Update: Since the article below was published, the time period for people to file papers to run for council has closed. In District 3, only one candidate jumped into the race, Jeff Schmidt. In District 5, library commission member Jennifer Wise and perennial candidate Greg Conlon are running.
BY AMELIA BISCARDI
Daily Post Staff Writer
No incumbents are seeking re-election to the Menlo Park City Council, but instead of sparking a competitive race with a lot of challengers, just a few people have signed up, with only days left for others to decide to run.
Unless more people sign up, that could mean no one challenges current Environmental Quality Commissioner Jeff Schmidt for the District 3 seat, including the Vintage Oaks, Linfield Oaks and Felton Gables neighborhoods. It is currently held by Jen Wolosin, who was elected in 2020.
Library Commissioner Jennifer Wise is running for the District 5 seat held by Maria Doerr, who was appointed in 2023. Former Mayor Catherine Carlton pulled papers to run but didn’t return them on time.
The deadline to file to run for both seats ends today (Aug. 14) at 5 p.m.
When Wolosin announced her decision not to run in March, she said she was doing so months in advance so contenders could jump into the ring. When Wolosin was elected in 2020, she ran against Max Fennell and Chelsea Nguyen.
Doerr offered in her announcement to meet with any potential District 5 candidates and discuss the position.
The two candidates for District 5, the seat that represents the Sharon Heights area, is a far cry from the 13 candidates who initially volunteered for the seat after former Councilman Ray Mueller was elected as a county supervisor.
Here is a quick look at the three candidates so far:
Schmidt, 54 has been living in Menlo Park for about four years with his wife and their three teenagers. He works for Stanford in the student life division and has held jobs in both nonprofits and corporations.
Schmidt says his focus is to move away from fossil fuels, being considerate about the climate and encouraging youth to become involved in governmental projects.
When asked about the 50-story tower proposed for the former Sunset Magazine Headquarters at Willow and Middlefield roads, Schmidt told the Post in April that the proposal was “concerning” but said “it’s hard to tell what’s real” about the project since no formal application had been filed with the city at that point.
Wise, 32, is running because she wants to keep Menlo Park beautiful, which includes a plan to revitalize downtown.
Wise and her husband moved to Menlo Park four years ago and she is running because she wants to preserve Menlo Park’s beauty. She specifically wants to preserve the city’s green spaces along with expanding park access.
Wise is working with fellow city council candidate Schmidt to develop a downtown revitalization plan, the key being listening to business owners.
Wise said one of the big issues she sees is small businesses struggling and lots of vacant buildings downtown.
With the Sunset project, she told the Post she wants to wait and decide further down the road what her stance is on the 50-story building.
Carlton, 57, is running for city council again. She has not returned inquiries from the Post about her potential council run.
Carlton was on council from 2012 until 2020. She has not returned inquiries from the Post about her potential council run.
Carlton currently represents the city on the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District’s board. She also applied to fill the District 5 seat when Mueller resigned to join the Board of Supervisors.
When she applied for the seat, she said in her application the three immediate issues the city faced was its housing element, traffic and electrifying buildings.
Carlton’s attendance in meetings towards the end of her serving on the council was an issue. Out of 15 meetings the council had held by June 2019, Carlton was physically absent from seven of them joining via speakerphone.
This is what district elections produce. Lightweights who will walk on without competition and no election. We get to vote once every 4 years and have no choice.
Wise wants to wait and “decide down the road” about the Sunset monster project in a residential neighborhood! but wants a beautiful city. Yikes. Neither candidate is ready for prime time. Menlo Park and North Palo Alto will suffer grave negative impacts from the Sunset project.
A candidate who is on the fence over a proposed 30-story building? Is that a joke? She shouldn’t get anywhere near a seat on council.
[Comment deleted, Terms of Use Violation. We’ll repost your comment if you have proof that this person is a “puppet master” of three current council members. But you can’t make accusations without facts.]
Where has this candidate been if she doesn’t have an opinion about Sunset towers project? I guess it’s useless to ask her what she would do about it. It could be that she decides that it looks pretty and would back it for aesthetic reasons. I guess she won’t tell us whether she wants a 50-story building in town until after the election.
Turns out via readily available, simple public info research that neither Schmidt nor Wise are homeowners (read property taxpayers) who have seemingly been appointed to advisory commissions. Voters should know as District 5 “passing through” Doerr was appointed, not elected. Voters need to be provided detailed information re: Schmidt and Wise…Do they or don’t they campaign as City of Menlo Park homeowners AND property taxpayers…