been cranked up on Menlo Park's enduring hot-button issues of traffic congestion, land use and development as election day nears.
While City Council incumbents Paul Collacchi and Chuck Kinney are asking voters for second four-year terms so they can complete some of the work they began during their first terms, three public-service novices are saying they can do a better job in leading the city through the next four years of critical decision-making.
The challengers are Christina Angell-Atchison, a non-practicing attorney now working in high-tech marketing; Steven Eichler, a mortgage banker; and Greg Spalasso, a fourth-generation Menlo Park resident who manages family-owned property.
The race is unusual in that the three challengers not only have never held elective office or volunteered in the civic arena, they also only recently began attending council meetings or watching live broadcasts of meetings on the local cable TV station.
But the challengers -- particularly Ms. Angell-Atchison and Mr. Eichler -- say they can change the tone and level of efficiency of the five-member council if elected to replace the incumbents, who are widely perceived to be part of a four-person, slow-growth majority that includes Mayor Mary Jo Borak and Councilman Steve Schmidt.
Ms. Angell-Atchison has the endorsement of the Menlo Community Association, a citizens' group established earlier this year. In announcing the group's platform last spring, association leaders made no bones about their goal: to support candidates who would unseat the two incumbents. Councilman Nicholas Jellins is involved with the group, according to Jose Fernandez, the association's president and the chair of the Menlo Park Planning Commission.
In addition to financial backing from the Menlo Community Association, Ms. Angell-Atchison also has raised a considerable amount of campaign money from the real estate and development communities, according to state-mandated campaign finance disclosure statements released earlier this month. She also received a $1,000 contribution from the Plumbers & Steamfitters UA Local 393.
Ms. Angell-Atchison said she needed to raise money from a range of sources because she jumped into the race late, and, as a two-year resident of Menlo Park, didn't initially have a broad base of supporters who are residents.
"But I've made it very clear to the (Menlo Community Association) and developers who have contributed that I'm not a rubber stamp for anyone," she said, adding that she will give "everyone a fair shake" if elected.
Incumbents Collacchi and Kinney have raised most of their campaign money from residents. Mr. Collacchi, as of early October, had raised nearly twice as much money -- $16,463 -- as Ms. Angell-Atchison, who raised $8,652. He received four $1,000 contributions, all from residents, including his wife.
During the same finance-disclosure period, Mr. Kinney raised $7,744, much of it in small contributions.
Mr. Eichler and Mr. Spalasso said they are not raising or spending any money on their campaigns, and did not file finance disclosure forms.
In addition to key issues such as zoning in residential districts and traffic flow, Ms. Angell-Atchison has interjected matters of civility and regional cooperation into the debate over who can best serve on the council. She has publicly criticized Mr. Collacchi in particular for alleged incivility during council meetings, and in her campaign literature, she states, "Posturing, diatribes, insensitivity and personal attacks on Menlo Park residents, city staff and the business community have no place in our community."
Mr. Collacchi, the frequent target of Ms. Angell-Atchison, dismissed the charge of incivility as "just this week's attack" by his opponent.
Saying the issue is "very much overblown," Mr. Kinney stated, "I've never disrespected anyone." He added that he doesn't believe other council members have treated the public badly, either.
What makes them run?
Christina Angell-Atchison, 36, said concerns about traffic congestion and possible reductions in the size of allowable home expansion led her to run for council. Also, she said, since paying more attention to City Hall matters, she has concerns with what she sees as a burdensome process.
"Most people I've talked to are unhappy with the process for getting home improvements approved," she said, citing length of reviews and the "arbitrariness of process" as problems.
Paul Collacchi, 42, said he wants "to finish some of the things we've started" during his first term on the council, citing as examples the proposed major overhaul of recreational and cultural facilities, guiding the expansion of the SRI campus, changing the zoning code and general plan, creating neighborhood traffic programs, increasing the city's housing stock, and expanding the city's shuttle program.
A computer systems engineer and longtime Willows resident, Mr. Collacchi is also running for re-election, he said, "because I enjoy public service." He's been involved with civic matters in Menlo Park since about 1991, when he worked with his neighborhood and the police department to try to stem the growing tide of violence in the area. He then volunteered as a Willows traffic commissioner to devise a neighborhood traffic-calming program in 1993, then joined the Transportation Commission in 1994. Mr. Collacchi won a sound victory in the 1996 council race, and served as mayor in 1999.
Steven Eichler, 40, said he wants a seat on the council to try to help the city become more efficient in serving the public. He likens the city to a small business with about 34,000 shareholders. "And I'm one of those shareholders," he said.
