Four compete for two seats on Menlo Park City Council Four compete for two seats on Menlo Park City Council (October 27, 2004)

by Rebecca Wallace

Judging by the numbers alone, this fall's City Council election is not the no-holds-barred battle of two years ago.

In 2002, three out of five council seats were up for grabs, meaning the seven candidates weren't just running for office -- they were running for a chance to be part of a powerful majority.

This November, the other two seats are up.

While council control is not at stake this time around, Menlo Park voters still have choices to make, as the race has attracted four candidates.

This election is an opportunity for the council majority to gain a seat or two -- and make it more difficult for the minority to retake control in two years. It's also a chance for the minority to retain its two seats, which means it could take command in 2006 by winning just one more.

Two hopefuls, architect Michael Lambert, 59, and Planning Commissioner Lorie Sinnott, 50, often align themselves with the three-member council majority: Lee Duboc and Mickie Winkler, who were elected in 2002; and Nicholas Jellins, re-elected that year.

Candidates Andrew Cohen, 64, a retired workers' compensation judge, and Planning Commissioner Kelly Fergusson, 42, agree more with the positions of the minority council members, Paul Collacchi and Chuck Kinney, who aren't running again.

On some issues, the breakdown is tidy. One is ordinance 926, a set of changes to the city's home-building rules the majority approved early this year and then rescinded after a referendum campaign led by Fergusson. The new council will have a large task ahead if it decides to try again to make changes to the rules.

All candidates clearly state their ideological approaches.

Lambert and Sinnott supported 926, saying a rules-based system with less human discretion in the approval process for new homes and major remodels is needed.

Meanwhile, Cohen and Fergusson opposed 926, saying human discretion is crucial to protect neighbors from the impacts of outsized homes.

But candidates -- and council members -- aren't so neatly pigeonholed. On the matter of how to handle the combination of street traffic and more and faster trains at Menlo Park's four rail crossings -- an issue that could dramatically change the face of the city -- Lambert and Cohen agree.

Both say the train tracks should be put down in subterranean trenches that the roads would cross as bridges. The two are highly critical of two other options discussed. One possible solution would dip the streets 20 feet down, beneath the tracks. The other option would be a "split-level" approach, raising the tracks and lowering the roads by about 10 feet each.

Both options, Lambert said, "would tear at the fabric of this town," separating Menlo Park's downtown from the Civic Center. He and Cohen, who lives near the tracks, also agree that raising the rails would boost train noise, creating more disturbances for residents.

Trenching creates problems, including drainage issues and steep costs, Lambert said. But he added it could be less hurtful to the businesses along Alma Street than the other options.

Sinnott said the trench idea could be a possibility, but she also sees promise in a new road underpass alternative recently put forth by Redwood City architect Nick Watry. Using different construction methods, his way would dip the road down only 17 feet, creating shallower approach ramps and less impact on nearby businesses.

For her part, Fergusson said she's also intrigued by Watry's proposal, but added she wants more information about all the options before supporting one.

Turning to fiscal matters, Fergusson, Sinnott and Lambert say the city must focus more on boosting revenue to better bridge the persistent gap between income and spending.

Both Sinnott and Lambert favor pursuing an auto mall in the large lots of the Haven Avenue light industrial area, saying it could increase the city's sales tax revenue and free up space on El Camino for other types of retail that don't require so much storage space.

Not yet convinced that an auto mall is the best use of the Haven Avenue area, Fergusson said she'd like to have a design charrette. "We could have waterfront development close to Bayfront Park," she said.

Hearings for the 2004-05 budget earlier this year turned contentious over several personnel cuts and changes, including laying off popular employee Debbie Helming, who runs the city's shuttle bus services. That layoff is expected to take effect in December.

Working a three-quarter-time schedule, Helming earns around $80,000 including benefits, with grants covering all but about $20,000 annually. City Manager David Boesch has said that money, including the grants, could be used for transportation projects.

Sinnott questioned whether the layoff was worth it, saying, "I'm sorry to lose her for the amount of money we saved."

Whatever happens in budget hearings, Cohen said he's certain of one thing: "The last thing I want is to make personnel cuts if they can be avoided."

With the city once more abuzz over the possibility of building one or more parking structures downtown, all candidates are giving thought to the matter.

Sinnott and Lambert both say they favor the idea, with Sinnott adding: "I'd love to get the diagonal parking off Santa Cruz (Avenue). It just fills up the whole street with metal. I'd like wider sidewalks."

With visions of garages tall and small, above ground and subterranean, floating around, Lambert said he'd like to have a design charrette to get proposals for a broad design of the downtown as a whole.

Fergusson expressed some trepidation: "I don't hear downtown business owners clamoring for a parking garage. I'd like to hear more evidence of merchant interest before moving forward."

And Cohen said he'd prefer a shorter garage to a taller one, adding that any garage would have to be well-lit and feel safe for people parking alone at night.

Rebecca Wallace is a staff writer for the Almanac, the Weekly's sister paper in Menlo Park.

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