City Council Candidate Q & A: Russell Peterson

Do you like being known as the guy who sued High-Speed Rail?

Everyone thinks that I'm flaming against High-Speed Rail and quite frankly, the way it's been planned, I am. They forget that I was a supporter back in 2003 before I started to look for my own information on it. At first, I was only given poor information. But I found out that the business plan doesn't hold water. And so I helped start up the Community Coalition on High-Speed Rail. The coalition is not there to be a critic; we're trying to work out a decent plan.

If they put an elevated eight-lane freeway through here, it's going to sink our community. It will divide our city and project sound. We should put it on current freight rail tracks.  See comment below (9/24/10  3:31 p.m.)

Where do you work?

I'm an at-home dad and a community volunteer. That encompasses doing PTO, High-Speed Rail Coalition, and Scouts. I'm the president of the Felton Gables Homeowners Association, too.

How long have you been living in Menlo Park, and what do you like about it?

Since 1992. There's lots of things I like about it. I can walk downtown, I walk to church, I walk to the hardware store. I ride my bike around. I grew up in a midwestern suburb of Chicago, and this is a very suburban kind of town. It has great schools. It's a package deal.

What sets you apart from the other candidates?

I got into this thing because I'm totally fiscally conservative. To me, that meant you don't spend more than you have. I understand that for a large project there's going to be an up-front investment—I get that. But, if you're going to plan for the future, you have to have a successful plan. I really think that we need to spend within our means and stay there.

Share your thoughts about the Pension Reform ballot measure.

People have asked, what would you cut? I don't want to say I'm going to specifically cut this or that program. I want to work with people and say, this is the total amount that we want to spend—let's cut things to get there. One of the things I'm focusing on is let's subsidize the childcare center for wealthy people and make scholarships for low income families. We have a surplus and should maintain it for emergency situations, but it's the philosophy of, spend within your means--that's not T-bone steaks three times a night.

Tell me about your perception of the Menlo Gateway project.

It's going to bring in revenue, of course, but it's also going to add traffic to that intersection. I would have done it differently. I'm disappointed it ended up on the ballot, but Bohannan should be allowed to develop the property.

What are some other issues you are concerned about?

I love the idea of the Downtown Vision Plan, but I don't like the idea of five-story buildings along El Camino. Redwood City has those, if you want them. I didn't move to a high-rise community and I wasn't expecting that. The Downtown Vision Plan concept is what we need for the future, but I think it's too much to have a concrete canyon and five-story buildings.

We need more open space to prevent overcrowding. Why are we developing? Our downtown seems to be working.

All of this new senior housing they're proposing to put in is seemingly for a dual-income, no kids, no car household. That's a rather narrow demographic to shoot for. We need more focus on construction for our schools.

How much money do you expect to spend on your campaign?

I couldn't imagine raising $40,000. If somebody handed me a check tomorrow, I'd still have a hard time spending even part of it. I'm not going to spend $25,000, either. I'm on the cusp of going totally frugal.

Why did you decide to run for city council?

The tipping point was the pension initiative. It seems so reasonable that you wouldn't sign us up for a liability that you wouldn't be able to pay for. I'd like to be a voice of reason. We need to control our spending.

Have you ever served in the military?

Yes. After graduating from Purdue with a B.A. in Aviation Technology, I became a nuclear engineer for the Navy for four-and-a-half years.

Are you pro or anti labor unions?

I think that people should be absolutely allowed to organize. My dad worked for a union his entire life. But, I think unions have lost their way, because it's just about pay and benefits, which are critical issues for them, but they don't ask, "What can we afford?"

I liken it to safety issues—wouldn't it be great if the fire department could get to everybody's house in the entire town in under thirty seconds? You can actually have that happen, but I don't think you want to pay for that. You can have all the benefits in the world, if you're willing to accept that your job goes away in two or three years because we can't afford to pay you. Don't just worry about how much you're getting paid—worry about how effective you are.

Peterson can be reached at info@cc-hsr.org.