Mr. Eichler, who has lived in Atherton and Menlo Park his whole life, said his experience in the business world will help him as a council member. The chief financial officer and chief technology officer of EF&A Funding, a South San Francisco mortgage bank co-founded by his father, Mr. Eichler said in his work life he has been involved with "problem-solving scenarios ... and it's those skill sets I'm hoping to apply" as a council member.
Chuck Kinney, 59, said he also wants to complete work begun since he was elected in 1996. Also, he said, he wants to serve another term because "I get joy out of meeting people ... and trying to serve people."
Although he is sometimes frustrated by the "glacial speed" of getting things done in government, he pointed to a number of significant accomplishments during the last four years, including the establishment of a joint powers authority for San Francisquito Creek, a regional body formed, with strong leadership by Menlo Park, to protect and reclaim the creek; and the still-expanding shuttle programs serving both commuters and residents needing day-time transportation.
Mr. Kinney, a general contractor and former landscape architect, noted that in Menlo Park and in other areas he's lived in, he has been an employee of city government, a city government volunteer and a city government consultant -- a work history that he says gives him a broad understanding of how things work in the municipal arena.
Greg Spalasso, 25, said he hopes to enroll in law school in the future, but now has the time and the desire to dedicate himself to public service. "I know it's a position that demands a lot ... but right now I have the time to dedicate myself to the responsibilities."
His family has lived in Menlo Park since his great-grandparents moved here when the area was largely rural. He now manages family-owned property in town.
Mr. Spalasso said that his positions on issues facing Menlo Park are consistently anchored in the "middle ground." He said the ideal council will have people of "a variety of ideas and opinions," and criticized the current council because four members, including Mr. Collacchi and Mr. Kinney, frequently hold the same positions.
Traffic issues
Opponents of the current council majority often accuse those council members of being "obstructionists" to solving the city's traffic problems -- a major battle cry of Menlo Community Association members. Ms. Angell-Atchison's position on changes to two key roadways reflects that of the association: They advocate that the four-lane stretch of El Camino Real be widened during commute hours by banning parking; and that the one-quarter-mile section of Sand Hill Road near the creek bridge be widened to four lanes.
In an interview earlier this month, Ms. Angell-Atchison also advocated that the traffic lights on El Camino Real be synchronized to improve traffic flow. The City Council months ago authorized spending to do just that; the city is working with Caltrans to implement the project.
Regarding Sand Hill Road, which is four lanes before and after the one-quarter-mile stretch, Ms. Angell-Atchison said the "nearby residents are held hostage to traffic and road rage." She said the road should be widened for safety reasons and to prevent cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets, as motorists try to avoid the bottleneck.
Stanford has offered to pay for the widening as part of its massive development of the area, which included widening the road east of the bridge, expanding its shopping center, and the construction (now in progress) of more than 1,100 housing units along Sand Hill Road, near the creek.
The current City Council has rejected Stanford's offer, with the majority, including Mr. Collacchi and Mr. Kinney, arguing that Stanford has not done its part to improve roadways on its own land to move traffic through the area.
Mr. Collacchi noted the following: Stanford, incorporated, has 30 million square feet of development; Menlo Park has 16 million square feet. Stanford lands and university have about 40,000 jobs and 12,000 students; Menlo Park has 30,000 to 35,000 jobs. Stanford and Menlo Park have 12,000 to 14,000 units of housing apiece.
Stanford has "city(-like) intensity, but doesn't have a street system," Mr. Collacchi said. "They need to develop their own street system," he said, adding that Stanford is "trying to decongest" its internal traffic by widening Sand Hill Road.
Both incumbents argue that any improvement in traffic flow by widening the road would be short-term, and they cite studies indicating that, after a short time, traffic slowdowns would differ by only seconds if the road were widened.
Mr. Collacchi also said a traffic study done as part of Stanford's General Use Plan revealed that Menlo Park neighborhood streets are not affected by spillover traffic from Sand Hill Road.
Regarding the four-lane stretch of El Camino Real from Oak Grove Avenue to Roble Avenue, Mr. Kinney said the city needs to see how traffic flows once the traffic lights are synchronized. "Widening may not be needed," he said.
Mr. Collacchi opposes widening El Camino, saying that doing so would "just reroute cars from 101."
"Our policy is to try to improve the flow without attracting any new traffic, and try to do our share to keep pace with regional traffic," he said, adding that timing the traffic lights should improve the situation.
Mr. Spalasso said initially that widening El Camino Real is a good idea, but when it was noted that parking must be eliminated before widening could occur, he said, "I would need to think it through a little more."
