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From left: Mike Abkin, Sandy Decker, and Paul DuBois
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Council hopefuls begin sizing up chances, seeking support
Three candidates have announced for council race
By Nathan R. Huff
It may be a month before anyone can formally file for town council candidacy, but that hasn't stopped a handful of well-known locals from throwing their hats into the ring.
With council members Linda Lubeck and Jan Hutchins announcing they will not run for reelection in 2000, three Los Gatans have already announced their intentions to run for the vacant seats.
Community Foundation president Paul Dubois, and former planning commissioners Sandy Decker and Mike Abkin have all announced they will vie for the two open seats.
The formal filing period begins July 17 and continues to Aug. 11. A five-day filing extension is also available for those waiting to see if either incumbent decides to run, which appears unlikely. Candidates have to pay close to $325 to file, of which the town collects $25. The rest is paid to the county registrar for the cost of printing the candidate's statement in both English and Spanish.
While the three announced candidates wait to file, they are busy garnering supporters and formulating campaign platforms.
Dubois, the first to announce his intention to run, has served on the community services commission for six years. He serves as president of the Los Gatos Community Foundation, which acts as an umbrella organization for various local charitable causes. He said "kids" are going to be his number-one issue, focusing on how the town's policies will affect its next generation.
Part of that, he said, is protecting affordable housing. "I'm very concerned about affordable housing," Dubois said. "One thing that really bothers me is our teachers, police officers and fire fighters can't afford to live here." Dubois believes the town could make use of housing trusts and existing granny units to increase its affordable housing stock. Traffic and sustainability as the community grows are also issues Dubois intends to examine.
Abkin, who served more than nine years on the planning commission, said he is deeply concerned about affordable housing as well. Citing the mobile home park slated for closure, Abkin said the town has to do more to ensure that the town maintains a "balance" and doesn't lose its housing diversity.
"I see the town council as being adrift for several years, without any clear direction or vision for the town," Abkin said. Having worked on the town's second General Plan task force, Abkin said he'd like to be in a position to implement the new and improved General Plan.
Abkin's other big issue is increasing the amount of regional planning the town takes part in. A systems analyst by training, Abkin said the town needs to work closely with the county and other Bay Area governments to solve the regional pressures of growth.
Sandy Decker recently resigned from the planning commission because she wanted more freedom than her planning commission position permitted to speak out on town issues. She said she plans to run on four major issues, one of them will be to maintain diversity in the town's population through its housing.
"I want to enhance the inclusive mixture of ages and incomes through diverse housing uses and comm-unity resources," Decker said.
The long-time resident said she also would focus on preservation, particularly in the hillsides; maintaining economic vitality through resident-serving businesses; and quality of life, namely traffic, parking, noise; and other growth issues.
Another potential candidate is planning commissioner Paul Bruno, who said he has been approached about running, but hasn't decided if he's ready to make the commitment.
"There're folks out there who I want to talk to and folks who want to talk with me," Bruno said. "You don't want to do something like that if you can't satisfy the requirements."
Council members Jan Hutchins and Linda Lubeck are departing after four and eight years, respectively. Hutchins said he wanted to spend more time on "yoga and body work." He is starting a new business in that direction. He declined to make any endorsements; however, he said he would "have something to say" at a later time. Hutchins also declined to rule out the possibility that, remote as it may be, he could change his mind.
"I can't imagine such a circumstance," he said, "but you never know."
Lubeck plans to run for town treasurer to replace retiring treasurer Jeff Lamb. She said her accounting background and reputation as the council's "resident bean counter" made running for treasurer a natural choice. The treasurer works part time, investing town funds based on the council's direction.
Lubeck also declined to make any endorsements, saying it was still early in the campaign season.
With so much time remaining before candidates can even file, the field of potential council candidates is far from set and will likely expand.
Lubeck, in fact, said she was, "working on some people" who haven't decided if they will run yet.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
