City Council Candidate Q & A: Heyward Robinson

You have been on city council for the past four years, serving as Mayor in 2009. Why are you running again?

Four years is a very short period of time to do anything—it's just a drop in the bucket. It comes down to experience. Being on these committees and having those relationships—that takes a while to develop, and that's one of the things I bring to the next four years.

What is one thing you hope the council will accomplish in the next four years?

Let's revitalize El Camino and downtown with the Downtown Vision/Downtown Specific plan. Five-story buildings sound like a lot, but I think we need change, a makeover. The Downtown Specific plans really outlays a blueprint for what kind of development takes place.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I grew up in South Carolina and came out to Stanford for graduate school. I work at SRI (Stanford Research Institute), where my official title is Senior Research Engineer, but I prefer "scientist." My kids are involved in sports in Menlo Park, so I coach in the Alpine Little League.

What is your perception of the Menlo Gateway Project?

I supported it. It's obviously a very large development, but it's in a good location. It will generate very much needed revenue to the city, it will provide a lot of jobs and it will revitalize that corner of Menlo Park. It will be one of the greenest projects of its type ever done. I think it's going to set some precedence for how to do green development. I've encouraged them to try to be creative about the transportation—have shuttles and Zipcars.

What is your stance on pension reform?

I support pension reform, but I do not support Measure L. I don't think that Measure L really gets us where we need to go. The reality is, it's not going to make any difference for fifteen years if it passes. If somebody tells you that it's going to solve Menlo Park's budget problems, they're blowing smoke. Council already did essentially what the measure wants, which is to oppose a two-tier pension plan. I think it's more appropriate that council manage pensions within a total compensation package. If it passes, it passes. It won't make any difference.

What about labor unions?

The only thing I can promise labor unions is a seat at the table, to talk. I'm getting under their skin because I've been raising the issue of garbage workers' salaries and the teamsters have been negotiating unbelievable raises for themselves. I think labor has the misguided idea that some super liberal pro-labor candidate is going to emerge—I just don't think that's happening.

I have a tremendous amount of respect for employees who work for the city, and for the most part, they work really hard. I will continue to try to have a positive relationship with labor unions because they represent our city's workers.

What are other big issues on the ballot this year?

Most counties in California are proposing a $10 increase in the vehicle license fee. It's really important that that pass. Our public transportation system is so decrepit. Nobody wants to pay any more taxes, but the reality is that we've got to find a way to support regional transit.

One thing is, what do we do about our budget? I really appreciate anybody who has ideas, who wants to help us on the budget. The reality is that whenever we have budget meetings, nobody comes. As soon as you start talking about cutting programs, the pitchforks come out. We increased the fees on programs that we offer, recognizing that some have to be subsidized, particularly in low-income areas; and we raised taxes. It has added an additional million dollars to the budget, but unfortunately that's not enough.

So what else can Menlo Park do to increase its budget?

The other long-term solution to our budget is to increase business development. I'm on the Business Development Subcommittee and have been spearheading this effort to figure out how do we better attract and retain businesses in this city. Menlo Park has a great history of incubating some of the biggest names in the valley. Google started in a garage in Menlo Park. People like to be here, but they don't stay. We've been meeting with a lot of landowners and business owners and have gotten some straightforward feedback that we need to streamline our permit approval process. Part of my goal is to unclog the Planning Commission calendar so that these critical things can move through faster.

The one place where we should be spending money is on capital improvements. It's a really good time to do infrastructure spending. It's not like we're going to be killing our budget to do that. On our streets, we're in the mid-60s index, and we should be in the mid-80s. Let's do a bigger street project. Menlo Park sits on a reserve of about $26 million dollars, which allows us to ride out some bumps without cutting; but we should be spending some of that money on infrastructure. It's investing in ourselves.

Who are your biggest campaign contributors?

I hope to get support from the school community that I am a part of; and I hope to get support from people who want to see change and have a balanced view toward development. I'm not a big fan of the current plans for High-Speed Rail, so I suppose some people who are opposed to that would support me and contribute to my campaign. So far, the biggest checks I've gotten, other than my mom, have been for $250.

How much do you expect to spend on your campaign?

Last time, I spent $40,000 on my campaign—I think that's obscene. I think $25,000 to $30,000 may be more realistic. A huge amount of money gets spent at the post office on mailers.

For more info, visit Robinson's Website:

http://www.voteforheyward.org

You can also connect with Heyward on Facebook.