On New Perspectives Informed By Experience . . .

By Alan Carlson

Find out more about the qualifications of Alan Carlson and the experience he has gained from representing Atherton's Police Department since 1995

As someone not having served previously on the City Council, if elected I will bring my own vision and independent posture to the issues and problems which Atherton will encounter in the future. My approach will be whenever possible to seek a consensus whereby my experience and views complement those of other Council members to achieve what is best for Atherton.

However, the new perspective I offer will be informed by my experiences working for the Town since 1995 and directly with the City Council, City Manager, Police Chief, as well as the Town's staff.

There can be no doubt that residents consider police services to be one of the most important provided by the Town. This year, the Town will spend about 56 percent of its operating budget to maintain the Police Department at its present level of services. The relationship today between the Town and its police officers is a good one. Unfortunately, this has not always been the case.

In 1995, when I was retained by Atherton to represent the Town in labor negotiations with the Atherton Police Officers' Association, there existed a strained relationship between the Association and Town. This had unfortunately resulted from a previous 18 months of apparently unproductive negotiations which had finally concluded in an agreement in November 1994. While this agreement was retroactive to July 1993, it expired a mere six weeks later on December 31, 1994. The misfortune of this circumstance was the creation of a distrustful relationship which spilled out into the news media and public letters to Town residents. This was the difficult environment which I confronted when the Town gave me the challenge to negotiate a new labor agreement with the Association.

A new labor agreement was reached between Atherton and its police officers over a five week period in 1995. My meetings with the Association were not always easy, but they were candid and honest on both sides. Trust and respect grew as the meetings and negotiations progressed. The result was a new 28 month agreement which was ratified by the police officers and unanimously adopted by the City Council. This agreement restored trust among the Town, its police officers, and the Association. Perhaps the words of the Association in an April 1995 Country Almanac statement sum up the negotiations best:

The Men, Women, and Families of the Atherton Police Officers' Association would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Atherton Town Council, the Town Negotiation Team and Alan B. Carlson, for their personal involvement in the Police Department and the recent contract negotiations.
The Country Almanac, April 19, 1995

In 1997 the City Council again asked me to negotiate a new labor agreement with the Atherton Police Officers' Association. The 1997 negotiations did not take 18 months, nor even five weeks. Building upon an established relationship of mutual respect, the 1997 negotiations took two weeks, and resulted in a 36 month agreement that will expire in June 2000.

These are the accomplishments that I now offer for your consideration. If elected, I will be seated on the City Council when the next agreement is negotiated. With my past experiences to draw upon, I would be in a unique and much better position to help ensure that the relationship built in the past will continue into the future for the benefit of the Town's residents and its police officers.

Alan Carlson