Waltonsmith and newcomer throw their hats in the ring

By Kara Chalmers

Saratoga City Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith has announced that she will run for one of the two council positions open on the ballot in the Nov. 7 general election. Eva Giordano, a telecommunications management consultant and real estate broker, said she will run. Mayor Stan Bogosian said he has yet to decide. No other residents have announced their candidacy yet.

According to city clerk Cathleen Boyer, who is handling the election, while Waltonsmith, Giordano and Bogosian have not yet formally filed for council candidacy, the three have picked up the candidate binders that contain pertinent information on running for a seat and the forms for candidates to fill out.

Bogosian's and Waltonsmith's council terms end in November. When former Mayor Jim Shaw died in August 1999, the council appointed Waltonsmith to finish his term.

The new council members will each be elected for four-year terms. As of July 17, citizens interested in running for one of the two seats could formally file for candidacy. They have until Aug. 11 to file, when the nomination period closes.

If Waltonsmith or Bogosian fail to file for candidacy by Aug. 11, the deadline for filing or nominating will be extended to Aug. 16.

Bogosian is a part-time instructor for ACCTS, a consortium of community colleges for traffic safety in Santa Clara County. He also runs his family's timber business in Washington. Waltonsmith is a full-time clinical psychologist. She has a private practice and also works with a local branch of a national HMO.

Also on Nov. 7, citizens will vote on a ballot measure. If passed, it would extend a current moratorium on residential development of commercially zoned land in the city to March 15, 2002. The moratorium, which was approved by the council as an urgency measure on March 15, will expire on Dec. 31, 2000, if it is voted down in November.

Any voter or group of voters can file a written argument for or against any ballot measure with the city clerk's office no later than Aug. 1, according to the California Election Code.

In June, the council passed resolutions calling the general election for Nov. 7 and placing the moratorium measure on the ballot.

Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith adds her name to the list of candidates running for one of two available council seats in the Nov. 7 general election

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