Editorial: Vote Lytle out, Cordell in

Nine intelligent, well-qualified and hard-working City Council members -- all with popular support and personal appeal -- have struggled with little success to simply function with civility and respect for each other.

Misinformation and misunderstanding abounds, fueled by those who find satisfaction from falsely characterizing the motives, actions and competence of others.

As was demonstrated in the recent California recall election, the electorate is in a mood to lash out at government, believing it can do nothing well and that bureaucrats are little more than overpaid nincompoops focused only on preserving their jobs and power.

The sad truth is that those intent on undermining confidence in government, even at the local level, may do so with relative ease. Ads proclaiming "millions of dollars of wasteful spending" or that provide intentionally misleading comparisons on city finances are enough to convince many people that something must be amiss.

And the worst part: These critics offer no solutions or alternatives. In the same breath they complain about "wasteful spending" they won't identify any Palo Alto services they would be prepared to cut or eliminate.

What this city needs now more than anything else, in our judgment, are City Council members who can argue passionately for their points of view and at the same time tolerate and respect differences so compromise and consensus-building produce decisions and results.

Four years ago, when we endorsed Nancy Lytle for the council, we hoped that she would be such a person. We liked her ideas, her enthusiasm and energy, and her strong analytical and questioning abilities. And we hoped she could overcome what we saw as a penchant for micromanaging and intransigence.

Regrettably, we were wrong.

Lytle has proven to be the catalyst of one controversy after another, not because of her ideas or positions but because of manipulative efforts to undermine her colleagues and the city staff. She is unable or unwilling to separate policy advocacy from attacks on the competence of her colleagues, thereby poisoning the environment for effective decision-making. She has also opted repeatedly to wage stealth campaigns through e-mails or other non-public methods while at the same time admonishing her colleagues on the importance of open, public debate on the issues.

Faced with mounting criticism, Lytle and her supporters are now trying to paint her as in a battle on behalf of everyday Palo Altans against a powerful political elite defending the status quo. Such a good-versus-evil portrayal is an insult to her colleagues and the community, and is in total conflict with the facts. As Lytle herself likes to point out, there are few occasions when she opts for a significantly different policy direction than other Council members.

This election is not about two alternative future directions for the city. It's not about whether asking tough questions. And it's not about protecting or attacking "powerful" interests.

This election is about electing people who can work effectively together to find solutions to difficult problems and challenges such as diminishing revenue sources, development options, traffic congestion and maintaining a vital and diverse community.

Had Lytle shown some signs of understanding the polarizing impact she has had on the council and begun changing her ways during her four-year term, we may have recommended her reelection. But her behavior has continued unabated, and it is now time to move on.

The two most qualified challengers to replace Lytle are Skip Justman, a real estate lawyer, and LaDoris Cordell, an associate provost at Stanford and former Superior Court judge in Santa Clara County.

Justman is a straight-shooting advocate for more effective government, fewer studies and the council accepting more responsibility for making decisions instead of endlessly trying to appease all interests. He advocates major budget cuts in the planning department, believing it has become bloated and dysfunctional -- a conclusion that finds some support in the recently released audit report of the department. He is generally supported by the development community, and will likely be more supportive of commercial and business interests than the other challengers. He lives in north Palo Alto just south of downtown, and is in support of the proposed housing development at 800 High St.

Cordell immediately handicapped herself in the race by announcing she would not accept any campaign donations, a decision that will make her election more difficult in light of the money being spent by the other leading candidates. But Cordell's service on the bench brought her visibility and some controversy for her innovative and progressive criminal-justice ideas.

She caused a stir among her fellow judges when she came up with the idea of requiring convicted drunk drivers to use a Breathalyzer device that checked on the sobriety of the driver prior to allowing the ignition to work. Eventually, the approach was embraced by the Legislature, but not until Cordell's judicial activism suffered criticism from other judges.

Like Justman, Cordell is a bit of an unknown quantity in terms of how she would contribute to the current council. She is articulate, inquisitive and points to her experience in family court as indicative of her ability to help opposing sides come together. As an African-American woman who served on a white, male-dominated Superior Court, she hopefully learned when confrontation was effective and when it wasn't.

We recommend LaDoris Cordell's election to the council. She brings a sensitivity to neighborhood concerns regarding traffic and development, but also wants to see Palo Alto continue to develop affordable housing successfully. We believe her values are a good match to the community, and that as a former judge and current university official she will bring a unique dimension to the council.

For the other three council seats on the ballot Nov. 4, we support incumbents Judy Kleinberg, Bern Beecham and Dena Mossar.

During an extremely difficult four years, both in terms of council dynamics and city finances, these three each remained focused on trying to keep city government working effectively. While there were moments when their frustrations over Lytle's behavior boiled over, they usually showed great patience and respect.

Mossar, serving as mayor this year, has demonstrated solid leadership on the council, and has maintained her reputation for honest assessments and straightforward comments. While we didn't like it when her tone at some meetings approached condescension, we have never found any hidden agendas or manipulative strategems in her approach to city business. She has lengthy credentials with the environmental movement. She is a former staff member at Acterra (then Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation) and has worked actively to promote alternative transportation, protection of San Francisquito Creek habitat, and other green causes.

Vice Mayor Bern Beecham has developed a recognized expertise in sources of city energy and water, and has become a leader statewide in those areas -- both of them of vital importance to Palo Altans. He has demonstrated a careful approach to city issues, and attempted quietly to maintain a cohesion with colleagues on the council. He is not, as alleged in some quarters, strongly pro-development but is concerned about maintaining a healthy economic climate in the community -- as a good revenue base assures quality community services and facilities.

Councilwoman Judy Kleinberg, like Beecham, has built strong support among an impressive range of supporters. An attorney by profession, she brings a judicial temperament to the council, gathering information and weighing issues carefully before casting her vote. She also has worked hard to maintain council cohesion. She has a strong personal track record, pre-dating by years her service on the council, of active concern for children, young persons and families in Palo Alto -- she initiated the Safer Summer program for teens and has continued to advocate family and youth-based issues on the council.

The remaining four challengers are homeless advocate Victor Frost, retiree Edmund Power, Gunn teacher John Fredrich and engineer/inventor Ronny Bar-Gadda. None has the breadth of support or experience to be a credible candidate.

To best address the future challenges facing the city, the Weekly recommends Judy Kleinberg, Bern Beecham, Dena Mossar and LaDoris Cordell for Palo Alto City Council.