These Council Members should not be re-elected - out with the old. Ohtaki runs a questionable non-profit, and let's not mention Keith without mentioning 'cellphone-gate'.

There is nothing "questionable" about Ohtaki's non-profit and Keith bears no responsibility for her spouses legal encounters.

Candidates for public office should be judged on their merits not on unsubstantiated charges by unknown people who claim to be "concerned".

Of course, Atherton resident, Peter Carpenter knows all about everything Menlo Park.

I agree with Concerned Resident --- really we need a new council --- this one has failed miserably.

Interesting that only anonymous unregistered posters seem to want a new council. Fortunately anonymous people cannot register to vote.

For sure Peter Carpenter cannot vote on the Initiative nor on candidates for council, since he lives in Atherton.

Oldtimer is a registered voter in Menlo Park, and will vote and will support the Initiative.

Note that more than half of the financial support for the pro-initiative candidates has come from, guess where, Atherton. Hopefully old-timers and concerneds will put their money where their mouth is. Opps, but that would mean that they would have to disclose their real names since anonymous contributions are against the law.

Gail Slocum, Heyward Robinson and Kelly Fergusson should pull papers. They would be the dream team.

I'd rather see funding for a council race come from an Atherton neighbor than from the unions, whose deep pockets have allowed them to have an extraordinary and 100% self-serving influence on local elections.

The previous comment sounds reasonable, but union money has not impacted the city of Menlo Park in recent history.

The building trades (plumbers, carpters, electricians) have been the only unions that ever contribute to Menlo Park city council candidates, not SEIU or the Police unions. With all the vacant lots that should have been developed, but have been instead growing weeds, these contributions were a bad investment.

Carpenter says: "Keith bears no responsibility for her spouses legal encounters."

I seem to recall that an email was revealed showing that Keith was using her position as a council member to get the Menlo Park police to look into her husband's cockamamie claim that he was framed by Chuck Bernstein.

Peter, do you think it's appropriate for a council member to use their influence with the police to get somebody arrested?

" do you think it's appropriate for a council member to use their influence with the police to get somebody arrested?"

That has been alleged but I have never seen any proof that what you stated occurred.

Please feel free to post original source data supporting your claim.

There was a story in the Daily Post on January 24, 2013 that cited an email from Glen Rojas to John Woodell. When Rojas wrote the email in 2001, he was the city manager. The email is evidence in the civil suit Woodell has against two of your colleagues on the fire district board. Rojas said in the email that he had discussed the case with Kirsten Keith, and that the police were being made aware of their concerns.

CW - I am only prepared to make judgements when presented with source data. The Daily Post story does not meet that criteria.

CW, that Post article was written before Chuck Bernstein's claim was rejected. Bernstein sued his neighbor claiming the neighbor has accused him of stealing the phone. The courts found no evidence that Bernstein's neighbor had ever accused him of stealing anything, and Bernstein lost the case.

CW, you have the facts wrong. The email was not evidence in the civil suit Woodell filed, but it was in the civil suit that Bernstein filed against Woodell. Web Link

"Judge Gerald Buchwald agreed with the dismissal, finding that Mr. Bernstein submitted no admissible evidence, according to the June 24 ruling."

Looks like the Keith damage-control team is in full force to try to change the story. The fact of the matter is that Keith emailed the MPPD to get her husband's phone back.

The bottom line is that even if there is an appearance of impropriety on Keith's part, shame on her. I guess, it will be a contest to see which unethical person will be elected to the MP CC-- Keith or Fergusson. What wonderful choices...