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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-26-1986 City Council Minutes SARATOGA CIT~ C[]~ClL TIME: Thursday, June 26, 1986 - 7:00 p.m. PLACE: Community Center Patio, 19655 Allendale Avenue T~PE: Adjourned Regular Meeting 1. Report from City Clerk on Official Canvass of Ballots from CotmtyRe~istrarof Voters City Clerk reported on canvass of ballots and submitted resolution declaring results. 2. Resolution ApproviRgOfficial Canvass and ApprovingResultslhereof CALLON/MOYLES MOVED TOAD OPT RESOLUTION 2352 DECLARING RESULTS OF JUNE 3, 1986, m.FCTION AND INDICATINGTHAT DAVID MOYLES, KARENANDERSON, ANDDON PETERSON HAD BEEN ELECTED. Passed 5-0. 3. O ..... ~ts frcm CurrentM~m~ers of the City Co~acil Councilmember Callon expressed her gratification at having had the opportunity to work for the City of Saratoga. She quoted Jerry Smith as saying that Saratoga was one of the last remaining cities in the Valley where citizens could attend Council meetings and be sure of being heard. She respected that tradition and thanked those who had given her A the opportunity to serve. Councilmember Fanelli thanked the City staff, acknowledging that they, rather than the Council, administer the City on a daily basis. Although the Council had had differences of opinion, she believed they had always worked together for Saratoga. Even after moving out of town, she expected to continue many of the relationships that had developed during her years in Saratoga. Mayor Clevenger presented engraved plaques to Councilmembers Callon and Fanelli to commemorate their service to the City. 4. ~n~ninistration of Oath of Office to Newly-Elected and Re-Elected Members of City Co~mcil Mayor Clevenger administered the oath of office to Karen Anderson, David Moyles, and Don Peterson, and the City Clerk presented them with their Certificates of Election.' 5. ~-..,~ts franNe~ly-Electedli~ersof City Council Councilmember Anderson thanked those who had helped her in campaigning. She looked forward to serving the people of Saratoga and felt the Council would work well together. She felt that the Councilmembers had similar goals--protecting Saratoga's environment from negative freeway impacts and bad land use. Councilmember Peterson expressed agreement with those goals. He thanked his wife and his campaign coordinator and acknowledged the value of the municipal election process. The candidates and issues were well focused, he said, and he appreciated the suppert of his campaign workers and the community at large. He looked forward to the opportunity of working with the Council for the good of the City as a whole. Councilmember Moyles recognized the contributions of Linda Callon and Virginia Fanelli. He expressed admiration for their talents and respect for the grace with which they had conducted themselves, especially when it had been difficult to find consensus. He also felt proud to be a part of the democratic process in a world where liberty is in constant jeopardy. 6. Reorganization of CityCouncil Mayor Clevenger then stated that she wished to amend the pelicy concerning rotation of the Mayor's position, noting that last year the Council had decided that the most senior person on the Council who had not been mayor would become mayor, and in the case of people elected at the same time, the one who had received the most votes would become mayor. She offered a motion (which appears formally below at the point in the discussion at which the vote was taken) requiring that the mayor must have served one year on the Council; the }~yor's term is one year; the same rules apply to the vice mayor except the 2-6/26/86 requirement of a year's service on the Council; the City Attorney is to forrealize this policy as an ordinance. Councilmember Anderson seconded the motion. Mayor Clevenger believed that these points had been intended by the previous Council, and it would be best to have the policy in the form of an ordinance so that it could not be easily changed. , Councilmother Moyles made the following statement. "I had intended to offer a motion myself, ~but I think my comments are as easily presented in response to this motion as to the one I had intended. For the record, I would like to read these comments. '~fou people may recall that last year when this question first came up, I voted agains~ the suggestion that we should rotate annually, and this year for the first time the City Council is now operating under that policy, making mandatory the selection of a new mayor each year. Until now, 'beginning with the incorporation of the City in 1956, the City Council had selected its officers on the basis of the given circumstances presented each year and the respectivE., abilities of the councilmembers who sought that position. I would urge the Council to abandon the present policy and return to its former practice of selecting a mayor on a c. ase-by-case basis. "I hasten to add that my position has nothing to do with individuals or personalities, just as it did