Ah, election year. Let the festivities begin!

I can't wait to see the youTube responses to some candidate positions. That's going to be fun!

Yiaway Yeh continues to impress me, I don't know a whole lot about him but everything I encounter continues to be good. I'll eventually expect to hear some bad news, and he is young, but I think the type of forward-thinking exposed above is exactly what this Council needs. Go Yiaway!

One thing we learn ahead of time from the newspapers is, who they will support. The pictures in the paper and in this story make it pretty clear who is getting the free publicity.
In the case of a female candidate who probably won't get the Weekly's nod, the featured photo was of her husband and son. Not her.

-Forum Reader- Thanks for the brilliant and observant comment. Maybe if you had taken time to read the headline, you would have noticed that this article was not a Council race profile, but rather an expose on ways that the candidates are using technology to benefit their candidacy. If the article had been about female candidates or kickoff events or candidate positions on infrastructure, perhaps your point would be valid. Also, maybe the male candidates should complain when the LWV pays less attention to them.

Where's Claude Ezran's CORRECTLY spelled website in the Weekly print edition?

This deserves a correction

While the forums are in a sense regarded as the Wild West, it is good to know I can still tune into reality and hear more respectful dialog in an organic manner.

Hi, this is Tim Gray. At the time this article was printed, I did not have web site, as I was a late entrant to the election. (I entered at the last minute in response to an appeal for Citizen Participation.) I am participating now with lots of information at www.Vote4Gray.com .

Please visit and help me learn more about our City government.

Tim Gray. Thanks for posting here. I think this is an under-used resource for candidates of local office. You may not get a terrifically large audience, but those who post here are people who probably are in closer touch with the issues than the 'average voter'.

That being said, I was pretty disappointed with your website. You may have noted (or should if you will click around) that there is an ongoing debate about how well the city is spending our money, and about what are the proper priorities for our city.

Your first "issue" is "Global Climate Protection". We already have a mayor who loves this trendy, publicity-generating buzzword, focus on which allows her to ignore the more difficult and boring job of running a small town government. Sad to see that you think it is something you mention prominently in your website - maybe so you can avoid discussion of these hard issues.

You also talk about sustainable budgeting. But I don't see anything on your site about what - specifically - you might cut from our bloated budget to help us become more sustainable. IN that regard, you mention the library/police bonds. If you will read this site, you will see there is a LOT of disagreement among posters here about whether the city establishment is playing straight with us about the need for these projects - at least in the form they're currently envisioned, and especially about how they should be paid for. There are quite a few who think that voters should turn down the bonds in part as a protest to the way the city runs our finances. How - specifically do you come down on these issues?

The brightest spot I see in your site is that you recognize (unlike almost any other candidate apparently) that the city is fuzzing up the accounting between the utilities and general funds - presumably so they can spend without the pesky bother of raising taxes. I hope if nothing else, you will pursue this line of inquiry. Forcing honesty on that would be a great contribution to our city - whether you win or lose.

Thanks again for posting, Tim Gray.

Call me old fashioned, but I expect people who run for leadership positions to already know a lot about the organization they want to lead. I'm amazed at how uninformed several of the candidates are.

Hi, this is Tim Gray, candidate for Palo Alto City Council. I am not accepting contributions and I am not seeking endorsements. Please check out the section of my web site addressing: "Why Is Financial Discipline The Most Urgent Need for Palo Alto?" Web Link

Also, please check out the discussion of infrastucture. Any candidate can be pro infrastucture, but that doesn't do anything. What is required is an urgent look at our spending if the city is ever going to regain the trust of the voters and have any bond measures approved. Web Link

When businesses are putting together Boards, they seek out a diversity of skills. I may not be everything, but I am the much-needed finance guy. You can vote for four. I am a solid number four. I am independent and will ask tough questions, and I am a cooperator. Most of my client are as large, if not larger than the City. The fact that I have been an independent consultant for ten years is a data point that would indicate that I create value by getting things done.

Best regards,

Tim Gray