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Photograph by George Sakkestad

New Saratoga Planning Commissioner Joyce Hlava took her seat on April 26 along with another newcomer, Yan Zhao. Hlava is a former mayor and city councilwoman in Saratoga.

Hlava returns to public life on commission

Former councilwoman appointed to planning

By Jason Sweeney

Like Michael Corleone in the Godfather, just when Joyce Hlava thought she was out, they pulled her back in.

Well, not exactly. Hlava walked away from city politics in 1988, but it was a notice in the newspaper about an opening on the planning commission that got her thinking about getting back in.

"I saw the notice and I thought, gee, I always enjoyed being on the planning commission and thought I'd apply."

After conducting interviews, the city council selected Hlava, and newcomer Yan Zhao, to replace commissioners Mike Uhl and Michael Schallop, who had come to the end of their terms. Hlava and Zhao attended the first meeting of their new terms on April 26.

"Joyce has an enormous amount of experience and is extremely qualified," Mayor Norman Kline said.

Seven unpaid volunteers sit on the planning commission. They meet twice a month in public meetings to vote on city land use issues.

Hlava first served on the planning commission from 1982 to 1984. That led to a seat on the city council from 1984 to 1988. She served as mayor from 1986 to 1987.

During her first go-round at city hall, the construction of Highway 85 was an issue that brought people down to the council chambers to speak their minds.

"One way or another, they were going to build that road," Hlava said. "My job was to make sure it was as well done through Saratoga as we could possibly get. At the time, I couldn't see any alternative to that. I still think it was the right thing to do."

Hlava said that stance cost her the next election.

"People can be passionate about what they think, and they should be," she said. "People should come out and express their views and tell people what they think."

She said 30 years ago, the issues before the planning commission mainly concerned large housing developments. Today, the city is built out so a lot of what the planning commission reviews is individual houses rather than subdivisions. But, she said back then people were concerned about "monster homes" just as they are today. However, she has seen the size of those monster homes grow over the years. "That's true nationwide, not just in Saratoga," she said.

Another issue Hlava said has remained the same is the struggle to revitalize the economic climate in the Village. With each boom and bust cycle, Hlava said the Village prospers and then struggles. But now the business environment in the Village has become even more competitive as places such as Santana Row attract shoppers and diners away from the downtown, she explained.

In her professional life, Hlava served as president of two start-up companies, both associated with banking and the Internet. She worked as a consultant for Maxtor, a hard disk drive company, managing the company's website for 2 1Ž2 years.

She stopped working to care for her husband when he became ill with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Hlava's husband died in October 2004. Now retired, she continues to manage a website (www.alsequipexchange.org) for ALS patients that she created during her husband's illness.

"You become more aware of issues in regards to people who need wheelchairs," Hlava said of that time. "It's so wonderful to go someplace where you can step in a doorway and the door automatically opens. Those kinds of things I've become very aware of."

During her tenure on the planning commission, Hlava intends to focus on being fair. "Having served on both the commission and council before, I think I can withhold judgment until I have heard from all sides. This seems essential to me in order to give everyone a fair hearing. I am concerned that the problems of 30 years ago are still with us: how to keep the Village viable as a commercial area, huge houses, gentrification, how to keep Saratoga special as the needs and demographics of the residents change."

She has no plans to run for her old seat on city council. She said not having political ambitions frees her to make decisions based on what is right for the community rather than what is best politically.

Being a planning commissioner can be a fair amount of work, Hlava said. "It takes some time and some thought. I enjoy it. It's interesting.