Collected Issue Positions

By Ted Driscoll

Summary of Important Issues Facing Town.

Town Center: Our town was fortunate to inherit the Town Center site decades ago, when earthquake fears convinced our school board to abandon the site. The logic was that the low intensity of Town Hall and library use was somehow safer than active school use. Today we have a deteriorating school complex, built during a time of weak and inadequate building codes, that houses our small and dedicated staff, our library and a variety of community classes and events. We are just fooling ourselves if we think the present Town Center facility is unsafe for school children but safe for these activities. Over the past 5 years, we have investigated the costs of upgrading and renovating the existing facility. It is virtually equivalent to rebuilding the Town Center from scratch. I strongly believe it is time to grapple with this issue that we have been ignoring for decades. Portola Valley has been a world leader in the planning for development in quake prone areas. We have another opportunity to advance this reputation. It will take us probably a decade of careful budgeting and staged construction to realize our goal, but we should start now.

Open Space Preservation: I strongly support past and future efforts to set aside and protect large tracts of open space. We have been fortunate to have the Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District and Peninsula Open Space Trust. And we have also been wonderfully blessed by contributors to accomplish some key acquisitions. We should continue to seek new sources of funds for further preservation, and continue to encourage developers to set aside open space as one condition for approval. We should not diminish existing open space with impacts from new development.

Traffic / Commercial Development: I have raised two children who walked or bicycled to town schools, and I am very concerned about the volume and speed of traffic in town. Solving some of these problems will require greater cooperation between the Town and the school district. We also will need to manage other activities that bring traffic into town, i.e. construction activities and new office development.

Bicyclists vs. Cars: I will work to find reasonable compromises between the town's interests and the many bicyclists on our streets. While most bicyclists are courteous and law-abiding, a minority are not. Frankly, a minority of motorists are equally rude. I will actively support ordinances that promote public safety and rational use of town roads for all groups who are entitled to use them.

Schools / Recreation Facilities: Although our schools are run by the P.V. School District or private groups, our town government should do whatever it can to foster the best possible educational opportunities for our children, with whom our future lies. It is important that we maintain our town's public playing fields, playgrounds and common areas. Our use of these facilities contributes to the small town, friendly atmosphere that we have here in Portola Valley. Public Works: The infrastructure of our town (roads, bridges, culverts, etc.) must be maintained. This requires special vigilance so that small problems don't become big ones from inattention.

Emergency Preparedness: We have been very fortunate to benefit from the efforts of CERPP, the active regional volunteer group for emergency preparedness in this area. While it may not be feasible for the town to anticipate all possible situations, it can act as a coordinator for information and resources that will be needed in an emergency. One reason I believe we need to put attention into our Town Center is that it is expected to serve as the emergency command center in a major disaster, and it straddles the fault! This is totally unacceptable.

Taxes / Town Budget / Volunteer Government: I favor the continuation of our limited utility tax. We are fortunate to have a very effective, mostly volunteer town government. We should be proud that our costs and staffing are distinctly lower than those of neighboring communities. I will use my business experience to work for a continued thrifty, volunteer-oriented approach to town government.

Guiding Principles on Other Issues: Most of the solutions we find to the problems that face us will involve striking a balance between the interests of all the town's residents and the interests of any one individual. My candidacy is based on a set of guiding principles:

I. The Town of Portola Valley in 2001 is in a healthy state. We have generally been well served by our town government in the past, and should continue this direction.

II. The Town faces ongoing challenges that will require careful consideration, compromise & firmness to re-solve them in the best interests of Town residents.

III. My goal will be to preserve the character of the Town that drew my family here in the first place and continues to interest us now. This must be done in the context of a changing world, and with a minimum of government, bureaucracy and expense.