not one year ago when I first made this point. I would like to think that everybody I sit with tonight is capable of becoming mayor, and I would hope very much that in the course of their service to the City, they have the opportunity because it is truly an enjoyable experience--and worthwhile. '~But my point of view recognizes an important fact. And that is that the Council is an inherently political body, not a personal association. Our business as Councilmembers is to create and pursue pc.licies that represent the interests--the political interests--of our constituents. Just as we are political representatives of our constituents, so the mayor is a political representative of the City and the Council to the greater community. The. Council should therefore evaluate its potential mayors for their commitment to shared political principles and their personal abilities to represent those points of view. Only in this fashion, and by selecting mayors in this way, can we ensure that we choose the best person for the job, and nothing less than that should be on our minds each and every year. "The mayor may, if he or she chooses, e~ert influence to an extent that is greater than that of an individual Councilmember. This is because the office of the mayor confers upon an individual a certain measure of stature. And it is also a signal of trust and deference by the Councilmembers who confer it. The positon of the mayor afford-,~ greater access to information throughout the County and other levels of government and also to the media, thus ensuring that the mayor's comments are most broadly disseminated, and given greater weight, than that of individual Councilmembers. It is regularly assumed that the views of the mayor and those of the City Council and the community arE: one and the same. "The Council should further consider the advantages of retaining an able mayor rather than changing each year. The mayor's knowledge of the policies and priorities of other cities in the County, as well as the'individuals representing those cities, is an indispensable resourcE: in developing policies that represent our interests, and the strategies necessary tO pursue them to success. A mayor's knowledge of these things increases in direct proportion to the individual's length of service in that office. By retaining able mayors for periods of ti~e longer than one year, Saratoga has historically been able to exert political influence disproportionate to its size. '~Furthermore, a mayor desiring successive terms in that office is well motlveted to be responsive to the consensus of the City Council and the community. The present policy of automatic changing of the mayor's position each year deprives us of each of these advantages and replaces them instead wieh disadvantages because the change is automatic. No consideration is given to the ability of the individual. Nor is any consideration given to the views of that individual and their willingness to subordinate their own personal opinion in favor of the City: Council consensus. This denies us a critical safety check that has in the past guaranteed that our mayors always in fact spoke for the community when repres.~nting us. Such a policy also deprives us of the opportunity to have a mayor whose seniority gives Saratoga the advantage of greater familiarity with the other representatives of other communities through the County, with their respective 3-6/26/86 strengths and weaknesses. Now, all we will know for sure in this connection is that our mayor will never have any more seniority in that office than any other mayor. I think this is a dangerous practice for a small town like Saratoga to pursue. Saratoga gains by having a strong mayor. A mayor selected and possibly retained on the basis of ability has greater stature than a mayor who can claim only that it was his or her turn to hold that position in any given year. "I disagree with those who f~el that every Councilmember is entitled to be mayor in the course of their service. The office of mayor is a privilege and not a riMht. Automatic annual rotation denigrates the honor the office confers by elevating above it the personalities of individual councilmembers. The choice to me is clear. On the one hand, we have an historic policy that recoEnizes talents and rewards ability and another that unfortunately seems to recoEnize only the lowest common denominator. "In conclusion, I would urge that the Council go back to our former policy because it properly places the interests of the community as a whole above those of the Councilmembers-as individuals. In this instance, our past practice has been a good guide, and I think we should adhere to it. And for that reason I will be voting against the motion before the Council." Councilmember Hlava s~ated that she supported rotation, as she had in the past. She quoted Councilmember Moyles as having once said, 'We all get our tickets punched the same way to get here," and she felt this implied everyone should have an opportunity to be mayor. The rotation