May 5, 2008

2 vie for seat on Atherton's City Council

By Banks Albach / Daily News Staff Writer

Two candidates with starkly different positions are squaring up for a vacant seat on Atherton's City Council.

Voters on June 3 will elect either Jim Dobbie or Elizabeth Lewis to fill the seat vacated by former City Council Member Alan Carlson in November. Carlson's departure left the four remaining council members with a decision to either appoint someone until 2010, or hold a special election. The June vote is expected to cost the town around $15,000.

Both candidates sit on Atherton's General Plan Committee and have contrasting views about the direction of Atherton and its politics.

Dobbie is running on a slow-growth platform and said he feels that Atherton is heading in the right direction for the most part. Atherton is in excellent fiscal shape, with reserves around $9 million, he said. And the town recently had a handful of clean fiscal audits. But his central concern revolves around too much home construction. If he wins the seat, Dobbie said he'll work to limit the duration and amount of construction around Atherton.

"This town was founded on the basis that it would be kept rural and countrified," Dobbie said. "I want to keep Atherton as rural as possible. I know there is going to be growth, but I want it to be controlled."

Elizabeth Lewis - recently endorsed by Carlson - is focusing her campaign on recent issues that have polarized many Atherton residents. She wants to repeal a controversial historical artifact ordinance that prevents residents from moving certain items within city limits. She said she is also interested in revisiting Atherton's special events ordinance, which prohibits non-school related events after 7 p.m. without a permit. The ordinance has struck a sharp nerve with residents who feel it's biased against youth sports. It's supporters, however, including Dobbie, claim that noise needs to be regulated and that sports organizers can apply for permits. Dobbie also supports the historic artifact law.

In general, Lewis said she feels that the town has been run by a small group of people for far too long.

"When I joined the General Plan Committee, it occurred to me that the town and its committees were really being run by the same faces," Lewis said. "The same group of people were moving from one committee to another."

Save for the theft of some lawn signs by supporters on both sides, the campaign has been quiet so far. Dobbie's background is in corporate management. He's lived in Atherton for about 15 years and resides in the Lindenwood neighborhood with Patricia, his wife of 51 years. They have three daughters. As of March 17, Dobbie has raised $4,534 and spent $2,811. The largest donation of $900 came from an Atherton resident.

Lewis has lived in Atherton for about 10 years with her husband Joe and their four children. She works in commercial real estate, volunteered in 2005 on Atherton's Measure W campaign to renew a parcel tax and was active in the Palo Alto Unified School District when her family lived in Palo Alto. As of March 17, Lewis has raised just under $500, and has not spent anything.
The next set of financial statements from the candidates is due on May 16.



E-mail Banks Albach at balbach@dailynewsgroup.com.