Mr. Eichler agreed with those who say "if you build it they will come." But, he added, "It isn't possible to put a wall around Menlo Park. We've got to get traffic through as quickly and efficiently as possible." He said the city should look seriously at widening the road.
While Ms. Angell-Atchison points to regional traffic as being a main factor in Menlo Park's roadway congestion, Mr. Collacchi said that "no study makes a blanket statement about Menlo Park traffic." But, he added, a recent traffic study showed that nearly 80 percent of traffic traveling through the intersection of Willow and Middlefield roads is Menlo-Park generated.
Residential construction
The election dovetails with the release of a report by a group of residents directed by the council to suggest ways to lessen adverse impacts on neighborhoods by home construction and remodeling.
In an attempt to deal with growing complaints from residents about intrusive new home construction and home renovations that disregard neighborhood character, the council appointed the 21 members of the Residential Review Task Force in March. The members are residents of most of the city's neighborhoods. The task force's report will be reviewed by the council this week.
As can be expected with a large group, opinions and suggestions vary, and the council will be given recommendations from two sub-groups of the task force -- with minority opinions in each sub-group. The council asked the task force to study issues ranging from reducing the allowable square-footage of new and renovated houses, to reducing the number of projects that must be reviewed by the Planning Commission because they are on "nonconforming" lots.
Ms. Angell-Atchison has made the council's approach to the issue a key campaign issue, saying council members -- particularly Mr. Collacchi -- have made it clear to task force members that they want severe limits on the scale of home expansions.
Both incumbents denied giving such direction, saying they were looking for ideas and new approaches.
Ms. Angell-Atchison also criticized the council for the task force's make-up, saying members don't fairly represent the city's neighborhoods.
Mr. Collacchi and Mr. Kinney said they tried to get good representation on the task force, and Mr. Collacchi noted that a lot of members have been through "use permit hell," and therefore have insights and good suggestions on how to improve the city's approval process for home building projects.
The council sought applications for the task force, receiving about 70. Each council member was allowed to choose members.
Both incumbents said they want to review the task force's report before deciding how to tackle the sensitive issues involved, which include protecting neighbors' privacy when second-floor additions are built, and compatibility of new projects with existing homes in the neighborhood.
The task force was directed to "ferret out a range of ideas" on how to cope with inevitable change in neighborhoods, Mr. Kinney said. He said he believes reasonable solutions can be found. "You can build a two-story structure that glares at you (and the neighbors next door) and you can build a two-story structure that doesn't."
Mr. Eichler said he favors changes to the process by which home construction on "nonconforming" lots is reviewed. He also supports a review process in which "scale and the aesthetic character of the neighborhood" are taken into account.
Housing
The city's Housing Commission recently issued a report with recommendations to lessen the severe housing shortage in the area. The council will face tough decisions in the near future, as the city's businesses and services lose employees fleeing to areas with a lower cost of living and affordable housing.
The council has already authorized further exploration of two of the commission's three recommendations for immediate action. But much more must be done to alleviate the crisis.
The Housing Commission has discussed a possible new alternative to the city's development fee that goes to housing assistance. Now, a developer of large commercial projects pays a fee that goes into a housing fund administered by the city. The council is considering requiring a commercial developer to actually build housing whenever possible instead of paying the fee.
Mr. Eichler supports the idea, saying that there are severe traffic and other consequences to the housing shortage in the area. "We need to find more housing for the people working in Menlo Park," he said.
He said the city also should act as leaders in a regional effort to create more housing.
Mr. Collacchi favors requiring a commercial developer to build housing when possible, and also advocates city partnership with nonprofit housing developers to create affordable housing. "Markets simply can't create affordable housing in Menlo Park," he said.
Mr. Collacchi also said he will explore the possibility of the city's buying smaller apartment buildings and converting the units into below-market-rate housing.
Mr. Kinney also wants the city to be "an active participant" in creating new housing. He said he wants to look at the possibility of a bond measure to create housing for "strategic" employees such as teachers, police officers and emergency workers. He also supports exploring the possibility of requiring commercial developers to build or assist in building housing as discussed by the Housing Commission.
Ms. Angell-Atchison said that while everyone bemoans the housing shortage, the problem is getting the public to support high-density housing, "which would be required to make a dent in the housing crisis."
"Where would you build high-density housing in Menlo Park," she asked. "I'm not against it ... but would people support it? If so, I'd support it."
Mr. Spalasso said the city "should definitely try to find a solution to the problem," but added that he doesn't have any suggestions.
