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Marchetti finds that she and other Saratogans think alike

By Shannon Burkey

The decision to run for Saratoga City Council was one Marilyn Marchetti knew she could not make on her own. So she went to the one person closest to her and asked him to decide.

"Because four years is quite a commitment, I went to my husband and told him it was pretty much up to him because it will be a big impact in our lives," Marchetti said. "I thought he would tell me not to do it, but he said that knowing what a wonderful city council person I would be, how could he say no?"

She had been considering running, but it wasn't until that moment, when she received the support of her husband of 36 years, that she decided she was going for it.

Ever since she was a teenager, Marchetti has loved Saratoga. Growing up in Sunnyvale and Cupertino, she would often make the trip to Saratoga to take in movies at her favorite theater on Big Basin Way. Although the theatre no longer exists, Marchetti's love of Saratoga still does.

Now, 15 years after moving to Saratoga, she hopes to bring the community together and restore trust she feels residents have lost.

"I guess the main thing is that I thought I could be a real positive influence to the city council," she said. "I really want to make people in the community feel they are a part of Saratoga and bring them together."

In talking to people in the community, Marchetti said she has found many of them to be unhappy with decisions the current council has made. She said people have also told her that they don't feel the council cares about what they have to say.

"The city council now is not really a true representation of the people of Saratoga," Marchetti said. "One of the first things I would like to do if elected is to make each citizen feel like they are a vital part of the community with a voice that will be heard. We are all lucky to live in Saratoga, and we should all feel like we are a part of the community."

Another issue of importance to Marchetti and one of her top priorities if elected is the restoration of Saratoga's various commissions.

"I think it is critical to have input from people through the commissions," Marchetti said.

The commissions were disbanded by the council due to budget cuts, but Marchetti believes they will not cost too much to operate if they are brought back. Most of the work can be done by volunteers so city money does not have to be spent on staff or consultants, she said.

"There are a lot of things you can do without involving staff. There are very competent people who can take minutes so you don't have to have a staff person there," Marchetti said. "We've been wasting a lot of money on consultants as far as I'm concerned, and the consultants are out of touch with the residents of Saratoga. The people on the commissions know the neighborhoods pretty well. They are extremely competent people, and they are a valuable asset to the city."

As a member of the Saratoga Village Development Council, Marchetti says the Village is an issue that means a lot to her. She would like to see it revitalized, but stresses that whatever comes in needs to be the right fit.

"I don't think three stories fits in the Village, and we need to get something that fits right. There are all kinds of shops that will help revitalize the Village. The secret is to get something different in there," she said.

When it comes to business, she said the Village is stuck in a Catch-22.

"Businesses want to come in, but they won't because we are not vital enough," said Marchetti, "and we want to revitalize for them, but we can't because we don't have any kind of draw stores."

If elected, Marchetti said that she would like to be a liaison with the Village Task Force and work to bring businesses in without losing the charm of the Village.

"We like it to be quaint and different. We don't want another Santana Row, but we want the shops to be vital and we want people to go down in the Village to have fun and a nice experience. We want that small kind of village atmosphere, but we want people to come in," she said.

Another issue she said she is passionate about is protecting the city's parks and open spaces, and if elected she would like the city to try and find more park space.

"I am adamant about protecting our parks, hillsides and creeks. Those are the things that make Saratoga unique. If we didn't have them we would be just like any other city," she said.

Marchetti said that through her campaigning and meeting people from all parts of Saratoga she has found her opinions are similar to those of many of Saratoga's residents and that is why she thinks people should cast their vote for her on election day.