May 23, 2008

Jim Dobbie for council

Editorial

The residents of Atherton have two exemplary candidates to choose from for a vacant city council seat. Our choice, based on his long active involvement in the community, is former corporate manager Jim Dobbie.

Dobbie serves as chair of the general plan committee and vice chair of the planning commission. He also participated in various local issues, including a letter-writing campaign to limit the time builders get to construct a new home, now set at three years.

The letter-writing effort is emblematic of Dobbie's passion for protecting the quality of life in Atherton, which he argues must be kept largely rural even as it accommodates growth. He fears that builders and developers wield too much influence in the town.

Dobbie supported the town's decision to sue over a new Menlo-Atherton High School performing arts center, though he noted that school officials and the town eventually reached a settlement. We hope this suggests he is willing to fight for Atherton's interests while remaining open to compromise when necessary.

He also touts his background in corporate management, which gives him experience as a team builder.

The other candidate in the race, Elizabeth Lewis, also is a strong contender and offers a spirited challenge to Dobbie. She criticized the suit over the school, arguing better communication to resolve the problem would have been preferable, and contends a controversial historical artifacts ordinance Dobbie supports should be rescinded. We think she could bring a new perspective to city government.

We hope she maintains an interest in the city council. Two seats are up for grabs in November, after all.

For this race, however, we like Dobbie on the strength of his past service to the town and his business background, valuable skills for Atherton.