Politics can be a rough and tumble business. The person that oftentimes becomes the focus of many a resident's ire is the mayor. The mayor leads the city council, sets the agenda and can be on the receiving end of harsh criticism when council decisions go against the wishes of one person or another.

Francis Stutzman, 85, who served as the city's 16th mayor from 1990 to 1991, said Saratoga reminded him of a place in Alaska called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. "It's full of hot springs and volcanoes that are always bubbling and about to erupt." He recalled looking out at an emotional crowd during a council meeting concerning the 1991 Parks and Trails Master Plan. "At the meeting, people were hissing and yelling and not letting people talk," he said. "I was labeled as a former member of the German military and lampooned in the Saratoga News. In reality, I had spent 12 years in the U.S. Army. It's a bruising business."

So why do they do it? Why would someone want to be elected to the city council, serve as mayor and spend countless hours every week dealing with conflicts that have neighbors upset, or dealing with such seemingly mundane issues as sewers and sidewalks, all for a $250 a month stipend that they usually don't even take?

Some do it because they want to change their community for the better. Others do it to stop change and keep Saratoga just the way it is. Some do it because there is a particular issue they care about that has spurred them into action. They all do it because they care about their community.

The former mayors of Saratoga have dealt with development and change. They have faced budget crunches and struggled with business downturns. They have sought to maintain and improve infrastructure, retain open space, save the hillsides, and keep the streets safe.

They have left legacies, such as the Saratoga Library and the Hakone Gardens, and have put in place policies that have made Saratoga one of the country's most pleasant places to live.

Since 1956, when Saratoga was incorporated as a city, 28 people have served as mayor. Ten have been women, including the two most recent incumbents, Kathleen King and Ann Waltonsmith. Some former mayors have since died, including the first, Burton Brazil, who passed away three years ago at age 82. Some have moved away, but most are still living in the community that they helped shape.

It was an honest concern about his neighborhood and the desire to improve it that got Stutzman involved in local politics. "Overall, I think the city is a great place," he said. "I wouldn't want to live anyplace else."

City government

At the time of incorporation, Saratoga had one-third the population it has today and was primarily made up of orchards. The economy of the Santa Clara Valley was increasingly shifting away from agriculture. The population was growing rapidly.

Orchard owners and ranchers were selling their land to developers that were building suburban homes for the growing number of families that were relocating.

Concerns about development and worries that they would be annexed into the growing city of San Jose motivated area residents to incorporate and form their own city with their own government and their own city council.

Saratoga was then established as a general law city organized under the laws of the state of California. A general law city has an elected city council that determines the agenda and policies of the city staff, which is led by an appointed city manager.

The city council consists of five council members elected by the public for four-year terms. Elections are staggered, with three council members elected in one year and two elected two years later.

Each year, the council selects one of its members to serve as mayor. The mayor sits as first among equals, leading meetings and setting the council agenda.

In the early years, the process was more informal. Well-liked mayors could serve a number of years before being replaced. Brazil was mayor for seven years, from 1956 to 1963. His successor, William Glennon, was mayor for five years, from 1963 to 1968.

In later years, council members rotated annually through the mayor's chair, with the council usually selecting the next mayor in line by seniority. An advisory measure suggested that council members should serve only two terms, but since the measure is not written in the city's code, it still remains possible for council members to run for more than two terms.

The second mayor

It has been 37 years since William Glennon served as mayor of Saratoga. He now spends the winters golfing in Palm Desert, but returns to his home in Saratoga each summer. Glennon remembers Saratoga the way it was before it incorporated as a city, when much of the Santa Clara Valley was filled with prune and apricot orchards.

"We could look out over the whole valley and see the beautiful white blossoms," he said. "There were very few people then as opposed to what we have now. It was really just the start of people filling in."

Glennon had served in the Navy before moving to Saratoga in 1947. In those days, he was busy running two businesses, raising five children, and studying to become a lawyer. He passed the bar while serving as mayor.

"Being a lawyer, I think, somehow or other, tends to make people aware of government at all levels, and makes them want to get along," he said.

Glennon took over as mayor from Brazil. Glennon said Brazil was popular, capable and the primary mover and shaker during the incorporation of Saratoga as an independent city. "We were extremely fortunate to have him as a first mayor because he was a professor of political science at San José State University, which gave him a leg up on understanding how government works," Glennon said.

"The issues then were how to design a city that would be a minimum service, pleasant place to live," Glennon explained. "The greatest thing we did early on was adopt the general plan that calls for a maximum of 35,000 people. The plan has been pretty much adhered to.

