Statement of Positions

By Burton Craig

The biggest issues in the city are homeowner's rights, safer street and ensuring the government is more responsive to its residents.

Homeowners should not be prevented from making reasonable improvements to their property, particularly when there is no significant impact to their neighbors or the community. We must be reasonable when balancing the interests of the community against allowing homeowners the flexibility to use their property as they best see fit. Does this mean that a property owner should be able to build a 25-foot high home 6 feet from a neighbor's fence? No. But, on the other side of the coin, if a property owner wishes to build a simple trellis next to his fence, I believe they should be allowed to do so without having to pay a $600 application fee and go before the Site and Architecture Commission to beg permission to do so.

Over the years the City has enacted more and more restrictive ordinances limiting how homeowners can use their own property. While in each case such ordinances may have seemed reasonable at the time, the result is that Monte Sereno residents are less able to use their property in a manner they see fit unlike the residents of Los Gatos and Saratoga. I believe this results in fewer property improvements being made which, in the long run, tend to reduce the beauty of our community and therefore property values.

Open Government

The City must answer to its residents--this is the basis of our democracy. As a council member I will never forget this basic principle. I will always be available to listen to the needs and concerns of our residents. One of my strengths is my ability to work with people and listen to all sides of an issue and work with all parties to ensure that if an equitable solution is there, I will find and implement it.

We need to ensure that our residents know what's going on in our city. One area we can work to improve communication is through technology. As the Chief Technology Officer for my company, I focus on how technology can allow easy access to information and streamline workflow. I will bring this experience to the city and initiate programs like improving our website so that City Council meeting materials and other documents are available online. Futhermore, simple transactions can be conducted on-line, and public forums and discussion can be facilitated. Best of all, this can be done at almost no cost to the City.

Safer Streets

One of the greatest assets Monte Sereno has is its beautiful scenery and neighborhoods. This is a great place to get out and enjoy a nice walk, ride your bicycle or just look at the stars. The problem is that in many areas you have to worry about getting run over. The City needs to devote more resources to ensuring that the streets in Monte Sereno are safe for pedestrians. There are many simple traffic calming techniques, such as visual changes to roads, that will bring about more attentive driving, reduced speeds, and a greater tendency to yield to pedestrians. In addition, education and enforcement we can make our streets safer for pedestrians.

There have been a number of projects started that I would work to continue such as the Highway 9 redesign project. The Highway 9 project has really gained momentum in the last few months. We cannot allow it to languish in planning and committees. We need to ensure this project continues to move forward. This is probably one of the most important public works that the City has taken on since its inception. If it is done right, the benefits to the citizens of Monte Sereno will be immense.

County Land Annexation

I am against the proposed annexation of Santa Clara County residents against their will and without their consent. I am confused by the current City Council's unwillingness to allow the county pocket residents to vote on whether they want annexation. Rather than coerce annexation, I would prefer to extend and offer and, when the county pocket residents are willing to accept it on their own timetable, welcome them into our city.

Historic Preservation

Although the community has an interest in protecting homes and structures with significant historical value, I believe that qualifying for such status should be entirely voluntary. Once property owners have put their properties into the historical inventory, then it is fair to require those property owners and all subsequent purchasers to abide by such restrictions as the city deems appropriate. There are already economic incentives, such as tax abatement via the Mills Act, to encourage voluntarily placement of property into the City's historical inventory. The City can make development and other accommodations to provide additional incentives.