Political Philosophy for Toni Casey

Candidate for
Member, City Council; Town of Los Altos Hills

Continuing a Positive Agenda

Toni Casey supports limiting Los Altos Hills council members to two consecutive terms and wrote the argument in favor of the term limit on the Nov. 3 ballot. So why is she running for re-election? Toni has a positive agenda for common sense government and fairness that residents have strongly encouraged her to continue.

Serving on the Council from 1988-1992 and again from 1994-1998, Toni's two-year break from local office gives testimony to the promise that term limits provide an opportunity for council members to gain a better understanding of the issues facing the Town from the residents' perspective. Over the next four years, Toni will strive to:

· Eliminate the beurocratic level of planning commission approvals.

All layers in place - from the professional staff of experts to the elected council members - can be too easily superseded by the Planning Commission, giving too much power to an appointed body and adding an unpredictable hoop for residents to negotiate. The solution is to empower staff and hold the City Council accountable by bringing the total responsibility of approving new homes and remodels to the City Council - a win-win for the Town Staff and for residents.

· Revise the building permit fee structure.

Fees should more accurately reflect the actual costs of administering the permit and should be commensurate with fees charged in the surrounding communities.

· Reverse the off-road pathway policy that can mandate a dedication of an easement when a resident applies for a permit.

Toni strongly supports the along-side-the-road pathway system. However, residents have expressed enormous concern over the policy concerning off-road paths (paths that run behind or between properties) - citing issues of safety, privacy, liability, and protection of their property.

· Promote a responsive, service-oriented government that treats residents as valued customers.