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Published on 09/08/1997 All articles from this issue

Councilman Gray moving, considers resignation

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

'I don't think it would be ethical'

Los Altos City Councilman Bob Gray confirmed that he is considering resigning from his council seat.

He is selling his Los Altos home, building a new home in the Del Webb retirement community east of Sacramento near Roseville and will be moving.

"I haven't yet decided if I'll take a temporary address or resign," Gray said last Thursday.

Gray does not need to resign, said Los Altos city attorney Bob Booth. "He could pick where his residence is."

But for Gray, "I don't think it would be ethical to live in one place and represent another," he said. An elected official "should feel obligated to be available at any time. It would be difficult to retain a seat here and be away a significant amount of time."

Gray said his Los Altos house is scheduled to close escrow at the end of September. His new house won't be ready until February 1998. He said it is a "possibility" that he will live in town temporarily with his adult daughter.

Gray's council term is up in November, and he is not seeking re-election.

"It avoids a lot of problems if he serves out his term," Booth said, "especially for this short time. It avoids a 2-2 council."

There are five more city council meetings on the calendar before the newly elected council members are seated in November.

If Gray does resign before the end of his term, the council, who fills vacancies, has two options, said Carol Scharz, Los Altos city clerk.

Council members may leave the seat vacant until the election.

Mayor Francis La Poll said he'd "hate to let it (the seat) go vacant. There are still two and a half months to go."

Or the council can appoint someone, Scharz said. An appointment would be on a council agenda. There is not time to hold a special election.

Councilwoman Patti Williams first came onto the city council by appointment to fill a vacancy. She then ran for a term in her own right and is now seeking a second four-year term.