Los Gatos Weekly-Times

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High schools need to get to know their students to increase learning

By Jennifer M. van der Kleut

This is the fourth in a series of five profiles of the Monte Sereno City Council 2006 candidates. The order of candidates profiled was chosen at random. --Editor

It's hard to miss all the campaign signs and fliers dotting the neighborhood.

However, there's one candidate for the Monte Sereno City Council whose name you won't see on a sign or flier--Burton Craig.

It's not that Craig doesn't want to get his name out there; he just chooses to do it in a different way.

Craig says technology could change the face of Monte Sereno by revolutionizing the way it shares information with residents. Therefore, technology is his medium of choice for sharing information about his campaign.

"I decided to save a few trees," he says of his decision not to distribute campaign signs or fliers. "Everything I want to say is on my website."

Craig says the biggest thing Monte Sereno needs is some good customer service.

"It's a small town, and one of the biggest complaints I've heard is that it's hard to communicate with city hall," he says, explaining how residents don't understand how to get things done, and how, when they run into a problem, it's hard to get a response from the city. Craig says this is most evident when it comes to residents wanting to renovate their homes.

"If you could go to a website and get a lot of the answers you needed, you wouldn't have to contact the city," he points out.

A much-improved city website is one of the biggest things Craig says he would start on immediately, if elected to the council. Proposed features include downloadable copies of the city's building codes and permit applications--not ones that residents print out and take to city hall in person, but ones that can be filled out and transmitted online. Craig says this would allow the city to process permits more efficiently, and residents would be taken care of as well. Each permit could be assigned a case number that would allow residents to track the status of their applications online. If the city had a problem with the proposed renovations, a message could be sent online, with the resident being allowed to respond.

Craig says other helpful features could include the posting of council agendas and background information ahead of meetings, so residents can attend the meetings with questions ready. Council meetings could also be taped, with the MP3s posted online so residents could listen from their computers at home.

Craig says the reality of such a website is not as far-fetched as some may think--he already has MP3s of past council meetings on his website, BurtonCraig.com. "This can really be done with very little cost," he says. "The technology is already out there, and actually, the city already has some of it."

Craig says his background in technology is just one asset he could bring to Monte Sereno if elected. He is also passionate about improving Highway 9 to make it safer and more beautiful.

"One of the greatest assets Monte Sereno has is its beautiful scenery. This is a great place to get out and enjoy a nice walk, ride your bike or just look at the stars. The problem is that you have to worry about getting run over," he says. "There are many simple traffic-calming techniques, such as visual changes to roads, that will bring about more attentive driving, reduced speeds and a greater tendency to yield to pedestrians."

For the record, Craig supports the new Historical Preservation Ordinance, which makes it voluntary for residents to include their homes on the city's historical property inventory list. However, he is against the proposed annexation of several pockets of Santa Clara County land, calling it "unjust" if the county residents are truly against it.

"I would prefer to extend an offer and, when the county residents are ready to accept it, welcome them into our city with open arms," he says.

He favors creating more programs for teens. "More and more families with children are moving here, and it's horrible to have your kids cooped up inside. That's one reason they watch too much TV," he says, suggesting the city and its residents work together to create more after-school activities.