The Choice For City Council

By Mickie Winkler

The big ideological divide in our little town.

Dear Fellow Resident

There is a big ideological divide in our little town. On election day this November, three seats become available on our five-member City Council. You will have the opportunity to select between two visions for Menlo Park.

One side is attempting to freeze the community as it now is.

The other side, my side (with Nicholas Jellins and Lee Duboc), accepts change as part of life. Our economy is changing, our demographics are changing, and our property values are changing--a lot. The challenge is to direct the change so that it benefits the community.

One side distinguishes between business and residential. The other side, my side, denies the dichotomy, and affirms their interdependence.

How does that vision play out? I believe we should:

• Facilitate, not hinder, safe traffic flow and parking throughout the entire city. Sand Hill Road should have been fixed long ago to get cut-through traffic off our neighborhood streets.

• Encourage, not discourage, sensible home improvements by supporting a fair and hassle-free residential zoning ordinance--one that is clear, that restricts out-of-scale housing and allows neighborhoods to express their uniqueness. The zoning changes currently proposed will have a profound impact on property in Menlo Park. Let's make certain that impact is positive.

• Support, not ignore, local businesses. Local business provides the tax base that allows us to fully staff our police department, fund our beloved library and all the city functions that enrich our lives. (Last year business provided 33% of city revenues vs 17.5% from property taxes.)

How unmindful of local business are we? 2 examples:
1.The city didn't know for several months after fact
that Sun Microsystems moved its sales offices
(providing $1.6 million in city revenues!) out of
Menlo Park.
2.It routinely takes 9 to 12 months for tenants to
obtain a use permit in our city--a time intolerable
to business. We need to be in constant touch with
our revenue base.

• Respect, not abuse, our tax-payer dollars. Fiscal issues cry for attention. Where will we find the $14plus million dollars to pay for yet another remake of Santa Cruz Avenue. And do we really need to spend millions of dollars on a bicycle tunnel that only a small minority want?

• I believe we should put the interests of Menlo Park first. Four members of our current City Council (and 4 members of the Palo Alto Council) are supported by an agenda-driven group called Mpact. This group should not be foisting its agenda on our entire town. For example, The desire of the community to enjoy sports in Bayfront park are ignored in favor of a few who claim to use it as it is.

Please vote for me, Mickie Winkler (and for Jellins and Duboc). I chose to live in this city 9 years ago (which counts high among my very good decisions in life), and have been active in the community since I arrived. I am currently on the Housing Commission. And I look forward to serving on City Council if you so choose.

Thank you for your attention and your concern.

Mickie Winkler Please contact me with your ideas and concerns: phone, 473-9722, email: MickieWinkler@aol.com

(For more information, please visit http://www.MenloParkFirst.com.)