Candidate for
Council Member; Town of Danville

Maintaining our "small town atmosphere and outstanding quality of life" is my continuing priority while celebrating that it has been over 150 years in the making.

Recent accomplishments include helping lead Danville as chair of the oversight committee on design and completion of the Veteran's Memorial Building & Senior Center, continuing Operation Welcome Home for returning veterans, starting TRAFFIX bus system, shop local business campaigns, maintaining our great parks and school partnerships. Over the past years, I have been able to personally assist with community projects such as the permanent home for Valley Parent Preschool, Discovery Counseling Center's offices, the Thrift Station, the Gazebo structure at Hap Magee Ranch Park, and most recently helping arrange a permanent home for Kids Country administrative offices and new children's enrichment center.

Community roles: Mayor of Danville, 1999, 2004, 2008, 2012; Chair CC Mayors Conference; Danville Area Chamber of Commerce; Past Danville Design Review Board; Past Chair Danville Planning Commission; Danville Sycamore Valley Rotary Club - Past President; Leadership San Ramon Valley - Past President; Mustang Soccer Coach; Tri-Valley Transportation Committee; Contra Costa Transportation Authority, Discovery Counseling Center Board of Directors, Business Owner & Corporate President for over 34 years.

• "Newell has been an outstanding leader for Danville." Rachel Hurd, SRVUSD Board Member September 20, 2012

• "The town has been and continues to be well planned and maintained thanks to the dedicated efforts of people like Andersen, Arnerich and Doyle."

  Danville Weekly, Perspective July 18, 2008

• "When the seniors raised issues two years ago, our town council members listened very carefully, authorized a study, and voted for the substantial increase it would take to fund a senior center, more staff, and more programs."

  Linda Stolow, Danville Resident, Business Owner & Teasurer Discover Danville

Housing developers tend to build adjacent to 'desirable communities' outside city borders and sell at high prices while leaving the closest public agency to deal with services. Regional, comprehensive planning can benefit all cities through various direct and indirect benefits. For example, if all County lands were off limits to housing development, inner-city in-fill development would be the only option available. As long as land is available next to the built-out desirable communities inner-city in-fill will not occur. Meaningful affordable housing can't be built under current land planning with adjacent lands valuing at $1,000,000 to $4,000,000 and acre. The benefits to in-fill in inner city areas is jobs-to-housing connections, adjacency to existing mass transit, thereby lessening commuter highway traffic, the revitalization of economically depressed areas and an overall healthier diverse county. Development will continue to take the path of least resistance unless directed otherwise.

YOUTH ISSUES & PROGRAMS

In 1999 I served as the council's representative on the SRV Committee on Youth Safety & Development which was an outgrowth of concerns by the community for youth in the valley. We talked publicly and privately with groups of students from all backgrounds including racial, economic and social groupings. We talked to parents, teachers, police and counselors. Our committee with the support of the community made 35 significant recommendations. Nearly one third of those recommendations have been implemented and with the leadership and necessary involvement of a new valley wide youth council the remaining recommendations will be implemented. Two important points are; each new generation of youth must own their issues and solution - such that today's solutions are for today's problems; and our goal must be to create a system of interaction between decision makers and youth that focuses on how to continually evolve with the issues and corresponding solutions; and secondly, the youth of our community rates the needs for nonacademic counselors as number one while parents rate this lowest, and at the same time parents rate teen centers as the highest vrs. youth rate teen centers lower than counseling. I feel strongly that we have evolved to listening to youth and empowering them to make their own decisions with our full support.

QUALITY OF LIFE

Our 2030 General Plan is the most important and comprehensive step in ensuring Danville's quality of life will remain high into this century. There are several key steps to solidify the goals of the 2030 general Plan. Open space, agricultural and recreational space preservation is step one. Step two has already occurred with the adoption of the plan which requires the highest level of open space set-aside standards for new developments. And thirdly, a key component is the protection of our historic resource in our old town areas.

CONTROLING DEVELOMENT & OUR FURTURE

Danville's start as a city began in 1858 with the naming of our town and the opening of its first post office. It was the same year Danville opened the valley's first and only cemetery. Our valley pioneers, the Wood's, Baldwin's, Hartz's, Sherburne's, Glass's, Bettencourt's, Inman's and the Podva's were the first civic leaders of our great valley. Their vision started the first schools and churches in the area even leading to importing such notables as a young boy from Oakland, author and poet Bret Harte, to help tutor ranchers' children. These were to be the beginnings of many 'firsts' in Danville.

