Sure the council is facing controversy over decisions regarding the North Campus facility, the De Anza Trail, Kevin Moran Park and the addition of Starbucks in the Village. But it's hardly enough to consider recall.

It's not this council that stuck the city with the albatross that is the North Campus. The council's decision to purchase the property was ill-conceived at the time, and to sell it now to recoup the city's losses only makes sense.

It's not this council's fault that the retail climate in the Village is failing. To bring in a high-profile business like Starbucks can only help draw visitors to the otherwise vacant downtown; that's what's needed to help revitalize the business district.

The De Anza Trail and Kevin Moran Park projects may or may be good for the city, but the one thing they have in common, along with many other issues in Saratoga, is this: They are most aggressively opposed by the "not in my backyard" faction that is so prevalent in this city.

No matter what issue a city council faces, there will be strong feelings on both sides. It's impossible to satisfy both sides, but council members must make decisions based on what they believe to be in the best interest of the overall community--not just one neighborhood or one special interest group. Whether or not a council member accomplishes that task should be determined by actions over a four-year term and addressed in the polling booth, not by the recall process.