Saratoga News
News
A controversial campaign mailer heats things up in Measure J race
'Misleading' to include Streit, Anderson on flier
By Jason Sweeney
You may have seen the fliers. They were mailed out to eligible Saratoga voters last week.
Mayor Norman Kline called them unethical and purposefully misleading. He said they would be highly unusual even in the nastiest and dirtiest San Jose political campaign.
The fliers in question were put together by the Save Saratoga's North Campus committee--a well-organized and committed group of Saratogans who are trying to convince their fellow residents to vote "no" on Measure J in the upcoming California primary and local elections on June 6.
Measure J concerns the 2.5-acre North Campus property the city purchased for $4.5 million in July 2002 from the Grace United Methodist Church. If the "no" votes win, the sale of the property for $6.75 million to developer Mike Masoumi would be canceled and the city would be blocked from selling the property for one year. If the "yes" votes come out on top, the sale goes through.
The Save Saratoga's North Campus committee has placed signs in yards and along roads throughout the city. It has set up a website and handed out fliers in front of supermarkets and the post office. It also bulk-mailed fliers to city residents that have Councilman Nick Streit and City Manager Dave Anderson calling foul.
The fliers display pictures of Streit and Anderson alongside quotes taken from 2002 issues of the Saratoga News. The pictures and quotes from Streit and Anderson appear with supporters of the "no" vote on Measure J.
The quote next to Streit's picture reads, "Nick Streit says he will defend the city's $4.5 million purchase to anyone... This council... had the vision to anticipate the city's need for land and purchase property that future councils can make greater use from." That quote was taken from an article in the Sept. 18, 2002, issue of the Saratoga News shortly after the city purchased the North Campus. The article is still available on the Saratoga News website at saratoganews.com.
The quote next to Anderson's picture reads, "Anderson said the [North Campus] could be used for senior and sports programs, as well as general city services and community meeting space, and would also free up space in the Saratoga Community Center, as well as the Civic Theatre and the administrative conference room. 'Those spaces are booked solid.' " The quote was taken from an article in the April 24, 2002, issue of the Saratoga News, when Anderson was in final negotiations for the purchase of the property. The article is also available on the Saratoga News website.
Streit said the quote next to his photograph was taken out of context. He said it might mislead people into believing he supports a "no" vote on Measure J. Streit voted to sell the North Campus, and he wrote the argument for voting "yes" on Measure J that will appear on the June 6 ballot.
"I was mayor when this thing was bought," he said. "When we bought that property, the city had substantial dollars. The ultimate goal of the purchase was to keep the sheriff's department in Saratoga."
But the fiscal climate of the city changed when the dotcom bubble burst. The sheriff's department ended up moving to Cupertino. "The fiscal status of the city has changed drastically since 2002 to today. The need in 2002 was to keep the sheriff substation in the city. The need in 2006 is to use the proceeds of the sale of the North Campus for the city infrastructure and buildings. We're still in the hole with our street infrastructure. Every year, that backlog is getting bigger."
As city manager, Anderson is supposed to remain neutral in political matters. Kline said the flier quoting Anderson gives the impression that he is taking sides on Measure J. "One of the greatest strengths of California city politics is that city staff remain neutral," he said. "Using his picture is misleading and wrong."
Kline said he couldn't recall any political campaign in California in which a city manager was used in such a manner. "Using someone's picture out of context to convey something he does not believe to be true is unethical."
But Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith sees things differently. "For Dave, we quoted him for the public record. For Nick, we wanted to show that he flip-flopped. We put the date on it. To show a person's position at a point in time is perfectly legitimate.
"It was done in response to Norman making statements on why the property was purchased. But Norman wasn't on the city council then. Norman was saying that we bought it to put the seniors on it and put the sheriff's department on the main campus. But we bought it for a much larger vision--to provide for a variety of city services. That's why we needed the quote from Dave."
Jack Mallory, a longtime opponent of selling the North Campus to developers, said the Save Saratoga's North Campus committee is going strong. "This is really a community effort. People are sending money to us who are supportive of us. There is a strong spirit in this town that is really coming out." Although he was not involved in the preparation of the flier, he said, "Those quotes were from an earlier time, but they are part of the record."
Marcia Fariss, a member of the Save The Saratoga North Campus steering committee, said between 30 to 40 people were involved in the creation of the flier. "We have an enthusiastic group. The response has been overwhelming. It's very definitely grassroots."
Regarding the flier, Fariss said, "I think if anything is unethical, I refuse to be involved in it. All we did was quote what they said when the property was purchased. We have very intelligent people in this community. People can draw their own conclusions."
Streit said Saratogans are going to make a tough choice when they vote on Measure J. "Do they want to keep the North Campus that we can't afford? Or do they want the $6.75 million from the sale to go to the lifeblood of our city--our streets, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, storm drains, parks and our buildings at city hall?"
