Paul Dubois loves the arts.

He and his wife, Mary Tomasi-Dubois, typically go to the movies on Friday nights and patronize local events such as the Los Gatos Film Festival.

Dubois found the event "just phenomenal" and says it's a good thing for the town. "Someday this thing'll be a week long. It'll be a major film festival in the world," Dubois said.

Dubois also supports the Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival, which sold out the first night of the season this year. Mary Tomasi-Dubois was one of the main organizers of the event. "It's been Mary's crusade to bring live theater to Los Gatos," Dubois said.

"We're very much a team," Dubois said of his relationship with Tomasi-Dubois. The two own Tomasi-Dubois & Associates, a security consulting/engineering firm; Dubois designs the systems, while Tomasi-Dubois works on interior designs. In fact, the firm is more of a family affair, with their youngest son "our heir-apparent in this company," Dubois said.

Family is what brought Dubois to Los Gatos in 1981. Dubois' mother was living alone in town and in ailing health, so the family relocated from the East Bay. "My wife and I always loved Los Gatos and were very happy to move here," Dubois said. The couple later purchased a condo in Rinconada Hills, where they still live today.

Previously Dubois was a Newark policeman for 12 years. While on the police force, Dubois joined the city's Development Review Committee and was exposed to government and planning. "But I really did not know the depth of land-use issues," Dubois said.

In 2000, after making a failed bid for the town council, Dubois joined the Los Gatos Planning Commission, which he said "is the best thing that could've happened" to him and "a phenomenal educational experience in terms of learning town policy and learning about and assisting in developing."

Dubois says that being on the commission has given him the opportunity to work on another passion of his—the hillsides. Dubois' concerns include the quality of life for hillside residents and the health of vegetation on the hillsides.

"We don't want the built environment to dominate the natural environment," Dubois said. "I'd rather have a few more rules and point to it and have pride and say, 'This is a community that has character.' "

Dubois says he is most proud of his stance on hillside issues and his strict application of the town's General Plan in his decision-making. One regret, however, is the controversial Sobrato development on Winchester Boulevard, which has 288,000 square feet of office space and 135 apartments. The planning commission had forwarded the project to the town council without making a recommendation because of the conflicting opinions of the commissioners.

That decision, Dubois said, "was the most controversial and was the most conflicted one that I've experienced." Dubois says he wishes that the council had sent the project back to the commission for further redesign. "I'm concerned about the residential aspect, as I'd like to see it happen in my lifetime," Dubois said. In its current form, Dubois says, it likely won't happen.

If elected to town council, Dubois says, he will make sure that the town reaches out to different areas of the community by holding regular meetings in new locations instead of sticking to the Los Gatos Town Council chambers. Dubois also wants to ensure the accessibility of council members by providing a voicemail system on which citizens can leave comments, as well as publishing yearly council evaluation forms in the town newsletter.

"My job is to listen to the people who put me in office, because that's what I'm here to do—carry out the will of the community," Dubois said.

Dubois also wants to see some kind of outreach to the youth in town. Although he commends A Place for Teens for its job in reaching teenagers, he says something like a youth commission is needed in order to seal the communication gap that exists between adults and youth.

"I'm a communicator with people. A lot of people, particularly politicians, talk more than they listen," Dubois said. "There's always a happy medium that you could strike."

Similarly, Dubois is concerned with the safety of the senior population in town. As a police officer, Dubois witnessed several cases of elder abuse and wants to make sure it doesn't happen in Los Gatos. "I'm very safety-conscious for people," Dubois said.

Since 1995, Dubois has been on the board of the Los Gatos Community Foundation, serving at various points as treasurer and president. He is now vice president. "That's one of my loves," Dubois said. "The foundation serves a really unique niche in the community."

As vice president, Dubois oversees projects such as helping local nonprofits get started, under the umbrella of the Community Foundation. Dubois has participated in the formation of the New Millennium Foundation, the Los Gatos High School pool fundraising committee and the local children's hospital. "We're like a hatchery. They're like our little chicks and they're growing up," Dubois said.

Dubois' personal "little chick" is the Lyndon bandstand and cupola, which broke ground last week. To Dubois, the facility represents community and history—two of the greatest characteristics of Los Gatos.

"I think a town is its people, and you can walk down Los Gatos streets and say hi to people and they will say hi back. It's got a sense of pride to it. It won't let itself fall apart," Dubois said. "This is where I'll be for the rest of my life."

Paul Dubois

Age: 59

Occupation: Runs a security consulting/engineering firm

Education: Associate degree in administrative justice from Ohlone College; bachelor's degree in business from California State University, Hayward; teaching credential in law enforcement topics at the California community college level

Community Involvement: Los Gatos planning commissioner since January 2001 and current vice chairman; Los Gatos Architectural Standards and Hillside Committee chairman; member and past lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis; and vice president of the Los Gatos Community Foundation Board of Directors. Past activities include the Los Gatos Conceptual Development Advisory Committee, the Los Gatos Community Services Commission, Boy Scouts of America, Silicon Valley Children's Shots for Tots, Children's Miracle Network; and subcommittee to develop security programs for the Bay Area's bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

Family: Wife Mary, three grown children, eight grandchildren