The League of Women Voters of Piedmont will host a candidate’s forum on January 9, 2014 at 7:30 pm in the City Council Chambers, Piedmont City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue.  The community is cordially invited to meet the three candidates running for three seats on the Piedmont City Council: Teddy King, Tim Rood and incumbent Jeffery Weiler, as well as the three candidates running for two seats on the Board of Education: Doug Ireland, Amal Smith and Hari Titan.  The evening will conclude with a presentation of municipal Measure A, which would authorizes the refinancing of certain existing debt obligations to the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

The candidates will present opening and closing remarks and respond to written questions from the audience.  League member Betsy Andersen will serve as the evening’s moderator.  Those unable to attend are invited to view a simulcast of the event on KCOM-TV, channel 27.  This year, for the first time, questions may be submitted by viewers at home via text message.  The text number will be announced on the air.

Questions?  Please contact Julie McDonald at julieemcdonald@yahoo.com.

 – School Board Decisions on Bond Authorization – 

The School Board requests comments from the community regarding the June 2014 ballot measure for bonds to fund the renovation of the High School Auditorium, Alan Harvey Theatre, 800 Magnolia Avenue.  The School Board meetings will be held in the City Council Chambers starting at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, January 8 and 22.

Authorization Amount – $13 – $14 – $15 million – 

The School Board will consider:

–  What time period to choose from 13 to 25 years for the repayment of the bonds.

–  The ratio of total repayment (principal and interest) to initial bond proceeds (principal) received.

–  What tax rate per $100,000 of assessed property value should be imposed on Piedmont properties. 

In June 2014, the Board of Education will present a bond measure to Piedmont voters to raise funds to renovate Alan Harvey Theatre to bring it up to current accessibility codes and standards. The Board held the first of three meetings to discuss bond financing options on December 11, 2013.  Written presentation of options.

While inviting community input on bond financing for Alan Harvey Theatre, the Board determined it may be helpful for the public to have a financial summary of the District’s recently-completed seismic safety bond program. The seismic program to strengthen or replace school facilities to meet or exceed current standards for life safety involved the sale of $69.1 million in local bonds.

These bonds include a mix of current interest bonds, Qualified School Construction Bonds, and Capital Appreciation Bonds (CABs).  The financial summary includes information that was previously published in Citizen Oversight Committee reports, Board reports, reports from KNN Public Finance, and the Seismic Safety Bond Program Summary. The information has been compiled in this financial summary for the public’s convenience. To view the summary, go to: http://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/bond/SSBP_Finance_Summary.pdf  [Information includes current bond obligations for the Piedmont Unified School District]

Editors’ Note:  Information concerning the Bond Measure for the Alan Harvey Theatre renovation was provided in public documents by the Piedmont Unified School District.

The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose candidates for public office or ballot measures. 

– Nominations Open for City Council and School Board –

November 8th Deadline for completion of nomination papers –

Are you interested in becoming an elected official in Piedmont? Candidates must follow specific procedures including filing nomination papers with voter signatures by November 8, 2013. 

The City of Piedmont will hold its regular Municipal Election on February 4, 2014. The nomination period for the three vacancies on the Piedmont City Council and two vacancies on the Board of Education opened on Monday, October 14. The deadline for filing papers is November 8, 2013. There is no cost to candidates to file for election. However, candidates pay for the printing of their statements in the sample ballot. On October 7, the Piedmont City Council estimated that cost for each candidate statement will be about $900. The statements are limited to 200 words for each candidate. Campaign expenses typically include posters, mailings and advertising. 

The City Council and Board of Education are Piedmont’s two elected bodies and guide the operation of City government and the Piedmont Unified School District respectively. Members of these bodies may serve a maximum of 2 four-year terms.

Potential candidates should go promptly to City Hall to obtain papers and information pertaining to the February 2014 Municipal Election.

Required documents must be filed by 5 pm November 8.

The California Elections Code requires that nomination papers be issued in person to the prospective candidate at City Hall. For detailed information on filing call City Clerk John Tulloch at 510-420-3040 or go to City Hall during normal business hours.

– The City Council considers mosquito abatement, City Administrator search, new Police management position, bonds to pay off the CalPERS side fund, February 4, 2014 City election, and ballot arguments regarding the bond measure. – 

The Monday, October 7 , City Council meeting will start at 7:30 pm in the City Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue.

Regular Agenda:

– Oral presentation on Alameda County Mosquito Abatement

– Hearing on the criteria (education, experience, etc) for a new City Administrator.  The staff report includes advertised compensation for the new City Administrator including pension, health and welfare, etc.

