Photograph by Robert Scheer
Mayor Gillian Moran works with her son, Charles, 13, on his eighth-grade homework.
By Sarah Lombardo
She ran for a seat on the City Council because she thought it would be interesting.
Gillian Moran is now the mayor of Saratoga, and it looks as though being on the council will be interesting, indeed.
With the defeat of Measure L, Saratoga's utility-user's tax, the City Council is facing the challenge of figuring out how to run the city without the more than $1 million the tax generated.
It's a task some say is impossible.
Moran said she thinks the job is "doable" and is looking forward to the challenge.
"I think we're going to have to redefine what kind of government and community we want to have," Moran said. "I think the whole council will have to be involved and wants to be involved."
Moran first participated in local politics in 1989, when she was appointed to the Saratoga Planning Commission. In 1994, she left the commission and ran successfully for City Council. She was elected mayor Dec. 3, replacing Councilman Paul Jacobs, who still serves on the council. With a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin and the experience of teaching political science at Vanderbilt University, Moran is no stranger to politics.
But Moran said all her experience still didn't prepare her for the council. "I had never really anticipated going into politics," she said. "It's quite a different thing to teach it and to do it."
Still, Moran said she considers herself a good councilwoman.
"I feel as though I'm fair and well-informed and do my homework," Moran said. "I do what is necessary to be able to fairly and reasonably decide on an issue."
Her colleagues agree.
Councilmen Stan Bogosian and Jim Shaw, who both took part in the Yes on Measure G and the No on Measure L campaigns, said they were impressed with Moran's ability to listen to arguments with which she might not agree.
"I met Gillian for the first time when we were submitting my ballot argument for Measure G. Even though we were on opposing sides, she was very courteous and very cordial," Shaw said. "She's very sensitive to the other person's point of view, and I think she leans over backward to see my point of view."
"I worked with Gillian as a planning commissioner. I supported her when she ran in '94," Bogosian said. "I think she is a very level-headed person who attempts to listen. She is a good listener. I think she makes people feel good when they come to the council."
Vice Mayor Don Wolfe, who went from the Planning Commission to the City Council the same year as Moran, said Moran takes her job very seriously, but also makes the job easier for everyone.
"She adds that sense of humor to her interaction with people. I think it lifts the quality of life in having to do these arduous tasks [on the council]. It makes it a pleasant experience," Wolfe said. "She is diligent in doing her homework."
That might be a case of practicing what she preaches; Moran said she always has been active in helping with her children's homework.
A mother of three, Moran said that being a mom is more her job than anything else. Moran said her kids seem to hold the same opinion, not placing too much importance on the fact that mom is now the mayor.
"It's not their top priority," she said. "They're pleased that I'm on the City Council. I think they see it as a form of public service, and they're proud of that."
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 1, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.