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Photograph by George Sakkestad

City council candidate Jill Hunter, a preservationist who wants to promote the history of Saratoga, is seeking one of the three open seats in the November election.

Hunter is gunning for a berth on the Saratoga City Council

By Shannon Burkey

Saratoga's rich and vibrant history is one of the reasons Jill Hunter fell in love with the city when she and her family moved to Saratoga in 1981. And since moving here, she has made it her work to preserve the history and unique character of the city while sharing its charms with others.

"I love the history of Saratoga and want to promote that," Hunter said. "I want to see our history become a big part of drawing people and tourism here."

Hunter immediately became involved in her new community 25 years ago, first by serving on the school board and then as a planning commissioner since 2001.

"I have essentially been involved in the community as a community activist for years," Hunter said. "It has been fun, and I love serving the community. I wish more people did it."

But as a planning commissioner, she said she began to see things she and many other residents were not in agreement with. And as she began to see the city going in a direction she was not comfortable with, she decided it was time to join the city council.

"I think the current council has done a lot of things quickly, without people realizing it," Hunter said. "There has not been a lot of trust with the current council, and I think we need to have an open and honest council."

Along with some of the decisions she hasn't agreed with, Hunter said she is also unhappy the council seems to lack gratitude toward the residents of Saratoga.

As a Village gardener and as the chairwoman of the Saratoga Village Development Council, Hunter feels the council gives no thanks to the people who help make it what it is. If elected, making people feel appreciated is precisely what she intends to do.

"You need to thank people profusely for what they do. It makes people feel good for their hard work," Hunter said. "If people think they are making a difference, they feel good."

Another important issue for Hunter is to bring back the city's commissions. The night she heard they had been disbanded she was "quite emotional" and said getting them back is a vital part of bringing the community together.

"Citizen participation is crucial to a happy community," she said. "The more citizens you can involve, the better off you are. Not having citizens working on these committees just shuts them out."

The current council cut the commissions because it needed to cut the budget in order to balance it. But Hunter feels there is a way to bring the commissions back without spending too much money.

"You just have to prioritize," Hunter said. "Where there is a will there is a way, and if you want commissions you can find a way."

As a member of the Village Gardeners and of the SVDC, Hunter holds the Village dear to her and its development has been on her mind a lot.

She said that she is not against the mixed-use development in the Village that has been discussed recently, but said it needs to be done right.

"It needs to be a very tasteful, unique, beautiful development," she said. "We are a picturesque, charming village, which is a respite in the crazy Silicon Valley. I want to see something unique that will enhance the Village."

For this election, Hunter is running as part of a slate with candidates Marilyn Marchetti and Jim Sorden, but she is adamant that voters know the slate does not mean that she is not an independent thinker. Her main reason for running on the slate is financial, she said.

With the cost of funding a campaign so high, she felt running with two people she has known for years, who share similar philosophies and beliefs, was a good way to go.

"We are doing this as a grassroots effort, and this is just a way for three people to share the work of one. I am not an expert in campaigning, and am trying to do the best I can," Hunter said, "but there is nobody telling us what we believe. I have very strong beliefs and don't waiver from them."

Her many years of involvement in the community and her years of experience with the school board and planning commission are why Hunter believes she would be an ideal candidate for city council.

"I am hard-working, and I have the time," she said. "I am out and about in the community all the time, and I am always available to talk to anyone."