Hartnett and Howard leave their mark

More than 20 years ago, Hartnett was determined to join the city family. He applied for the Port Commission twice and did not get picked. Then he successfully applied for the Housing and Human Concerns Committee where he served with Diane Howard for eight years. He lost his first race for the council in 1992, tried again in ‘94 and won and has been a fixture ever since. Howard was also elected for a first term in ‘94 and the two have been close allies ever since.

Hartnett said he would rather use the term challenging rather than difficult when he asked if he had any regrets. He has none. The most challenging times included establishing a movie theater downtown despite significant opposition to city participation in the development. The city lost an eminent domain case regarding the acquisition of property. Then there was the Marina Shores project, which received unanimous council approval but was overturned by referendum. In retrospect, Hartnett says people are usually uncomfortable with change. When a controversial decision works out, as in the case of the downtown movie theater, people forget how difficult it was at the time. As for the voters rejecting Marina Shores but continuing to re-elect the incumbents, Hartnett believes in general citizens were happy with the direction of the city.

What is Hartnett most proud of in what he accomplished in 16 years. He’s most proud that the council has been working together to seek a positive direction for the city.

"During my first two terms, things were very contentious,” he said.

Hartnett blamed councilman Matt Leipzig for the unpleasantness. When Leipzig ran for re-election, Hartnett established a one-man committee (himself) to oppose Leipzig who eventually lost. Hartnett ran a similar campaign to stop Jack Hickey who was running for the local school board because it was well known that Hickey did not believe in public education. On a positive side, Hartnett led the efforts to create three athletic fields — the county and the city provided the funding, the school district the land.

The most important change in his city in the past 16 years is the revitalization of downtown.

"Downtown can be a small part of a city, but it has a great impact on how people feel about their city,” he said.

Looking ahead he would like to see Bayfront development and more high-density housing downtown. As for the proposed Cargill project, Hartnett thinks it will eventually be decided at the ballot box. His future plans are to devote more time to his law firm. Of course, behind the scenes, he will still be involved. His wife Rosanne Foust is still on the council and a member of several transportation committees. Do they always agree?

"Well, once I made a motion, and no one seconded it, not even Rosanne,” he said.

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Diane Howard says it’s hard to believe 16 years have passed so quickly and there still is so much to be done. She has been a big fan of water transit and hopes Redwood City will soon have an operational ferry system. Like Hartnett, she is most proud of the revitalization of downtown. There were so many obstacles to overcome.

"The land wasn’t ours and we had to put together a funding package,” she said.

She’s devastated that the downtown Fox Theatre may be up for sale and hopes there will be interest in keeping this historic building alive.

She is also proud of how many people are now getting involved in the community. At one time, it was difficult to get residents to apply for boards and commissions. Howard partnered with the Kiwanis Club to set up a table at the farmers’ market where she would sit for hours and answer questions from citizens and pass out literature on how to participate in local government. The most difficult decision concerned recycled water. Redwood City has severe water limitations so the city explored the use of recycled water for landscaping and toilets. Citizens had fear of the unknown, didn’t know what was in the recycled water and whether it would eventually be used for drinking. Now the city is incorporating recycled water in new developments. It is required in development agreements and later on could be a condition for approving a project.

During the past 16 years, the perception of Redwood City has changed. People used to ask the Howards why they moved to a place like Redwood City which was often called "Deadwood City”. Nobody asks her that any more, she said, with the beautiful downtown, the courthouse and community plaza. In the next 16 years, she hopes to see housing along an attractive and walkable El Camino Real and more housing downtown. Her future plans could include a run for the Board of Supervisors or the Sequoia Healthcare District Board. She plans to stay very involved. Howard, who is a nurse, works in her husband Steve’s office three days a week.

Somehow, Redwood City won’t be the same without Jim Hartnett and Diane Howard on the council. Whether you agree with all of their votes or not, you can’t deny that they have been two extraordinary dedicated public servants.

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Lucky to be alive: Tom Siebel, a history making local entrepreneur, is one of the few to have survived an elephant trampling. Siebel was on safari in Africa with a personal guide when an attempt to get within 200 yards of the animals was misinterpreted by a mother elephant who charged at full speed. Siebel, 56 years old, was seriously injured and flown to Stanford Hospital. He is now recovering at home in Woodside.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.