President Dwight. D. Eisenhower stated, on the eve of Danville's 150 year anniversary, "...this fine residential community has prospered over the years, with a strong sense of tradition of civic pride and responsibility, Danville can enter its second century with confidence." Education was also at the forefront of thought with this quote from The Valley Pioneer Centennial Edition September 4, 1958, "When and where the educational growth will end-the year 2058 may provide the answer, because as the saying goes, the first 100 years are the toughest." It may be better stated that Danville's history is based on leadership and community participation in deciding its future. The tradition of civic involvement in historic Grange's, early school boards and other such civic functions laid the foundation which built Danville's reputation for setting high standards and leading the way for the betterment of its community.

Civic participation provides the basis to interact in a public forum style of self-government. Our community has been guided by citizens volunteering on civic facilities committees, downtown task forces, general plan task force committees, parks commission, arts commission, planning commission, design review board and historic resource commission. The process to guide and make changes has been supported by electing civic leaders; council members, supervisors, regional parks representatives and water board representatives. Local control over our community and its destiny has been the foundation of our town since its founding in 1858.

OPERATION WELCOME HOME

The community recognizes the valuable service and dedication military men and women provide our country. With the leadership of several individuals, veterans' groups and elected officials, the Danville Town Council established the "Sentinels of Freedom Program," an operation welcome home program designed to formally recognize individuals from our community, who have served our country upon their return from active duty or graduated military academy.

As part of the program, the Council will honor these individuals with a Proclamation presented at a formal council meeting in appreciation of their commitment to our nation. The program involves the support of veterans' organizations, service groups, community leaders and mentors, to reintroduce these individuals back to our community and to thank them for their service and sacrifice. Local resident, Mike Conklin, has worked tirelessly on helping develop this program and the community owes him a great deal of gratitude for his community service efforts on this issue. It is hoped that other towns and cities across the nation will take time to recognize returning veterans.

The Danville Town Council encourages community groups, service organizations, employers, and its citizens to join the Town in welcoming returning service men and women back to our community. This program is intended for all cities and counties across the nation to welcome home their own citizens. You can help by contacting your local city council to encourage their adoption of this great program. Most importantly, we can all help by informing people we know, who have family members returning home from the military, of this recognition program and ask them to contact their local government officials as well. Finally, we can all help in welcoming home each veteran by thanking them personally and offering assistance where needed.

FISCAL PLANNING IN THE TOWN OF DANVILLE

Danville continues to provide the best services possible while doing so as the most cost effective community in our area. We are eighteen square miles in area with a population of 43,000. Physically Danville is the second largest community in Contra Cost County. As a council, we make very cautious financial decisions in part due to our limited resources. Limited resources require all financial decisions to be very carefully considered and wisely made. There is no margin or error or allowance for risk taking decisions.Our community if built -out and our population only grew 300 people from 2000 to 2010. Danville will remain a small stable community with only 20-30 new residents per year.

The most revealing statistic is the cost of all services per capita. Danville is the most cost effective government service provider compared to other cities in our area:

Danville $18.9 million annual budget $435 per resident Livermore $65.2 $836 San Ramon $43.2 $938 Dublin $37.6 $1058 Walnut Creek $88.35 $1341 Pleasanton $135.4 $1974

The next lowest cost per capita city is 192% more than Danville and the highest cost is 454% greater. Danville contracts our more than 60% of all services. This has provided Danville cost effective solutions in providing needed basic services. The future of Danville's finances is sound and reserves are well maintained at 25%.

TOWN OF DANVILLE'S FINANCIAL PLAN

The past month has been very active for the Danville Town Council and staff. During this time the Council has spent numerous study sessions reviewing and making refinements to our two-year financial plan. This has been a difficult task with the state's finances continually changing its impact on our community.

Danville, like all cities in California, must approve a budget by June 30th without delay. This year the Town Council approved the final Financial Plan in early June, on time as always and within our limited resources. The state's financial crisis was not caused in any way by cities or counties. However, the state has continually solved its financial problems, starting back in 1993 to the present, by raiding local governments of their revenue. The impact to our local community from the loss of these monies has had a direct impact on the expansion of our parks and open space, and has caused a restriction of services.

Danville has taken a cautious approach to keeping its finances in balance with our limited resources while maintaining high standards of service levels. The "short term pain" may actually have a long-term gain for Danville's future, if everyone can agree and move on.

DANVILLE IS A CARING & GIVING COMMUNITY

Danville and the San Ramon Valley is noted for its work with youth dating back to the early 1860's. "In the early days the school house was the public center for all important events--school or social activities, picnics, parties, school exhibitions and so on," wrote Miss Charlotte Wood in her history of the Sycamore Valley School. Miss Wood who taught from 1890-1921 remarked that dancing was very popular entertainment of the pioneers of the vicinity--a source too of making money for the purchase of new desks, or other school equipment. We find ourselves continuing in the footsteps of our history. Numerous annual school auctions and balls continue to raise much needed funds for great causes in support of our children. This is a form of a partnership, public and private, supporting great causes in assisting many needs in the valley.

