Candidate for
Council Member; Town of Atherton

My relationship with Atherton began in the 1950′s when visiting my grandparents, who lived for forty-three years on Catalpa Drive in Lindenwood. I have fond memories of running through their garden and helping my grandfather with his berries and his compost. After receiving a BA in American Studies from Cal and a JD from Harvard, I returned to Atherton thirteen years ago to raise my children here.

Over the past twenty-eight years, I have worked as a business lawyer at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich and Rosati in Palo Alto and as a software executive at Genesys Telecommunications and other Silicon Valley companies. During this time, I have served on the Boards of many technology companies and non-profit organizations and I have learned how to approach difficult strategic issues and negotiate reasonable solutions that respect the needs of different stakeholders. I believe that my years of board and executive experience and my personal style of deliberation and negotiation will help me to work with the members of the Atherton Town Council to create a more respectful, intellectual and productive process on the Council.

I currently serve as Vice Chair of the Civic Center Advisory Committee and Chair of its Library Committee. Working with other dedicated residents who are members of these committees has inspired and energized me to become more involved with the future of Atherton. One of the critical changes that I believe we need on our town council is more thoughtful consideration of the issues that matter to the community well in advance of when a decision must be made. I am running for Town Council because I believe that people deserve responsible, accountable, transparent government.

My vision and priorities to improve Atherton are as follows:

1. Ensure resident-focused government and follow through on voter-approved issues.

Move forward to engage the community in the process for a new civic center and library near the train station.
Maintain Atherton's close, cooperative relationship with the police, while carefully managing the costs.
Approve a reasonable, attractive little league facility in Holbrook-Palmer Park.

2. Increase involvement from the Atherton community.

Seek significant resident involvement and ownership in the design of Atherton's new civic center and library.
Increase communication to obtain resident input on important Town Council decisions.
Leverage the tremendous expertise in the community by engaging more residents to solve road safety and other issues.

3. Build consensus among Council members and always respect differences of opinion.

Manage the town's fiscal resources in a careful and fiscally conservative manner.
Contribute executive expertise to Council deliberations and process.

I will listen to you. I am interested in your opinions and am eager to represent your interests. My experience representing people and creatively developing solutions to challenging problems will be a benefit to Atherton's Council and to you, Atherton's residents. You can read more about my personal and professional background and experience at the "About Rick" menu option above. Also, if you are able, I would welcome your help with this campaign. You can reach me at rick@rickdegolia.com or at 84 Clay Drive, Atherton.