system did not lessen the honor of serving as mayor, she believed. Councilmember Peterson inquired as to the reason for formulating the rotation policy as an ordinace, and Mayor Clevenger replied that it strengthens the policy and makes it more difficult to change. She also noted that the requirement for a Councilmember to have served one year before being mayor prevented someone who had just been elected from immediately assuming the mayor's seat. Councilmember Peterson stated that he agreed with some of Councilmember Moyles' points, but he was willing to try rotation. He believed, however, that it should not be in the form of an ordinance. He moved to amend the motion, and Mayor Clevenger seconded it so that the motion would be on the record. PETERSON/CLEVENGER MOVED TO AMEND THE MOTION BY DELETING POINT 4 DIRECTING THE CITY ATTORNEY TO FORMULATE THE POLICY AS AN ORDINANCE. Failed 1-3-1 (Anderson, Clevenger, Hlava opposed; Moyles abstaining). Councilmember Anderson pointed out that the policy could still be changed, even as an ordinance, but a change would take longer. She felt it would not serve the City to have a rivalry over the mayor's position rather than having an automatic rotation system. Councilmember Moyles inquired as to the legal consequences if a Councilmember refused to vote in accordance with the proposed ordinance. The City Attorney replied that under such an ordinance there would be no vote. Councilmember Moyles felt that a procedure under which the Council did not vote to reorganize itself would be a sham. He believed the Council should reorganize itself in a businesslike manner with a yearly vote. Mayor Clevenger stated that most other cities in the County had a rotation system, and such a system was needed to allow trust among the Councilmembers without concern as to ~ho would be mayor next. CLEVENGER/ANDERSON MOVED TO AMEND THE POLICY CONCERNING THE ROTATION OF THE MAYOR'S POSITON SO THAT THE PERSON WHO BECOMES MAYOR MUST HAVE SERVED AT LEAST ONE YEAR ON THE COUNCIL; THE MAYOR'S TERM IS ONE YEAR; THE SAME SET OF RULES APPLY TO SELECTION OF THE VICE MAYOR EX{jEFT THE REQUIREMENT OF A YEAR'S SERVICE ON THE COUNCIL; THE CITY A~TORNEY IS DIRECTED TO FORMALIZE THIS POLICY AS AN ORDINANCE. Passed 3-2 (Moyles, Peterson opposed). After the vote, Councilmember Peterson suggested that the swearing-in of new Councilmembers and the rotation of the mayor's seat could be accomplished more appropriately at separate meetings. The City Clerk declared the position of mayor vacant and presided at this portion of the meeting. The City Clerk requested nominations for mayor. Councilmember Clevenger nominated Joyce Hlava. Councilmembers Clevenger and Anderson moved and seconded to close nominations. Passed 5-0. 4-6/26/86 The Council then voted unanimously for Joyce Hlava as mayors..Shepresided over the r~n~inder of the meeting. Mayor Hlava then requested nominations for vice mayor. Councilmember Clevenger nominated Karen Anderson. Councilmembers Clevenger and Hlava moved and seconded to close nominations. Passed 5-0. The Council then vote] unanimously for.. Karen Anderson as vice mayor. Mayor Hlava quoted Joanne Benjamin of Los Gatos as saying that the rotation was desirable because a person, knowing that his term was to last only one year, could betlzer sustain the momentum to accomplish a great dea,1 during that term. Mayor Hlava then reviewed the accomplishments of Councilmember Clevenger's temn as mayor, including breaking in a new City Manager; leading the City through the! Route 85 controversy; representing Saratoga as' Sister City at Muko-Shi in Japan. She presented a plaque honoring her serv~ce'!.a~ Mayor to .Councilmember Clevenger-, who responded that it was an honor to have served, and she a~ppreciated tl~e opport~mity to do SO. Mayor Hlava then acknowledged the support of the families of the councilmembers and introduced their spouses. Although noting that it was important to continue to look to the future, she reviewed recent accomplishments of the Council, including re-writing and ' simplifying the City Code; setting up financing for the pavement management program; implementing the Neighborhood Watch program; resolving all but one of the Measure A lawsuitsi developing a performance-based management compensation plan; developing a comprehensive Village Plan; Village Parking District ~3; the City-wide median landscaping plan; funding of major renovations at Congress Springs Park. While these were sign'ificant accomplishments, she pointed out that in the future two major issues remain: Highway 85 and the City's contractual relationship with the County. As to the highway, she felt it to be more important than ever for the Councilmembers to respect each other's~ views, and she pledged herself to work with the rest of the Council toward finding the]best solution for Saratoga. She looked forward to meeting the challenges ahead. 7. Adjo~'.-.~,t The meeting was adjourned at 8:02 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Grace E. Gory Deputy City Clerk