"Prior to that time, we were faced continually with orchardists and ranchers who saw their neighbors in San Jose making tons of money selling their property to developers. It was a continual battle."

Glennon said San Jose and other jurisdictions allowed small lots of about 5,000 square feet. Developers liked the smaller lots because they could build more houses per acre. "We decided that lots should be 10,000 square feet minimum to keep the density down."

Kenneth Hartman took over as mayor in 1968. Hartman died of a heart attack while golfing during the first month of his term as mayor.

Glennon had been golfing in Carmel at the time. When it was announced over the radio that the mayor of Saratoga had died of a heart attack while golfing, Glennon's children were grief-stricken, thinking it was their father that had passed away.

But at age 86, Glennon is alive and well and still golfing. He looks back fondly at the years he served as mayor and still takes an interest in the issues that affect Saratoga today, although not as much as he used to.

"I'm proud of it," he said of the time he served on the council and as mayor. "I'm proud to have been a part of it."

The eighth mayor

Henry Kraus started working for IBM in 1940. He moved all over the country for his job, eventually landing in California in 1956, moving to Saratoga in the early 1960s. At that time, he was not interested in local politics.

He became friends with Samuel L. Tyler, who was to become Saratoga's fourth mayor. Tyler, who died five years ago at age 81, was very active in local politics. It was Tyler who convinced Kraus to join the Saratoga Planning Commission.

When a council member resigned, Kraus was appointed to the city council. Kraus then served as mayor from 1978 to 1980.

"They were a very harmonious group," he said of the council then. "Politics were easier than they are today. You spent little money. Today it's more expensive."

Kraus remembers dealing with neighborhood traffic safety issues. Budget issues were dealt with effectively, he said.

"We did not overspend," he said. "We always met the budget or less. That was our pride."

Kraus served on the council when the library was moved to its current location at 13650 Saratoga Ave. Before then, the library was on Oak Street, where the used bookstore Book-Go-Round is today.

"The first bond issue in the city, as I recall, was for the library," he said. "We didn't know if it would fly or not."

Kraus said volunteers canvassed Saratoga, visiting every house and attempting to convince voters to approve a new library.

The bond measure passed. "We broke ground where the library is today," Kraus said. "It was a vast improvement over the one on Oak Street."

Kraus still lives in Saratoga with his wife Patricia. At age 85, he is still active, playing tennis and chasing deer and gophers from his orchard.

He said his time on the council and as mayor was interesting. "It was a good feeling," he said. "You got the feeling that you were accomplishing something. I enjoyed it. But I wouldn't do it again."

The 12th mayor

Marty Clevenger served 12 years on the city council and was mayor twice, from 1985 to 1986 and from 1989 to 1990. She was the third woman to serve as mayor, after Linda Callon and Virginia Fanelli.

Clevenger had been active with the PTA and the League of Women Voters and was raising three children when she decided to get involved in local politics. "I had a lot of concerns about what was going on in town," she said.

Those concerns led to Clevenger becoming Saratoga's longest serving council member.

With more than a decade on the city council, she remembers dealing with a variety of issues--from terrible landslides in the hills to the impact on adjacent neighbors of the construction of Highway 85.

"The hillsides initiative was passed in 1980 when I first came on the council," she said. "We worked very hard to carry out that measure but it was difficult. It was essentially about reducing the housing density in the hillsides and making sure that houses were built in an environmentally sensitive way.

"The thing that I was proudest of when I was mayor both times was that we were very careful that any new housing was compatible with the neighborhood. We were careful that the house was not too intense for the lot.

"I was very concerned with preserving as much open space as we could," she said.

Another concern was the economic vitality of the Saratoga Village. Big Basin Way at the time had a ridge that ran down the center of the street. The council got the funds from Caltrans and Big Basin Way was flattened and fixed. Clevenger also recalls old sewer pipes made of hollowed out redwood trees being replaced and modernized.

She said that budget cuts were a serious issue. "I got to worrying about what would happen to Hakone if we couldn't afford to keep it up." She came up with the idea of establishing the Hakone Garden Foundation and called up Glennon to see what he thought. "He said it was a great idea and put together the trust," she said. "Now that the foundation runs Hakone Garden, that protects the property from being sold."

"After I got off the council, I became executive director for the Santa Clara County Cities Association," she said. She is now retired and doesn't keep up much with local politics.

"I really enjoyed working with residents," she said of her time on the council and as mayor. "That was fun for me. I spent a lot of time on it and got a lot of satisfaction from it."

