Garner, 44, has lived in Monte Sereno since about 1990 with his wife, Susan, and their son Luke, 3. Garner also has a 19-year-old son, Ryan.

As a geologist who specializes in cleanup and investigation of groundwater contamination, Garner's profession other than now being mayor doesn't seem to be a top priority to residents of Monte Sereno.

"Most people I talk to want to know what's happening in their community—and what's important to them, what kinds of things could be done to improve their community," Garner said.

Garner ran for city council in 1998 and lost, but was later elected in 2000 for a four-year term. He said many of the residents have the same concerns as when he first ran for office, the No. 1 priority being public safety.

"You are going to see me being pretty focused on [public safety] this year," Garner said.

Currently, Garner serves as the liaison between the city of Monte Sereno and the Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Department, keeping track of crime trends, emergency-response times, and police and fire reporting. Garner also hopes to have Global Positioning System units installed in all police vehicles to increase the safety of officers and make it easier for them to reach residences.

Another major issue affecting the city has been vandalism, so Garner said it is going to be important during his term as mayor to increase crime prevention. Garner plans to propose more outreach through neighborhood-watch programs, augmented with traffic watches.

"The common theme you hear from a lot of our neighborhoods is that, with the increase of the population in the valley, traffic is a real issue—particularly traffic speed and child safety," Garner said. "So one of the things I'd really like to see us do is involve our community in traffic calming, because a lot of people have the desire, the enthusiasm and the availability to help us out with it."

Former Mayor David Baxter said he nominated Garner—the former vice mayor—for mayor because Garner is sensible and has the best interests of the city at heart. Baxter also said Garner is involved in many regional commissions, such as the Santa Clara Valley Water Commission and Santa Clara County Cities Association selection committee, making him a good representative of the city.

"He has done a fine job as vice mayor over the past year," Baxter said. "He will certainly serve the city well, so there was no hesitation on my part to nominate him."

Garner said he is also looking forward to working with recently elected Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Wright.

"I like Curtis a lot, and I think that he does a good job in our community," Garner said. "He works very hard as a council person. He does a lot of outreach. He serves as a good ambassador for our community. He's very active in regional organizations on our behalf, and I plan to take full advantage of that when he's serving as my right hand."

Garner plans to continue community outreach through the annual city barbecue in the spring and coffee with the mayor. Other potential ideas Garner had included adding a 10K race, a folk music festival, a community club, a city beautification group, a Monte Sereno/Saratoga Community Foundation, possibly webcasting council meetings, and continuing a sister-city relationship with a city in China. Garner also plans to preserve the city's surplus budget.

"I'd like to try to create some kind of informal polling mechanism for our city that we can get going on our website, so that when issues come up where we are curious about public perspective, I'd like to be able to do an easy electronic polling," Garner said.

Taking the gavel and assuming the run of council meetings in the mayor's seat means demonstrating patience, accessibility and listening to residents, Garner said. He added that making decisions has become more challenging in the public sector because community members—often Garner's neighbors—have to live with the results of the council's decisions.

"Before I was elected, it was easy from the outside to dream about the things I would say and do as a council member or as an elected official in the city. Being on council for a while has really moderated my stances and my attitudes. I've learned that there are two sides to every story, and both deserve to be listened to," Garner said. "In the end, you have to do what you believe is right and hope that your community supports you."

The next coffee with the mayor will be held Jan. 9 at 9:30 a.m. at Monte Sereno City Hall, 18041 Saratoga­Los Gatos Road, Monte Sereno.