You are invited to attend this meeting to express your thoughts on the experience, education, and qualities desired in the new City Administrator. The Council also encourages those who cannot attend the meeting to submit comments via email or in writing.

You may send email to jtulloch@ci.piedmont.ca.us or via U.S. Mail to the Piedmont City Council, c/o City Clerk, 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont, CA 94611.

– Police Support Services Manager employment resolution –  This is a new position in the Police Department to assist in administrative matters as recommended by the Police Chief.

– Second reading of an Ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds – Report describes the ballot measure to pay off the CalPERS side fund, a pension obligation.

– Resolution calling for the February 4, 2014 City election, the shared costs to be charged to candidates for City Council and School Board and the City CalPERS side fund bond measure

Nomination papers for prospective candidates for this election will be available from the City Clerk beginning October 14, 2013 and must be returned no later than 5:00 p.m. on November 8, 2013, unless an eligible incumbent fails to file, in which case the deadline is extended to November 12, 2013.

There are 3 seats up for election on the City Council and 2 seats on the Board of Education.

– Direct argument and rebuttal argument for the CalPERS refinance bond measure for the February 4 ballot

– The Consent Agenda at the beginning of the meeting includes escheatment of $2,588.16 in unclaimed funds and approval of November 28 street closures for the annual Turkey Trot fundraiser.

See the entire agenda.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The public is welcome to attend the meeting in the Council Chambers, 120 Vista Avenue. This meeting will be televised live on KCOM-TV, Channel 27, the City’s government TV station and will be available through streaming video on the City’s web site www.ci.piedmont.ca.us.

 – Long time school volunteer seeks School Board seat in February.  –

Amal Smith’s press release:

Amal Smith announced her candidacy for a seat on the Board of Education in the February 2014 election. Amal has been an active volunteer in the school community for over thirteen years, ranging from classroom volunteer to leadership roles on parent club boards and the Piedmont Educational Foundation.

Amal and her husband, Rick, moved their family to Piedmont in 1998. They have two sons: Connor, a sophomore at Vanderbilt, and Luke, a junior at Piedmont High School. “So many people move to Piedmont for the schools and the community that is formed around these schools. Teachers, staff, myriad volunteers and, yes, school board members have worked collectively to create the educational experience we wanted for our sons. I’m running for School Board because I want to give back to a community that has given my family and me so much, and because I believe I have relevant skills to contribute to the governance of our school district,” she explained.

Amal has extensive volunteer experience in support of Piedmont schools. She was active in the Beach Elementary School community, serving as president, vice president, and treasurer for the Beach Parents’ Organization, as well as a volunteer for the Parent Educator and Meet the Masters programs. She served for six years on the Piedmont Educational Foundation board, serving on the grants committee, as treasurer for three years, and president for two years. She has been a member of the District’s Budget Advisory Committee since 2004. She was a volunteer on the recent school parcel tax campaigns, as well as on the seismic safety bond measure campaign. She just completed three years of service on the PHS Boosters board, and is currently the treasurer for the PHS Parents Club, a member of the PHS Wellness Center Advisory Board, and a facilitator for the Piedmont Parent Network.

“I know how things work in our district—who the participants are, how the funding works, and how the support organizations and volunteers work cooperatively with the schools to maintain our academic excellence,” she said. “My primary priorities are ensuring strong fiscal oversight and the prudent allocation of District resources that continue the practice of providing the most robust program possible; holding a strategic, long-term perspective that keeps in mind the entire K-12 program; and continuing the commitment to the on-going collaborative teacher evaluation process, emphasizing teacher development and including creative classroom strategies and technological innovations,” she added.

Amal grew up in Bahrain and Los Angeles; her mother was from the American South and her father was born, raised and still lives in Bahrain. She did her undergraduate studies at UCLA, majoring in Psychology, and received her MBA from USC. She has over 23 years of experience in higher education: the last 13 years at the University of California, Office of the President, first in financial management and reporting and, most recently, managing a shared services center for financial operations support; and, before that, 10 years at KPMG providing consulting services to non-profit organizations, primarily top-tier research universities.

Grier Graff, Valerie Matzger, and Ann Trutner are the honorary co-chairs of Amal’s campaign committee. Her campaign steering committee includes Conna McCarthy, Anne-Marie Lamarche, and June Monach. Also on her campaign committee are Cathie Geddeis, Jim Baack, Sharon Hom, Debbie Lee, Jen Wilson, and Rick Smith.

Editors’ Note:  The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.  Although PCA does not support or oppose candidates for public office, information about candidates and their campaigns is welcomed.