Local government has worked to reinvent itself by making partnerships with other agencies to create efficient use of resources. Clearly, our valley is blessed with very prosperous times and great personal gains. Often, these wonderful assets sometime mask hidden needs in our fine community. We need not reach out far if we look closely to find that there are people in need who are not part of our prosperous times. There are adults and youth who are asking for our help, but we can not always hear or see them. Our youths face pressures much different from our time--not just "walking three miles through the snow to school" as we remark to our children, but living very troubled and complicated lives. There are opportunities for public agencies and each of us as individuals to reach out farther and help in very meaningful ways.

The nonprofit Discovery Counseling Center has largely been the source of counseling for the valley for the past four decades. Starting from its days in the back of a van helping youth in need after school, Discovery evolved to offices in Danville and San Ramon. Yet not all organizations succeed on participation from public agencies without our direct individual help. The need for providing free services to those in our community who cannot pay is more common than we realize. Organizations such as Discovery need our help and support. While we organize our families for back to school, consider setting aside time and support for the organizations that make us proud of our community. We can provide an inclusive healthy environment for all our citizens through your extra effort.

IS DANVILLE A TOWN or a CITY?

Fall brings cool days painted with golden colors filled with early morning cheers of children and parents on soccer fields. Nature paints a beautiful picture for our quiet valley bounded by the mighty Mt. Diablo and sheltered by the Las Trampas hills. The provincial feel of our community has a lot to do with our name. The familiar tale of the naming of our community in 1858 is a story full of character and great purpose. Recalling the Inman brothers, Daniel and Andrew, gold rush seekers and early pioneers of the San Ramon Valley, and their story of the naming of our community brings a sense humor and respect. A post office was planned for our valley and such a fine institution requires a name. Many valley folks thought that Danville was named for Daniel Inman, but a more commonly shared version is that Andrew Inman was about to be married at the time and demonstrated his respect for his future mother-in-law of Danville, Kentucky by giving his community the same name. So for 124 years our community was known as Danville.

Danville's name was born in 1858, but significant changes have occurred over the past 141 years. Beginning in 1915, lights came to Danville for the downtown area as area residents assessed themselves to pay for street lights. In 1948, after World War II, the first subdivisions were started and local control experienced significant changes. Historians have noted that with the subdivisions came new city folk who wanted to be involved in their community. "For a few years school board elections were more hotly contended than national ones," wrote Fay Tarlock in 1958. Similarly, in the fall of 1981, long time and new residents led a drive to incorporate our namesake into a 'city'. Following a successful incorporation election the City of Danville was created in July 1982.

Yes, a 'city' was created, but short lived. Wait a minute, I thought we were a Town? A city is commonly defined as "a major metropolitan center of a region", such as San Francisco or Oakland. Whereas, a town is "usually smaller than a city and larger than a village." Even on tours of the town offices with Cub Scouts or Brownies they respond that a city is "big with large building and a town is smaller with lots of houses." Well many folks always thought of Danville as a town, and so did the first City Council. Upon their discovery that the name could not be changed because of the wording on the incorporation ballot, we would be known as the City of Danville and with a City Council for four more years. After a change in State law, this uncomfortable period of 'City' life for Danville was rewritten in December of 1986. The City of Danville became the Town of Danville and the City Council a Town Council.

Today our small Town continues to enjoy its unique rural setting and high standards as a small comfortable place, and to quote a fourth grade Cub Scout from Greeenbrook Elementary School "Danville is a neat place to grow-up and have fun". "One of the oldest communities in the West, the locality has retained much of its pristine charm and beauty. Here life has fair meaning," wrote a local residence in a letter to the editor in 1938. Our actions as leaders and citizens are the lessons that will be observed by our children and repeated later in their adult life -- a town is "smaller and nicer". Ms. Tarlock concluded an account of the valley's history by saying "...Danville is still a fair place to live."

IT'S OUR TOWN

It takes a whole community to make a difference. Communities are successful for many reasons. Certainly leadership of its Council is part of it, but I believe it is largely due to the make up of its volunteer organizations. The quality of life in Danville is greatly enriched by volunteers.

From the volunteers at Osage Station Park rose gardens to sports league volunteers, these groups help make this a more livable and friendly community. There are cultural groups, such as Eugene O'Neill Foundation and Role Players Ensemble Theatrical Group, that all provide cultural experiences that would otherwise not be in our Town. The Danville Library Foundation assists in enlarging the children's collection, along with a donor, whose efforts provide all of the latest technology within the library. The Museum of the San Ramon Valley, The Behring Museum and the old Tasssajara School Association, all private volunteer organizations providing valuable cultural and historic resources in our community.

