City Council To Fill Empty Seat, Special Sessions Are Scheduled

Members seeking someone with Jim Shaw's qualities

Catch-up will be challenge

By Steve Enders

The passing of Mayor Jim Shaw left more than an empty seat on the City Council; it left a gap in the majority leadership which was voted into office based on sentiments of fiscal conservatism, slow-growth and neighborhood preservation.

His death also left a fracture in the way the council communicates with the public, both behind the scenes and in public hearings at meetings.

Even though there can never be a replacement for Jim Shaw, these are the qualities the council likely will be looking for over the next few days when it considers how to fill his empty seat.

The application deadline passed at 5 p.m. on Aug. 23. The council will choose in open session whom it will interview on Aug. 26 for the post, with subsequent interviews taking place in another open meeting on Aug. 30.

The new councilmember will be named at the regular meeting Sept. 1.

As of 2 p.m. on Aug. 23, Beth Wyman, an unsuccessful City Council candidate in 1996, and JoAn Couche-Coons had submitted applications.

What would normally be a slow time of year for the council has suddenly turned into a busy time.

After Sept. 1, whoever is selected to sit on the council will surely be faced with the task of playing catch-up on civic issues, policies and regulations that new but already sitting councilmembers have already had time to adjust to.

The Sept. 1 council agenda was supposed to carry two building appeals from the last Planning Commission meeting--by law, appeals must be heard at the next regular council meeting. Because no new councilmember can be expected to be up to speed so quickly and understand the issues, the council is expected to vote to postpone the hearings for two weeks.

Even the newest councilmembers, including Nick Streit, say the job of catching up won't be easy.

"It takes someone who really wants to get involved and wants to participate," Streit said, adding that he spends at least eight to 10 hours each week just preparing for meetings and educating himself on various issues.

And in addition to regular council duties come a number of other committee and public agency assignments in which councilmembers must represent the city. Streit sits on no less than three, all of which have regular meetings during most weeks.

Factor in running a business and being husband and father, and suddenly being a councilmember is not the least bit easy.

"If you get involved, and look at what you're doing, it just snowballs," Streit said. "And suddenly you're busy three or four nights a week."

Streit also said he'd be looking for someone who didn't have an agenda to serve, and wants someone on the council "who cares about all aspects of Saratoga."

Mayor pro tem Stan Bogosian said he didn't even want to speculate on the commitment of time spent serving the council, because it varies from week to week.

However, Bogosian said, the job does take dedication, and he'll be looking for someone with the qualities Shaw brought to the council.

"We've attempted to do the best we could in setting up this application process," he said. "Beyond that, my personal interest is in doing the best I can to complete the work Jim Shaw started. Obviously, we can't replace a person, but we can try to approximate that.

"[Shaw] had the ability to work with people, and all the qualities that have been expressed over the last couple of weeks. We're committed to what the voters want. ... I'm looking for someone who's interested in filling that."

The application available to interested candidates gives a clue as to what the coming issues facing the council may be. It asks applicants about their views on Measure G, two-story houses, the Mountain Winery and neighborhood integrity.

Whoever is elected to the council will serve through November 2000.

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