Have you ever looked for a letter or comment in the press without finding it?

Readers often post comments at the end of our articles.  To learn Piedmonters’ thoughts on any news article or opinion essay, return to an article during the following weeks or years after publication and scroll to their end.  Readers can also use the search function on our site to go back to prior news articles for the history of policies and projects and read opinion pieces.  For example, to read the comments on the City Council settlement with Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO), scroll to the end of the PRFO Settlement article where comments are located.  Comments on all prior articles can be accessed through our search tab found on the left side of the home page using the steps as noted.

 1.   Go to SEARCH on the left side of the PCA home page

2.   Enter the desired subject in the search space, for example, PRFO, Schools, etc.  All articles on the subject will present.

3.   Scroll down the page, click on the headline of desired articles.

4.   Scroll to the end of the article to read COMMENTS on the article.

With an election coming, a change in City Administrator, educational policies, and financial issues making current news, the Piedmont Civic Association (PCA) provides a forum for comments, opinions, and articles. Our goal is an informed citizenry. PCA civic news is disbursed and stored on the internet unencumbered by space limitations faced by commercial businesses.

PCA does not support or oppose candidates for public office nor take positions on ballot measures.  All comments and opinions reflect the opinions of their authors and not necessarily those of the Piedmont Civic Association.

 Everyone is encouraged to submit information or comments to:

editors@piedmontcivic.org.

– Budget Advisory Committee Member Tim Rood Announces Candidacy for Piedmont City Council – There are now three candidates running for three Council seats in the February 2014 Municipal Election. 

Tim Rood

The following is a press release from Tim Rood:

Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee (BAFPC) member Tim Rood has announced his candidacy for Piedmont City Council in the February 4, 2014 election. Rood has been endorsed by all of his colleagues on the BAFPC: Chair Bill Hosler, Mary Geong, Steve Hollis and Tom Lehrkind. The BAFPC was established by the Council in 2012 to assist the Council with recommendations on financial planning, forecasting and budgeting. Rood and the other BAFPC members were appointed for a three-year term.

“Tim is very knowledgeable of the City’s budget and overall financial position and the fiscal issues facing the council,” said BAFPC Chair Bill Hosler. “As a committee member, he’s demonstrated his openmindedness, his analytical approach, and his commitment to responsibly maintaining our high-quality City services and facilities.”

BAFPC member Steve Hollis agreed. “Working closely with Tim on the Budget Advisory & Financial  Planning Committee over the past two years, I’ve been impressed by his grasp of fiscal issues, his collaborative approach, and his commitment to saving taxpayer dollars while keeping Piedmont a great place to live. Tim will bring an informed and fresh perspective to our Council’s deliberations,” said Hollis, who, like Hosler, served on the 2011 Municipal Tax Review Committee (MTRC).

“I’m honored to have been endorsed by all of my Budget Advisory & Financial Planning Committee colleagues,” Rood stated. “Piedmont is such a wonderful place to live thanks in large part to the dedication and effort of our citizens. It’s been a privilege to represent Piedmonters on the BAFPC for the past two years, collaborating to explore ways to save the City money and address future liabilities, while responsibly maintaining our civic assets. As a Council member, I will bring my in-depth knowledge of City finances, as well as my professional experience as a city planner, consulting to dozens of municipalities and leading community outreach processes to find consensus on difficult issues. I look forward to working with the incoming City Administrator and other staff to implement the BAFPC’s money-saving recommendations, including refinancing the pension side fund, restarting the phased rehabilitation of the City’s sanitary sewers, and addressing the projected deficit in the sewer fund.”

A daily bicycle commuter, Rood has been an enthusiastic advocate for the City’s recent bicycle/pedestrian master plan. He established and leads the Green Transportation interest group as a co-chair of Piedmont Connect, a local volunteer environmental organization. For the past two years, Piedmont Connect has sponsored an “Energizer Station” at Ace Hardware as part of Bike to Work Day in Piedmont, in which Mayor Chiang, Council Members Garrett Keating and Margaret Fujioka and Rood have all participated.

Rood’s campaign steering committee includes Council member Garrett Keating; former mayor Al Peters, a member of the Task Force on Civic Governance appointed by the League of Women Voters of Piedmont; former Council member Walter Schey; former Planning Commissioner Melanie Robertson; MTRC members Michael Rancer and Eric Lindquist; Kathleen Quenneville, also a member of the ask Force on Civic Governance; and a diverse group of current and former parents of Piedmont schoolchildren, including former parents Diane Allen, Denise Bostrom, and Hingman Chan; PMS and PHS parents Bill and Tina Bocheff; Beach and PMS parent Jim Mitchell, and Wildwood parent Judy Richardson.

