Saratoga News

Candidates file for Council and board seats as deadline passes

Wolfe will run for college board instead of council

No high school district race

By Sarah Lombardo and Michelle Alaimo

The hats are officially in the ring for the Saratoga City Council race. Up for grabs are three council seats belonging to councilmembers Gillian Moran, Paul Jacobs and Mayor Don Wolfe.

Moran, who joined the council in 1994, filed candidacy papers Aug. 7 but is the only incumbent in the race. Nine people initially took out candidacy papers, but only five finally filed by the 5 p.m. deadline on Aug. 12, including Saratogans Evan Baker, Erna Jackman and John Mehaffey.

Current Finance Commissioner Nick Streit also filed papers with the city clerk's office. Streit still has more than two years left of his term on the commission.

One current city commissioner who pulled papers but did not file is Planning Commissioner Henry Murakami. "I thought about it, and I still have to work," Murakami said of the time commitment asked of city councilmembers. "Also, I just don't think I'm prepared."

But Murakami, who has been on the Planning Commission since 1995, did not rule out running for council in the future. "There's always two years from now," he said.

Saratogan Marcia Fariss, a vocal critic of the outgoing councilmembers and one of the first to pull papers when the nomination period opened last month, also did not file for candidacy. But Wolfe did--for one of two openings on the West Valley/Mission Community College Board of Trustees, that is. In Trustee Area 1, the seats of Maxine Sanders and Arne Lunde will be available come November.

Wolfe will face three other challengers for a seat in that trustee area, including council-watcher and Saratoga resident Jeffrey Schwartz. Schwartz, also a vocal critic of Wolfe and Jacobs, is a participant in a lawsuit against the city over the condition of the Saratoga Creek. Since the suit was filed by the Friends of Santa Clara County Creeks and the San Francisco BayKeeper in 1995, Wolfe and Schwartz have often sparred verbally at council meetings.

Incumbent Pete Siemens is unopposed for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's Ward 1.

A number of school board seats are also up for grabs within Saratoga, but some districts won't have much of a race at all. In all, a total of six seats are up for grabs in four school districts with schools in Saratoga.

Many of those running for election are not incumbents and in some cases, there are the same number of people running for office as there are seats available. According to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, when the number of candidates is equal to the number of seats up for election, those candidates are automatically named to the board and not placed on a ballot.

Ron Adolphson, who is one of three people running for three seats in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, said this is the first time in eight years serving on various boards that he has not had to run a campaign.

"It's one of those rare times where everyone is satisfied," Adolphson said, referring to the limited number of candidates. Other automatic new members of the high school district board include Cynthia Chang, who is finishing a four-year term on the Saratoga Union School District board, and Philip Nielson.

Incumbents Bob Allen and Nancy Crampton will not seek re-election.

The Saratoga Union School District has only one incumbent--Stephani Petrossi--running for re-election. Others trying for one of the three open spots are Aileen Kao, Bonnie Yamaoka and Stan Perry.

SUSD board member Peggy Koen is not seeking re-election.

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