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Published on 11/02/1998 All articles from this issue

Casey, Finn win seats on LAH council

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By Carol Tiegs

Special to the Town Crier

Los Altos Hills council member-elect Steve Finn said communications would be his No. 1 priority upon taking office.

"We need to get a professionally managed town survey out to everyone and find out what they think," Finn said.

"This survey will be a top priority," said council member Toni Casey, who was re-elected on Nov. 3.

Casey and Finn finished with 27 percent (1,518 votes) and 26.1 percent of the vote (1,464), respectively. Candidates Jim Steiner and Dot Schreiner finished with 25.3 percent (1,423) and 21.6 percent (1,211).

Casey and Finn shared common campaign themes and ran joint advertising throughout the campaign.

Finn also wants to see all town matters appear on the Internet, a project Mayor Bob Johnson and Councilman Bill Siegel hope to complete by the end of 1998. Finn said Foothill College could serve as a resource in broadcasting important public meetings.

Finn called the campaign "a lot of work and a lot of fun.

"We took a huge risk with challenging the planning process," he said. "We found out the average resident believes the planning process is dysfunctional. The average resident doesn't want status quo."

In an Oct. 25 letter to town residents, Casey and Finn stated: "We will streamline the permit approval process and free up the planning commission to do important town-wide planning, as intended by the state legislature, rather than act as a self-appointed architectural review board."

"We threw out a lot of ideas," Finn said. "We will have to see what can be developed. We all have the message now. We will have to find ways to compromise."

Finn said he expects to see more people getting involved in town government.

In addition to electing Casey and Finn, Los Altos Hills residents soundly supported a measure limiting council members to two consecutive terms. According to the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, 1859 residents or 67.6 percent voted for term limit; 829 residents were opposed.