League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Timothy W. Gray Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Palo Alto

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Palo Alto and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What are the most important recommendations of the Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission Report: Catch-up, Keep-up and Moving Ahead? Why?

Our roads and sidewalks are a clear priority, as they impact our immediate safety. Finding a solution to the unsafe condition of our public safety building is essential.

In our rush to find a solution to correct these needs, we must not forget to take a sincere look at regional cooperation for some of the Public Safe needs. Also, we must be sure that we don't just locate a facility because of a developer's offer of a Public Benefit.

Also the City must demonstrate a little more fiscal responsibility before it asks the voters for a bailout that is the direct result from accumulated excess spending.

The Palo Alto political machinery is gearing up to "Sell" the community on the idea of a bond measure to fund the infrastructure deficit.

I certainly understand the need to fix our roads and sidewalks, to underground the utility lines, and to replace the Public Safety Building before a potential disaster comes our way.

The big deception headed our way is that if you don't support a big bond measure, you are not supporting public safety.

We do have more than a $300 million infrastructure deficit, and that happened one year at a time by spending all our revenue on operations by letting repairs fall behind or not setting aside an appropriate reserve for known future needs.

That is like a family that uses their "available" cash to take an extra Hawaii vacation each year. Then, when faced with not having enough money to keep their roof from falling in, they raid their children's piggy banks and college education funds.

Before we go to the voters and ask for a bailout, we need to show a little financial discipline to at least provide a standard and prudent "down payment" by reducing our operating expenses to fund future infrastructure needs by more than the token $2 million that was offered in the current budget.

The formula is clear + prioritize spending on services and then reduce from the bottom. It will be uncomfortable, but not nearly as painful if we don't do something different than the past. To borrow a commonly known question, "If you keep doing the Same Old Stuff, what makes you think you are going to have a different result?"

We can do better, and it starts with finding at least another $5 million in operating expense to reduce, and use it as a "down payment" on our future. We don't have to look too far to see what happens when we adopt a "zero down, figure out how to pay for it later" approach.

A shared community vision on spending priorities is the only cure. We cannot accept anything less. By borrowing from our future, we will surely strangle the creativity that has made this place great, because we will be in a position of paying for our historical excesses, vs. building a brighter future. Financial discipline does not strangle, but rather preserves the opportunity to create. We can do better.

The City Infrastructure report categorized the "Infrastructure Deficit" as in several categories like "Catch up", "Keep Up", "Special Projects" or replacement needs, and then there are prudent reserves for future needs. We all know that things don't "wear out" all at once, but we do know with some precision the "useful lives" of those assets and setting up prudent reserves for the day they do break is a common business practice.

Whether the "Deficit" is $300 million or $400 million does not change the need for fundamental change in the City's budgeting and spending.

Last year the budget did make room for setting aside $2 million for future reserves, but we need to do more. Perhaps $6 million would be a start. We need to roll out the data that compares Palo Alto with other cities, and trim to those levels. There are assertions that Palo Alto has management costs greater than cities twice its size. The size of our unfunded Healthcare benefits and Pension cost may offer greater surprises as we dig deeper.

Like him or not, Bill Clinton said it best: "It's arithmetic!" Collectively we need to say: "Show me the numbers."

Sure, belt-tightening is painful, and it does not make friends, but it is essential that we make financial balance our number one priority. Pushing the problem off to the future with a bond measure only creates greater deficits. Let's get the job done. The sooner the better.

Timothy Gray The Web Link to the City Report is: http://archive.cityofpaloalto.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=2...

2. In balancing the budget, what are the critical decisions when deciding which services and which infrastructure projects should be funded?

As noted in the previous answer, safety is a priority. After that, it will take a vigorous community conversation with a broad spectrum of the residents (not just the typical insiders) to develop a shared community priority list. We have debates about one item at a time, but we really need to have a more comprehensive (with a small c) plan on where we want to go. Then everybody can stop debating and start getting the work done.

3. Bay Area regional planning agencies are planning for growth along transportation corridors and for infill development over the next 25 to 30 years.  What are the advantages and disadvantages for Palo Alto in participating in this planning process? 

We can participate in the planning, and promote solutions to the regional jobs and housing imbalance without abandoning the character of our City that many have sacrificed to preserve. It is non-sense that an outside agency like ABAG can dictate our future. At the same time, we must recognize that the problems they are trying to solve are real, and solutions reached on a regional basis. We must preserve the values of our Comprehensive Plan, and honor the rules of the road that we have sacrificed much to defend.

City political boundaries are are artificial when it comes to the ebb and flow of work and life in the Peninsula. We can cooperate without caving in, and becoming a place that doesn't even resemble the Palo Alto we know and love.

The advantages of cooperation is that the problem gets solved and we retain a say in what our greater region looks like. The disadvantage is that we get pulled into a growth agenda that is driven by developers, and leaves the resident in the dust of a skyscraper's foundation.

My vision for Palo Alto is one of balance... environmental, fiscal and for the quality of life.

Palo Alto has a rich history, and a reputation as a city of innovation. When I walk out my door each morning I say, "I love this place." When my children's grandchildren walk out their doors in the Palo Alto of the future, I want them to have the same sentiment. Our City may look significantly different then, while it can still be a wonderful place to live.

While we can't dictate the future, we can set examples and establish traditions and programs that will serve to bring forth the greatest good for our community. This is my vision.

Balance is a pathway of discovery. It may seem almost impossible to maintain balance in our world when we consider the challenges of protecting the environment, preserving the quality of life, and at the same time making room for more people. Yet I strongly believe that we can be true to our heritage and find the way. By respecting the different points of view of our diverse community, we can find a balance as we honor and strengthen the points of agreement. And then, from a unified vision, forward progress will be assured.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 3, 2012 16:10
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