In addition to the BAFPC members and his campaign committee, Rood’s other endorsers include School Board President Rick Raushenbush, Recreation Commission Chair Nick Levinson, former mayor Nancy McEnroe, and Capital Improvement Program Committee member Ryan Gilbert, who was also a member of the 2011 Municipal Tax Review Committee.

Tim Rood has been a Piedmont resident since 2002 and has been an active local volunteer throughout that time. He and his wife Muffy have two children who attended Wildwood from kindergarten and are now at Piedmont Middle School and Piedmont High School. His community service includes six years on the board of the Piedmont Swim Club, serving as a precinct captain in the 2013 school parcel tax campaign, and volunteering with the League of Women Voters of Piedmont to register voters at the Piedmont Harvest Festival. He also volunteers as treasurer of Human Impact Partners, an Oakland-based 501(c) 3 non-profit organization.

A certified city planner and licensed architect, Rood has led multi-disciplinary consulting teams and public outreach processes for numerous cities, including Oakland, Martinez, San Rafael and Healdsburg, and holds a LEED accreditation in green neighborhood design. He holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Columbia University and masters’ degrees in architecture and city planning from U.C. Berkeley. Rood is a partner in an award-winning urban design and planning firm, Community Design + Architecture (CD+A), which specializes in the design and implementation of walkable, bicycle-friendly streets and communities. The San Francisco Better Streets Plan developed by CD+A has won multiple awards.

Tim Rood welcomes any questions or thoughts on City government and can be reached at (510) 239-7663 or by email at Tim@Rood4Piedmont.com.

Tim Rood

Editors’ Note: The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose candidates for public office.  The comments are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Piedmont Civic Association.  Information about candidates and their campaigns is welcomed.

The Piedmont Unified School District Budget Advisory Committee meeting will be held on Thursday, September 19 in the Conference Room in the District Office at 760 Magnolia Avenue from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. The meeting is the deadline for applications for the School Support Tax Advisory Subcommittee, which is responsible for advising the School Board Members on the voter approved 8 year School Support Parcel Tax. Those interested in being a member of the Subcommittee should be present at the Sept. 19 meeting, and have their application form with them or have provided the form to the District by 3:30 pm prior to the meeting.

The application form and an explanation of the work of the Subcommittee are available below:

The following is a press release from Jeff Wieler:

Jeff Wieler announces his candidacy for the February 2014  City Council Election:

I am pleased to be seeking reelection to the Piedmont City Council. I love living in Piedmont and I’m passionate about helping the city continue to be the wonderful community it is. I’ve put that passion to work over the past two decades as a community volunteer, serving on a wide array of civic committees and commissions, including the Civil Service Commission, Municipal Tax Committee, Ad Hoc Library Committee, Civic Center Committee, and Park Commission. I’ve also been proud to represent Piedmont on the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency.

As a member of the City Council, I have been deeply engaged in all aspects of the council’s decision-making, with a particular focus on responsible financial management. This reflects both my professional experience – I have a XX-year career in finance and an MBA from Harvard Business School – and my personal belief that there is no more serious duty for an elected official than careful, prudent management of public finances. This is especially true in the current economic environment, and I look forward to helping the city remain on strong fiscal footing.

I’m proud to be supported by a supermajority of the members of the Budget Advisory Committee. I’d also note that the recently retired city finance director Mark Bichsel has called me “one of the most productive Council members and volunteers that Piedmont has ever had. Jeff …would take a problem, shake it, and come up with a creative solution.” I fully intend to continue shaking the problems – and opportunities – that Piedmont will face in the next four years and finding creative ways to keep our city great.

Our city will have a new City Administrator shortly after the election; three department heads and a number of important middle-management employees are close to retirement age. I believe that my long experience in the community and at City Hall can help provide continuity and institutional memory during this time of transition.

I am honored to be supported by Mayor John Chiang and former mayors Michael Bruck, Valerie Matzger, Patty White, Susan Hill, Katy Foulkes, Abe Friedman, and Skip Rhodes. If re-elected, I promise to maintain an open mind, listening to all points of view, recognizing valid points and working to incorporating those ideas into public policy.

I would be happy to answer any questions and to hear what Piedmonters want to see the Council achieve in the next four years. I can be reached at: 420 – 3040, or by email at JSWieler@yahoo.com. You can also go to my website: www.Jeff4Piedmont.com.

Editors’ Note: The Piedmont Civic Association does not support or oppose candidates for public office.  PCA welcomes information about candidates and their campaigns.