Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 12:00 AM
Town Square
Menlo Park: Political maneuver kicks off celebratory meeting
Original post made on Dec 8, 2009
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 12:00 AM
Comments (4)
a resident of Menlo Park: Sharon Heights
on Dec 8, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Heyward Robinson is up to his old tricks. He probably learned that one from some Utility attorney with a luxurious mane of hair.
a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Dec 8, 2009 at 7:32 pm
I would ask The Almanac not to perpetuate the partisanship of Menlo Park by saying votes were "along party lines". The Council positions are nonpartisan, and current councilmembers do not vote in blocs even though there are some strong alliances and past councils have had bloc votes. I myself find it refreshing to have to ask "who voted, how" when I hear now that "the majority" voted a certain way.
The article misses an important point - that if the Council wanted to put its weight behind a single candidate, that meeting was the only meeting since the last one in mid-November during which to decide that. Nominations are due before next week's council meeting, according to the Council of Cities website.
a resident of Menlo Park: Downtown
on Dec 8, 2009 at 9:01 pm
It was along party limes --- partisan or not formally, face the facts, John Boyle had the support of the developer community, the other four did not. There is a split along those kind of lines.
a resident of Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Dec 8, 2009 at 9:59 pm
Internet user: I think that you are misreading the Council of Cities website. Candidates nominate themselves. They are running as representatives of our region, not our city. Robinson and Boyle had both put their names in already. We won't even know until tomorrow who all of the other candidates are going to be. No action was required by the city council.
Rich Cline, the incoming mayor and the person who gets to cast a vote at the Council of Cities stated at the city council meeting that he was uncomfortable with the council taking up a formal resolution at last week's meeting. Shouldn't that have been the end of the discussion?
Forcing the issue to a vote at the ceremonial meeting was nothing less than political hardball, with Robinson letting his vanity get in the way of his judgement.
Boyle was gracious in defeat and resigned from the race without whining about the poor process.
I hope that Cline can bring a little more civility to the council during his term.
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