Candidate earns early praise

The plan to build a new police station was set into motion in 1998 and the land at Hillsdale Boulevard and Saratoga Drive was purchased this year. However, building designs are still in early stages and won't return to the Planning Commission until sometime next year. The station is, Grotte said, "something we need to move forward on before inflation erodes the existing financing."

The type of zoning in North Central and Central neighborhoods should be adjusted to improve to maintain and improve the quality of life, Grotte said.

"We also need to support and improve the climate in San Mateo, while balancing this with the needs of the community," he added.

Grotte is a Shoreview-Parkside resident with 15 years experience as a community activist. When he moved to the city in 1986, he experienced a problem in his neighborhood that gave him two clear options, he said.

"Did I want to stay in my neighborhood or run away. I chose to stay," he said.

Grotte became one of the founding members of the Shoreview-Parkside Neighborhood Association and helped the organization join San Mateo United Homeowners Association. He also participated in the Measure C campaign for seismic safety of firehouses and police stations. He was on the Committee on Social Service Providers after seeing the neighborhood react to Richard Alan Davis and the Polly Klass case. He has also worked with neighbors dealing with Federal Emergency Management Agency flood zone issues.

"He hit the ground running," said former mayor Claire Mack. "Don't just test the water. We want you to stick your foot in and tell us if it's it warm or not."

He joined the Planning Commission three-and-a-half years ago and remained active in neighborhood issues. He participated and supported the reauthorization of Measure H as Measure P and helped facilitate meetings between neighborhood organizations and the business community.

"Balance is the thing with Brandt," said 19th Avenue resident Marshall Loring. "He made sure they got a full understanding."

Former city leaders praised Grotte as a leader and a consensus builder.

Councilman Jack Matthews, a former planning commissioner, described him as someone who "really understands the neighborhood" and a person "who always does his homework."

Grotte graduated from Leland High School in San Jose and obtained his bachelor's degree in aquatic biology from University of California at Santa Barbara in 1979. He obtained a master's degree in environmental management from the University of San Francisco in 1996. He currently works in the electronics industry as the company's global environmental, safety and health manager.

He is married to Kathy Grotte and has two stepsons.

Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com