Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Councilmembers Stan Bogosian (left) and Jim Shaw take the oath of office.

Newcomers officially join the City Council

By Sarah Lombardo

There's a new cast of characters on the stage at City Hall. With cameras flashing and video cameras whirring, Jim Shaw and Stan Bogosian took the oath of office Dec. 3 on the stage of the Civic Theater to become members of the Saratoga City Council.

Shaw and Bogosian filled seats vacated by Ann Marie Burger, who unsuccessfully ran for re-election, and Karen Tucker, who chose not to run for a second term.

In their inaugural remarks to the council, both men vowed to create a more open atmosphere at City Hall. Bogosian even announced his plan to submit a list of new ideas to the council, which he did at the council's meeting Dec. 4. The list was put on the agenda for discussion on Dec. 10.

"As a council, we must open up the process of government in order to include more participation and tap the vast resources of talents in our city," Bogosian said. "We must set the stage both literally and figuratively for how business is to be conducted in Saratoga."

Shaw echoed the desire to make City Hall more accessible, offering a humorous interpretation of what the election results meant.

"It was gratifying to consider the significant number of votes the Shaw-Bogosian ticket received, but I do think we need to understand what the votes were for and what the votes do not stand for. . . . I reluctantly understand that the vote was not an outpouring of admiration for the charm and Superman-like qualities of Shaw or Bogosian," Shaw quipped. "I do think that it stands for direction to this council to try hard to make our local government easier to access and to demonstrate greater awareness and responsiveness to its citizens."

Both men thanked the voters and the council for their support and said they were looking forward to working with the other councilmembers.

Among the actions in Shaw and Bogosian's first council meeting was the reorganization of the council, during which Gillian Moran was voted into the office of mayor and Don Wolfe garnered the position of vice mayor. Former Mayor Paul Jacobs was thanked by the council for his work as mayor. He will continue to serve on the council until the end of his term in November 1998.

In addition to the change of faces on the council, Moran introduced a change to procedure: residents addressing the council may now sit on the Civic Theater stage with the council or stand at the podium in front of the stage when speaking. In the past, only the podium was available.

Moran said she wanted residents to feel comfortable speaking to the council and said she realized that some people found the podium intimidating. "We'll try this for a while," Moran said. "I hope it works out."