BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
Palo Alto Mayor Vicki Veenker and Councilman Pat Burt are at odds over when the mayor should give the annual “state of the city” speech.
Burt said the state of the city — for as long as he can recall going back more than 20 years — has always been to frame council’s year ahead.
Veenker gave her state of the city in August. She said doing the speech later in the year allowed her to check in on the city’s goals six months after they were established.
“It’s like halftime. You come back from halftime, and you’ve got the second half of the year, and the coach can make those second-half adjustments,” Veenker said at the Nov. 2 council meeting.
Burt said council should establish a rule to have the state of the city in February or March every year, rather than leaving the timing up to the mayor. He said a late-summer speech could overlap with a political campaign.
“That’s something we should avoid,” he said.
Veenker filed papers to run for re-election on April 13. She gave her speech at Palo Alto High School on Aug. 19, and she had her official campaign kick-off at Rinconada Park on Sept. 13.
Veenker was re-elected on Tuesday, finishing in third in a race for three seats.
Councilman Ed Lauing agreed with Burt about doing the state of the city earlier in the year. When Lauing was mayor, he gave his speech on March 18, 2025. But Lauing said he’s also open to having a mid-year speech with a different name.
Vice Mayor Greer Stone, who is in line to become mayor for a second time in January, took Veenker’s side.
“I like the mayor’s vision for it to be a mid-year check,” he said at the Nov. 2 meeting.
At Stone’s suggestion, council voted to have the Policy and Services Committee discuss the timing of the speech and make a recommendation to the full council.
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