The 20th mayor

Paul Jacobs was the 20th Saratogan to serve as mayor. He sat in the mayor's chair from 1995 to 1996, nearly three decades after his father-in-law, William Glennon, was mayor.

Jacobs, like his father-in-law, is a lawyer. "He was an example," Jacobs said of Glennon. "He certainly was an inspiration."

Jacobs is from Chicago, where he said architecture and city planning are serious business. "I was on the planning commission because I've always been interested in city planning and architecture and so forth," he said. "I thought, hey, I know what goes on there and wanted to give it a try."

Jacobs served on the council in the pre-dot-com years. "The economy was tough," he said. He said he spent a lot of time dealing with a severe financial crunch. Attempting to find new sources of revenue and trying to determine what areas could be cut were primary concerns. "Nobody likes to see services reduced, particularly services they had," he explained. "When you are in a rising economy and you have plenty of money, you can make people happy by funding what they want. That's a luxury we didn't have."

"In a community like Saratoga where people have a lot of money, they expect a lot," he said. "And they pay a lot of taxes, but their tax money does not go to the city. It goes elsewhere, which makes it particularly difficult."

Jacobs said he sees Saratoga remaining a minimum service city with limited funds with which to operate. He explained that the downtown area lacks the space to expand and a build up a commercial tax base. "You're not going to go tearing down houses or building high rises," he said.

While mayor, he wanted to see some commercial development mixed with housing when land owned by the Paul Mason Winery was being developed. "I wanted to combine commercial with housing but that didn't sit well with the neighbors. They wanted houses, and unfortunately, that's what they got.

"There is no space for change nor a desire for change. Nobody's interested in a Santana Row for Saratoga. That just isn't in the cards. It doesn't belong in Saratoga. So what we are going to have is relatively small business districts with small stores and a low revenue base."

What does Jacobs think of the current financial squeeze the city is feeling? "I know they are struggling with budget problems," he said. "They certainly have my sympathy. Been there--done that."

Jacobs said after he left the council he was happy to be out of local politics. "I'm a divorce lawyer and I thought that was pretty brutal," he said. "Being mayor, the battles people fight are just as brutal. The only difference is that as mayor you get your name in the newspaper all the time."

After a long absence from city affairs, Jacobs has gotten involved again, putting his experience to work by serving on the Kevin Moran Park Task Force.

The future

Saratoga is a sleepy town with beautiful homes, gorgeous views and a great climate. It also has an active citizenry and a political climate that is sure to remain interesting as mayors and council members attempt to resolve conflicts, fix problems and shape Saratoga into the kind of community its citizens wish to live in.

On Dec. 6, the day this issue goes to press, the 29th person to serve as mayor of Saratoga will be selected by the city council. Several issues will face the new mayor in the upcoming year. The development of Kevin Moran Park and the DeAnza Trail, the sale of the North Campus property, the continued efforts to bring economic vitality to the Village and shore up the tax base, and dealing with an ongoing budget crunch are issues sure to keep the new mayor busy.

Stutzman may be retired from local politics but he still has some advice for Saratoga residents--demand more openness and get more involved in the community. That way Saratoga will remain a pleasant place to live.

The city of Saratoga is seeking contact information for former mayors and council members in preparation for the city's 50th anniversary celebration next year. Anyone with contact information for former mayors and council members should contact Ann Sullivan at 408.868.1216 or asullivan@saratoga.ca.us, or Cathleen Boyer at 408.868.1269 or ctclerk@saratoga.ca.us.

Burton R. Brazil--1956-1963

William E. Glennon--1963-1968

Kenneth R. Hartman--1968

Samuel L. Tyler--1968-1970

Charles H. Robbins--1970-1972

Jerome A. Smith--1972-1974

Colman M. Bridges--1974-1978

Henry J. Kraus Jr.--1978-1980

Linda A. Callon--1980-1983

David Moyles--1983-1984

Virginia Fanelli--1984-1985

Marty Clevenger--1985-1986, 1989-1990

Joyce Hlava--1986-1987

Don Peterson--1987-1988

Karen Anderson--1988-1989, 1992-1993

Francis Stutzman--1990-1991

Willem Kohler--1991-1992

Karen Tucker--1993-1994

Ann Marie Burger--1994-1995

Paul Jacobs--1995-1996

Gillian Moran--1996-1997

Don Wolfe--1997-1998

Jim Shaw--1998-1999

Stan Bogosian--1999-2000

John Mehaffey--2000-2001

Nick Streit--2001-2003

Ann Waltonsmith--2003-2004

Kathleen King--2004-2005