Our schools enjoy a higher level of classroom success due to the enormous volunteer efforts of PTA and the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation. Their funding raising efforts provide valuable resources that simply would not exist without their funding or volunteers. We are an enriched community because of our personal commitments in volunteering and/or financially supporting a favorite cause. Primo's Run for Education is a huge funding raising effort for the entire community based on very dedicated volunteers and very capable leaders. Our local Rotary and service organizations also provide great support to schools and other community needs through great fund raising efforts such as the Blackhawk Food, Wine & Film Festival, CARBO Load and Kiwanis 4th of July Parade, to name a few.

There are business organizations such as the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce, Discover Danville Association and the Danville Merchants' Association. The Chamber provides valuable connections from businesses to the community. No fund raising event would be successful without the critical support of our local businesses. Many events, such as the Lighting of the Old Oak Tree, are provided by the Chamber with the support of the Town. Downtown events such as Summerfest, Octoberfest, the Antique Show and Hot Summer Nights, are all provided by these organizations to make Danville a richer community with family oriented activities.

Our community has several foundations and organizations that have arisen from tragedies that have grown to make our community safer or provide a caring environment for less fortunate individuals. The Troy and Lana Pack Foundation arose from a great community tragedy and is saving the lives of our children and others throughout the state. The Diablo Women's League started at the Veterans' Hall with very small donations and has risen to one of the largest fund raisers through their enormously successful concert, food and wine event. The League raises substantial funds to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families. There are many other great foundations formed to reach out a helping hand to those within our community and surrounding areas.

All of the organizations and their volunteers make up the fabric of a great and caring community. It feels like a warm blanket. We are safer and better connected to each other because of all of these efforts provided by very dedicated people. Danville is a little warmer because of everyone's efforts. I hope you will join in where you can in keeping this a great community.

HIGH COMMUNITY STANDARDS

Often times, we take for granted the high standards which our community strives to meet. Park area, open space, police and fire response times, community policing ratios of police officers to residents, to name a few standards, which we have set in our general plan for Danville and set as a community standard in the day to day operations of our local government. As community leaders, we are most proud of our open space standard of nearly 60%. Park area standards are a constant issue with the dramatic impacts of past surrounding development providing little or no developed park area or sports fields.

This month's article is based on a more personal perspective. I have been involved with local government for nearly fifteen years and have seen many positive changes such as the addition of a fourth police beat in Danville, community resource officer at San Ramon Valley High School, a new community center and library all additional assets to our existing community. When a crisis or emergency arises, our critical service standards are extremely important and very visible in their success or failure. Annually, our staff and council reviews responses times to priority one police calls as well as does San Ramon Valley Fire Department for its response to fires and medical emergency calls.

There was a time in our recent past when the closest ambulance service was in Walnut Creek. Our local services changed dramatically based on an event when a young child did not survive an accident. This tragedy was partially attributed to the long period of time it took for the ambulance from Walnut Creek to arrive and then return to the closest hospital, back in Walnut Creek. San Ramon Valley was forever improved by the addition of paramedic and ambulance services created through community support and the leadership of the San Ramon Valley Fire Department. At the same time, community leaders sought to have a state of the art medical facility in our own community. San Ramon Valley Regional Medical Center arose from the east hills of San Ramon.

Many of you know that recently I had a heart attack at my home in Danville. I am here and well because of three things. First, my son Anthony, a nineteen year old college student was at home and had fortitude to call 911, even though I initially thought I would feel fine without help. Secondly, San Ramon Valley Fire Department paramedics were in my house within three minutes of the initial call. Captain Mike Picard, Grants Sparks and John Leonard of SRVDF arrived with their excellent training, expertise and state of the art equipment to analyze my condition and quickly determined that I was having a heart attack needing medical intervention very quickly. Captain Picard quickly assessed my condition and determined that San Ramon Valley Regional Medical Center was the closet medical facility that could best save my life with rush hour morning traffic clogging our local freeway preventing a quick trip to Walnut Creek. Thirdly, San Ramon Regional Medical Center's tremendous high-technology facilities and equipment, along with skillful staffing assets, made my ordeal a successful conclusion. The emergency room doctors and staff were waiting and well aware of my condition such that within a few minutes of arrival I was under the skilful care of Dr. Sidhu, and the very talented staff of the heart catherization unit, correcting my heart condition. Of the numerous people that have called on me since this event, all have spoken of the great assets within our community, SRVFD and SRVMC, that have successfully helped save the lives of numerous individuals.

Next time I am reviewing a report on police and fire response standards, I promise you it has new personal meaning. Thank you to all at San Ramon Valley Fire Department and San Ramon Valley Regional Medical Center for their excellent care and expertise.