October 05, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

A green campaign

by Bill D'Agostino

Two candidates for Palo Alto City Council, Harold "Skip" Justman and Peter Drekmeier, have raised more than $25,000 in campaign donations.

"I think that's going to be pretty typical for this campaign in the end," Drekmeier said.

The sum is not unusual in city elections, and represents only an incremental increase from the top fundraisers of recent campaigns.

In total, the 10 remaining candidates for the Palo Alto City Council have raised approximately $130,000, with nearly 40 percent going to Justman and Drekmeier, according to reports filed last week with the City Clerk's office.

The state-mandated reports list donations -- both cash and non-monetary donations, such as donated work or food -- received through Sept. 24.

There are 10 candidates for the council, with five open seats and only two incumbents in the race. Seven of the 10 reported receiving more than $1,000 in donations.

There is no cap on the amount Palo Alto candidates can raise. Drekmeier said he would support a ceiling of $25,000, while Justman said there was already an "unwritten rule" that candidates would not raise much more than $30,000.

"I think the system's working," Justman said.

Most of Drekmeier's donations ranged from $50 to $250, while Justman tended to get larger donations, including $4,000 from his mother, Norma Justman.

Fundraising is seldom a direct reflection of eventual success with the electorate. Two years ago, during the last City Council campaign, Justman was also one of the top fundraisers but failed to get elected. Meanwhile, former judge LaDoris Cordell did not accept donations -- although she did use $3,000 of her own money -- and was elected.

Justman, a real estate lawyer, reported receiving $25,828, making him the top fundraiser so far. He started accepting campaign donations last year and received more than $7,000 of his sum in 2004.

Justman said his goal this year was $30,000, the same approximate amount he raised in 2003. Although he received numerous donations from real estate developers, Justman said they would not influence how he voted on projects before the council.

"I'm doing what's best for Palo Alto," he said. Most of his donors are longtime friends, he added.

Among the donations Justman received from developers: $75 from Warren Thoits, $1,500 from Kiger Construction, $500 from Roxy Rapp, $1,000 from Tall Tree Partners, $100 from Chop Keenan's company, $250 from Boyd Smith, $250 from Richard Peery, $250 from John Arillaga and $500 from John McNellis.

McNellis is the owner of Alma Plaza, and he is hoping to renovate the small shopping center and add housing.

Drekmeier, an environmental activist, reported receiving $25,565, all in 2005. He said his goal was $25,000 and that he had now stopped aggressively fundraising.

Although a majority of Drekmeier's donations were from Palo Altans, more than 40 percent reportedly came from people outside the city -- including from as far away as Hawaii and Massachusetts. Most came from residents of nearby cities like Los Altos and Mountain View.

"I've worked on a lot of regional issues," Drekmeier explained. (Donors giving less than $50 do not need to be reported by name or location.)

Drekmeier received $250 from Baer and $100 from developer Owen Byrd.

Larry Klein, a former mayor, reported receiving $19,911. He received $250 each from developers McNellis and Baer.

Karen Holman, a member of the Planning and Transportation Commission, reported receiving $15,774. She received $2,000 -- the second largest donation to anyone in the race -- from Ernest and Mildred Mario, the chief executive of Reliant Pharmaceutical and his wife. She also received $250 from Baer.

Jack Morton, an incumbent and certified public accountant, reported receiving $15,520. He received $275 from McNellis, $75 from Thoits, $275 from Rapp, $250 from Keenan, $275 from Peery, $275 from Arrillaga and $250 from Baer.

Yoriko Kishimoto, an incumbent and consultant, reported receiving $13,258, which includes a $2,500 personal loan she made to her campaign.

John Barton, a school board member, reported receiving $12,483, including $1,000 from himself. He received $200 from Rapp, $100 from Thoits, $250 from McNellis, $250 from Keenan and $100 from Byrd.

Norman Carroll, who leads the "Downtown Streets Team," which enlists homeless men and women to clean near downtown businesses, and Danielle Martell, who writes educational software, signed forms stating they have received less than $1,000.

Candidate Victor Frost, a panhandler, reported receiving $7.

Two candidates have dropped out of the race: Roger Smith and Sanford Forte. Their names will still appear on the ballot.

Smith, the founder and retired CEO of Silicon Valley Bank, reported receiving $13,037, including a $2,500 personal loan he made to his campaign. Smith said he's returning the funds to contributors.

Forte, a member of the Library Advisory Commission, reported receiving $99.

Election day is Nov. 8.

A version of this story appeared Thursday on www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Staff Writer Bill D'Agostino can be e-mailed at bdagostino@paweekly.com.

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