Around Town Around Town (October 12, 2005)

BEHIND THE SCENES, PART I ... This year, the Palo Alto Weekly departed from the way it traditionally photographed City Council hopefuls. For this year's election photos, Chief Photographer Norbert von der Groeben shot each Palo Alto City Council candidate at his or her favorite outdoor location in Palo Alto. What emerged is an interesting look into each candidate's personality. Here are some stories from the photo shoots that the camera just couldn't capture. John Barton, as well as several of his fellow council candidates, needed time to think about their favorite Palo Alto outdoor location. After some reflection, Barton chose Robles Park. Norman Carroll wanted to be photographed on his favorite bench in Lytton Plaza. When Carroll first arrived in Palo Alto several years ago, he used the plaza as his voter-registration address. After the shoot, Carroll asked whether he could be re-photographed if he trimmed his beard. Carroll said others tell him that without his long beard, he looks more like a college professor than an un-housed person. Although Von der Groeben agreed to retake the photo, Carroll has neither cut his beard nor asked for a re-shoot. Peter Drekmeier first chose to be photographed next to the Stanford Dish. This request was declined because the Dish is on Stanford University property, not in Palo Alto proper. Drekmeier later decided upon the Baylands. Karen Holman chose Heritage Park, the only location shared by two council hopefuls -- Harold "Skip" Justman also chose it. Holman was among the candidates who showed up with her campaign manager, Joe Shakes, at the photo shoot. They had scouted out the location in advance. Victor Frost's favorite outdoor location was a friend's vegetable garden in Barron Park. After the pictures were taken, Frost made a joke about how the photo shoot felt very "corny." Next week, we'll tell the tale of the other five candidate's photo shoots.

PALO ALTO'S NEWEST PIN-UP... The next time you call 911 and a crew of Palo Alto's finest shows up, you may be face-to-face with Mr. September. Eric Schill, a firefighter EMT, and his now-famous recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars are featured in the "2006 Milk & Cookies Calendar" distributed by the California Milk Advisory Board. The main photo of Schill in the ninth month shows him in a firefighter's uniform -- sorry ladies, no skimpy poses in this calendar -- holding an axe and a bottle of milk. The recipe, according to a quote from Schill accompanying the photos, was first made for a junior high science fair. "I didn't get the blue ribbon, but at least I made it into the calendar, and all for a worthy cause," Schill was quoted as saying. Calendar sales benefit the California Firefighters Memorial and families of fallen firefighters. They can be purchased at www.RealCaliforniaCheese.org.

FRANK'S BIG HONOR ... Palo Alto City Manager Frank Benest was recently elected a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. "It's a congressionally chartered organization that takes on the major challenges facing the public service," Benest explained. According to Benest, the "big" honor for public administrators is the equivalent of a scientist's induction into the National Academy of Sciences. According to a press release, he was elected to the group for his "outstanding leadership and devotion to the cause of effective public administration." Recently, the academy studied FBI reorganization and NASA management and reported its findings to Congress. "Frank's newest honor is an honor for Palo Alto as well," Mayor Jim Burch said in a statement. "His election as a fellow confirms that Palo Alto is at the forefront of well-managed cities." Benest will be inducted into the academy in a ceremony at the academy's annual meeting on Nov. 18 in Washington, D.C.

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