The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About3.7 Written communications 07-01-2020 CITY OF SARATOGA Memorandum To: Mayor Miller & Members of the Saratoga City Council From: Debbie Bretschneider, City Clerk Date: July 1, 2020 Subject: 3.7. Ballot Measure to Adopt Term Limits for Saratoga City Council Members and Resolution Regarding Voluntary Compliance with the Term Limits Described in the 1992 City of Saratoga Term Limits Advisory Measure (Written Communications) After publication of the agenda packet for the July 1, 2020 City Council Meeting, these written communications were received for Item 3.7. Ballot Measure to Adopt Term Limits for Saratoga City Council Members and Resolution Regarding Voluntary Compliance with the Term Limits Described in the 1992 City of Saratoga Term Limits Advisory Measure. From: ; Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, June 29, 2020 3:53:29 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Kookie Fitzsimmons Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject 7/1/2020 Council meeting item #3.7 Ballot measure to adopt term limits for City Council members Comments Dear Saratoga City Council, Please make the ballot proposal a 2-term lifetime limit for City Council members. Remove language regarding a break and having more than 2 terms. I watched the 6/17/2020 Council meeting and have discussed this topic with Saratoga residents. I am aware of the pros and cons (real and fabricated). The pros of a 2-term lifetime limit outweigh the cons. Perhaps past Council members can be better utilized as valuable resources and the community better served if NOT re-elected. I personally experienced a past commissioner’s return that resulted in unfortunate consequences for herself as well as damage to the integrity of the commission. Best, Kookie Fitzsimmons Saratoga Planning Commissioner *The opinions above are mine. Email not displaying correctly? From: To: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, June 30, 2020 1:17:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Jeffrey Schwartz Phone Number Subject term limits measure for ballot Comments Please change the ballot measure to a 2 term lifetime limit. I was involved in getting the advisory measure on the ballot in 1992 and the only reason it was not a lifetime limit then, was that state would not allow it. It passed 80-20! Recently, someone put a poll on Next Door for lifetime 2 term Council limits for Saratoga. The results were very close to the 1992 vote, with several hundred people participating. The three year hiatus measure is meaningless and a bit of a farce. It would allow many-term Council members, which we do not need in our small community. If the Council won't change the measure to lifetime limits, then save the city's $50,000 and don't put anything on the ballot. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, June 30, 2020 3:30:53 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Julianne Figliomeni Michaels Phone Number Email Address Subject Ballot Measure Comments Dear Council Members, I’m writing to request that you change the ballot measure to a 2- term limit. Having a 3-year hiatus to then again serve on the council doesn’t change anything from the current situation. We as citizens expect our city council to give us assurances you are spending public money wisely. Putting a measure on the ballot for what Mary-Lynne has suggested is a complete waste of 50K, this is on top of what it will cost in attorneys fees for correct language and research etc. on the ballot. Councils in Santa Clara County are moving towards 2-term limits, not away from them. The citizens just went through the Mt. Winery expenses; attorney fees, EIR fees, employees time and then an unbelievable ‘repayment’ to the winery owners for just putting them through the exercise to see if the council could squeeze through an annexation without public notice. There’s been enough wasting of public funds, please do the right thing and put only a ballot measure on that is a two-term limit, anything else seems self-serving and not what the citizens of Saratoga want. Julianne Michaels Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:FW: Term Limits Date:Monday, June 29, 2020 8:27:19 AM From: Debbie Pedro <dpedro@saratoga.ca.us> Sent: Monday, June 29, 2020 8:16 AM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Term Limits From: Nancy Lietzke Sent: Sunday, June 28, 2020 5:21 PM To: Howard Miller >; Yan Zhao ; Rishi Kumar ; Mary-Lynne Bernald <>; Manny Cappello >; Debbie Pedro <d Subject: Term Limits CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Members, I understand on the City Council Meeting agenda for July 1st is a discussion regarding term limits and the voluntary compliance of current Council members to uphold the 1992 advisory vote. Of course, abiding by the advisory vote is truly just voluntary and not binding in anyway. To have a more permanent solution, a ballot measure would be required at perhaps an estimated cost of as much as $50,000 of Saratoga tax monies. If the Council is considering spending that amount of monies for a ballot measure, the Term Limits need to be just that - LIMITED - not a revolving door with a 3 year time gap. It seems that TWO terms maximum whether consecutive or separated is enough influence just as it is for our US President. Please consider changing the language you are proposing for the ballot measure to a Lifetime Limit of two terms. One more note: It would be nice if this was not the last agenda item of the evening. It is one that many residents are concerned about in light of the recent Council vote on the Mt. Winery Annexation and also current discussions taking place regarding the General Plan for the City of Saratoga for the next 20 years. Please give some consideration to placing the Term Limit discussion on the agenda list earlier in the evening. Regards, Nancy Lietzke Mt. Eden Estates From: Subject:Re: Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, June 29, 2020 4:06:03 PM Hey Kookie: I am wondering that the factors you are seeing regarding term limits. As you now, in the history of the city, it is my understanding that there have been only 2 candidates that have sought a 3rd term. One was successful and one was not. We have had also had several council members that were not even elected to a 2nd term. So clearly the voters of the city are able to sort out who to vote for regardless of incumbency. In the past 12 years, two election would have been unopposed situations had it not been for my inclusion in the 2016 election. We currently have numerous vacancies on various commissions. So there is not an excessing of people looking to serve in public office in our city. I would be very interest in know what you seeing and feeling when you look at this issue. Thanks! Howard... On Jun 29, 2020, at 3:53 PM, : CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Kookie Fitzsimmons Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject 7/1/2020 Council meeting item #3.7 Ballot measure to adopt term limits for City Council members Comments Dear Saratoga City Council, Please make the ballot proposal a 2-term lifetime limit for City Council members. Remove language regarding a break and having more than 2 terms. I watched the 6/17/2020 Council meeting and have discussed this topic with Saratoga residents. I am aware of the pros and cons (real and fabricated). The pros of a 2-term lifetime limit outweigh the cons. Perhaps past Council members can be better utilized as valuable resources and the community better served if NOT re- elected. I personally experienced a past commissioner’s return that resulted in unfortunate consequences for herself as well as damage to the integrity of the commission. Best, Kookie Fitzsimmons Saratoga Planning Commissioner *The opinions above are mine. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Re: Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, June 30, 2020 8:43:53 PM Thank Jeff! As far as I know, only twice has anyone even attempted a 3rd term. One was re-elected and one was not! I know of no cases were some one that has left the council ran again after 3 (or more) years. Howard... On Jun 30, 2020, at 1:17 PM, n wrote: CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Jeffrey Schwartz Phone Number Subject term limits measure for ballot Comments Please change the ballot measure to a 2 term lifetime limit. I was involved in getting the advisory measure on the ballot in 1992 and the only reason it was not a lifetime limit then, was that state would not allow it. It passed 80-20! Recently, someone put a poll on Next Door for lifetime 2 term Council limits for Saratoga. The results were very close to the 1992 vote, with several hundred people participating. The three year hiatus measure is meaningless and a bit of a farce. It would allow many-term Council members, which we do not need in our small community. If the Council won't change the measure to lifetime limits, then save the city's $50,000 and don't put anything on the ballot. Email not displaying correctly?