At a candidate forum organized by the Saratoga Woods Homeowners Association at Saratoga Creek Drive on Sept. 21, Saratoga City Council candidate Andy Barnes said that he might have lost the last time he ran for city government but he was in good company. Both FDR and Lincoln had also lost the first time they ran for election.

Barnes talked about his life experiences, about transporting cows to Sudan and also about his plan for Saratoga.

"I am here to stay; I love this city," said Barnes.

He said he was against the utility-tax measure that the city is proposing. "I am a fiscal conservative," he said. Barnes said that if elected he would keep Saratoga as a minimum services city.

Mayor Ann Waltonsmith, running for re-election to the council, said that she had helped preserve the character of the city. She talked about the Gateway project, the shuttle to Montalvo and the West Valley College stadium problem. She also said that she had kept the issue of noise abatement on Highway 85 alive. She mentioned how she had worked toward preserving the open spaces in the city and enhance the parks.

Aileen Kao, who is running on a slate with Waltonsmith, said that she moved to Saratoga because she found it beautiful, serene and tranquil. She talked about her professional experience at a number of companies like Eastman Kodak, BASF and Cisco.

Sal Goldstone, a local resident who was at the meeting, asked about the revitalization of Saratoga downtown.

Waltonsmith said that high rents were driving away retailers from the downtown area. Kao talked about the need for a record store or

bookstore to attract a younger crowd. Barnes said he would promote one anchor tenant like a grocery store around which other businesses can develop.

It was a sparsely attended meeting. Jeff Schwarz, a member of the West Valley College­Mission College Board, showed up to talk about the bond measure that the college district is trying to pass. Schwarz has been very visible at city council meetings in the last few months as the college authorities and the council hammered together a deal on the West Valley College stadium issue.

Dick Allen, chairman of the finance commission, was at the meeting to talk about the utility-tax measure. Both Schwarz and Allen also directed questions at the three people running for council, some of them specifically directed at Barnes.

Sam Ochi, campaign manager for Barnes, directed some questions at Waltonsmith.

The use of the North Campus Facility, which the city bought in 2001, was a contentious issue at the forum. Barnes felt that the city would get rid of some of its revenue problems if the facility were sold. Waltonsmith defended the purchase of the campus and said that as a trend property values tend to go up and the campus could be put to a lot of uses.

Evan Baker, the president of the Saratoga Woods Homeowners Association, the host organization for the forum, weighed in to defend the purchase of the campus. He is a former council member and chairman of the revenue review committee that recommended the utility tax.