Article clipped from The Peninsula Times Tribune

PICKS Continued from A-l Twenty-seven percent of the city's 9,547 registered voters cast ballots. Results of the election indicated East Palo Alto voters liked the way the city has been run since the present council was installed in 1983, when the citizens voted for incorporation as a city. But the heavy vote for Bostic and Coats, both pro-business candidates, indicated residents favor increased economic development in East Palo Alto. Tuesday's council election was the first since incorporation. All five seats were contested. The first- and second-place winners, Mouton and Bostic. will serve four-year terms. A three-year term will go to Abrica, the third-place w inner. Coats and Blakey will each serve two-year terms. The new council combines three incumbents who favor conservative economic development, stress social programs and support rent control, and two newcomers who .ire pro-business and favor affordable housing over rent control. Early indications from council-watchers were that Blakey may become the swing vote in council decisions. Mouton took time out Tuesday night between receiving congratulations on her win to say that the results "were an endorsement of how the city has been run. It's a victory for the community," she said. Abrica said, "The vote demon-strated support for the city and the work we are doing." Blakey said, "There are a lot of things in progress that I want to see completed. I will work to continue to make East Palo Alto a model city." The Mouton slate, which also included Bashir and Mirembe, spent election night at the Community Development Institute, run by outgoing Councilman Omowale Satter-white. Bostic, tallying votes in his University Avenue campaign headquarters, said, "I asked for votes. Now I will work hard to earn those votes." "The key thing is to bring a new sense of teamwork to the council," he said. "It's a workable council. It will have to be doable." Coats said today that he would work to improve local business and to tiring new commercial activity to East Palo Alto. He said he also will seek "to push drugs out of our parks, out of our residential areas and hopefully out of our community.'' Wilks could not be reached for comment. Waiting at the Municipal Center as votes were counted Tuesday night were Joseph and Tony Hor-wath, East Palo Alto apartment house owners who campaigned against Measure A. While disappointed that voters John Bostic ... No. 2 vote-getter. approved Measure A, Joseph Hor-wath was optimistic about the makeup of the new City Council. "The complexion of the council has changed," he said. "Bostic and Coats are business-oriented. I think the City Council will be favorably charged toward business. I expect to see that reflected in the deliberations." The Horwaths and the Palo Alto Park Association, an association of East Palo Alto apartment house owners, had worked with Wilks, bostic and Perez to put together a program for affordable housing. The program, announced shortly before the election, called for a Si (JO a year charge on each apart- hw mm immmmm. Ruben Abrica ... No. 3 vote-getter. ment unit and fees for condominium conversions that would raise $3.5 million for affordable housing. Abrica, a strong proponent of rent control, saw voter approval of Measure A as "community support for a fair law to provide affordable housing." Abrica said the new City Council will work to bring in new apartment construction, which is exempt from rent controls, and to move ahead with the existing affordable housing program. The city already has set aside a small fund for affordable housing. In other elections: Redwood City Elected four years ago by a land- Warnell Coats ... wins final council seat. slide. Claire had been considered a safe bet for re-election and topped the field with 3,339 votes. What surprised many, however, was the strong showing by La Berge, who placed second with 3,127 votes. Greenalch was third with 2,355. Mountain View Norman Shaskey, a certified public accountant and former community college district trustee, became the first challenger to unseat an incumbent council member in Mountain View since 1974. Staff writers Janet McGovern and Mark Katches contributed to this report. Times Tribune fchoto bv Rod Searcev Portola Valley Mayor Sue Crane and newcomer John James toast their election to the Town Council Tuesday night. MS Jon Silver ... wins final seat. PORTOLA Continued from A-l stated views of James were compared. The letter portrayed Robertson as the only council member to have opposed moves to preserve the "rural character" of the town. Protecting the rural environment has been a major concern of Portola Valley residents and is written into the town's general plan. The letter, however, was inaccurate and may have swung the vote, Crane said. Another letter sent out by a single resident criticized the council's handling of a utility users tax and also implied that Robertson favored hiring a full-time town man ager, which she said was not true. Councilman Kent Mitchell, who had not endorsed any of the candidates, sent his own letter rebutting the one from the five residents. But, according to Crane, the damage already had been done. Silver agreed. "I think it's too bad that the campaign turned bitter toward the end. Quite honestly it takes some of the joy out of it," he said. "I think that obviously Nancy Robertson played a valuable role in the council. I think her hard work will be missed. John James is a very able person and will be a welcome addition." Silver, 33, runs a newspaper delivery service and an inter-office courier service. Robertson said today that she is "very angry" the two letters containing distortions were sent too late in the campaign to refute. Complete election returns EAST PALO ALTO City Council (five seats) Barbara Mouton (i) 1 .385 John Bostic 1,241 Ruben Abrica (i) 1,240 James Blakey Jr. (0 1 ,207 Warned Coats 1,141 Gertrude Wilks (i) 1,035 Jahi Mirembe 1,010 Victor Perot 993 Onyango Bashir 893 Henry Anthony 842 Peter Evans 766 Cecelia RatWf 506 Joseph Goodwill 483 Maurice Davis 347 Pat Johnson 274 Hiiguri A (rent eontiel) Yes 1,550 No 1.093 MOUNTAIN VIEW (three mmtt) Robert Schatz OX 3,551 MarycsFreeten(i) 2,907 Norman Shaskey 2,712 Angeto Frosotone 2,564 Dennis Switick(i) 2,513 Juan Medina 725 CalUe Mae Bordfcr, 578 PORTOLA VALLEY (three seats) Sue Crane (i) 1,254 John James 1,188 Jon Silver (i) 859 Nancy Robertson (i) 794 REDWOOD CITY (three seats) Richard Claire (I) 3.339 Georgi La Serge 3,127 John Greenalch 2,355 James Thompson 2,089 John Cooper 1,729 John "Jack" Murray 1,531 Gil Villarreal 1.367 "This thing got turned around by a couple of fliers that came out too late. They were misleading and inaccurate," Robertson said. She said she will continue to be involved in town affairs. James, 42, works for a real estate investment firm and has been on the Planning Commission since 1 982.