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Will she or won't she?

by Bill D'Agostino

For Palo Alto political junkies, there is one big question hanging in the air: Is Councilwoman Nancy Lytle running for re-election in November?

A lighting rod for controversy during her first three-and-a-half years on the council, Lytle is holding her cards close to her chest, careful not to tip her hand.

"It's an enormous commitment," she said. "Before I just assume to take it on again, I will be spending time thinking it through."

One political heavyweight, and Lytle supporter, claims to know for certain that she will enter the race before the Aug. 8 deadline.

"Nancy is going to run," said Richard Alexander, who has spent his own money in previous campaigns endorsing candidates through advertisements, "because she's a courageous woman."

Others aren't so sure.

"She was beaten up so much at the beginning of the year -- really taken to task by both major papers in town -- that had to have had an impact on her," said former Mayor Gary Fazzino.

Earlier this year, Lytle's disparaging comments about the city attorney ignited events prompting two lawsuits against the city, filed by the Palo Alto Weekly and Mercury News. Last year, she angered public school and city officials with her political maneuverings and was cited as the primary reason a joint city/school committee was temporarily disbanded.

Lytle's supporters claim the incidents were hyped by the media and politically motivated. "Anyone that's passionate and decisive -- people are going to throw things at them," said neighborhood leader Annette Ashton.

Another Lytle-centered political volcano erupted during the end of last week's council meeting when Vice Mayor Bern Beecham -- quoting from transcripts of previous council meetings -- accused her of continually misrepresenting comments made by him, and other city officials.

Once in public and once in an e-mail, Lytle claimed that Beecham and Councilman Jim Burch agreed to place the initiative -- about 800 High St., a housing project near downtown Palo Alto -- on the November ballot after hearing the results of a preliminary survey. He argued that neither council member said any such thing, and asked Lytle to correct the record and agree to never utter such misstatements again.

"I can certainly trust that you've gone over the record and found an error in my statements, so I'm perfectly willing to correct the record," Lytle said. "I don't know that I can, in the future, not misrepresent. ... I'm only doing my best recollection of what took place based on information I receive."

So far, there haven't been many challengers emerging to compete with Lytle, Beecham and the other two council members facing re-election: Mayor Dena Mossar and Councilwoman Judy Kleinberg.

"Typically by this time, by June, the incumbents -- if they're running -- are pretty well organized," Fazzino said. "And if there's going to be a strong group of challengers, they've begun to emerge."

All but Lytle have announced they will be on the ballot, so unless she decides not to run, there won't be any open seats. Candidates can begin filing for election on July 14.

Speculation has floated around town for months about who will face the incumbents, but almost all have turned out to be false. Rumored candidates cite personal and economic reasons for not entering the campaign, although privately the "poisonous" and "dysfunctional" atmosphere on the council appears to have scared some away.

"People who might be candidates have said, 'Who needs it? Who needs the grief?'" Fazzino recounted. "I've heard that from a number of people."

Others half-jokingly wonder if the incumbents are intentionally creating animosity for their own benefit.

"It's a great political strategy," said Harold "Skip" Justman, the only challenger to announce he's running so far. "If you bicker badly enough on Monday, you discourage people from running."

E-mail Bill D'Agostino at bdagostino@paweekly.com