When local elections come around, the magic wands of candidates emerge. Often candidates talk about what they will do, as if they possessed a magic wand that could create whatever they dreamed up. Wave that wand and we get affordable housing. Wave it some more, and Caltrain goes underground in a tunnel. These wands can create thriving retail in abandoned stores, safe bicycle routes on busy streets, a carbon-free future with power generated by unicorns jumping through rainbows.
In recommending candidates for Palo Alto City Council, we favored those who had a practical mindset with realistic ideas. Candidates who have the ability to roll up their sleeves and get the job done, rather than grandstanding and virtue signaling.
We strongly recommend Pat Burt, who is seeking his fourth term on council. He’s knowledgeable on every issue because of years of experience dealing with those issues. We know he’ll always be fighting for us. Sometimes, we’re uncomfortable watching him forcefully debate a fellow council member, but in a time where elected officials are increasingly spineless, it’s good to have someone who isn’t a pushover.
This isn’t a slam on City Manager Ed Shikada, but every employee needs a boss who holds their feet to the fire and makes sure they get their job done. A council with inexperienced members can be led astray by a dominating city manager. Somebody like Burt, who has seen it all, will keep the manager in line.
Burt’s work on regional boards ensures that Palo Alto residents aren’t cheated when it comes time to distribute transportation dollars. He is playing a key role in ensuring that Palo Alto gets its promised share of 2016 Measure B, the VTA sales tax meant to fund bridges for rail crossings.
We also recommend for re-election Greer Stone, who has become the voice of social justice on council and an effective advocate for more housing. We think back to April 4, 2022, when council was dealing with then-police chief Robert Jonsen’s decision to encrypt police radio transmissions. The ability for the public to hear police activities was a First Amendment issue. Before the meeting, four council members had indicated they were going to vote to tell Jonsen to end encryption. But at the hearing, Jonsen gaslit the council into believing that terrible consequences would result if the public could once again hear the frequencies. One by one, the council members who opposed encryption folded except for Stone. Despite pressure from various figures in law enforcement at the hearing, Stone stood his ground and was the lone vote to end encryption. Stone lost but soon Palo Alto would get a new police chief, Andrew Binder, who, in one of his first acts, ended encryption. And all of the dire consequences that council was told about that evening have never happened.
Stone was able to cut through the crap and make a logical decision. He’s unafraid to stand up to special interests.
We’re comfortable recommending Doria Summa, currently a Planning and Transportation Commission member, for council. She has years of experience in city government. She’s completely up-to-speed on the city’s complex zoning code. A resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, she’s a voice for residents who want to protect their neighborhoods. She’s not anti-business, but she’s passionate about neighborhoods.
Another Planning and Transportation Commission member who gets our recommendation is Keith Reckdahl. Besides his experience on the PTC, he also served nine years on the Parks & Recreation Commission, the Housing Element committee, the North Ventura Coordinated Area Plan committee and the railroad grade separations study committee, known as XCAP. All of that to say, he’s well qualified to serve on council. He’s a known quantity.
Reckdahl, like all other candidates in the race, supports new housing for all incomes. But in 2022, he led the successful Measure K business tax campaign to fund affordable housing. While supporting housing, he favors reasonable renter protections, such as security deposit limits and prevention of wrongful terminations. Those are measures that won’t discourage construction of homes.
Reckdahl, an aerospace engineer, is known for his work ethic. He won’t have the learning curve you sometimes see in newbie council members. His 12 years of experience on city boards and commissions have given him the knowledge to be a solid contributor right from the beginning.
If there were additional openings on council, we would recommend Cari Templeton and Katie Causey. We hope both of them stay involved in civic affairs and will be around in two years for the next round of council elections.
Surely this is a mistake – these four don’t have NEARLY enough endorsements from regional politicians who don’t know them …
Terrible endorsements. As the only newspaper left in town, you need to fo better.
Congrats for endorsing the best and brightest. Most knowledgeable and experienced.
When elected, our city will be in good hands.