PHOTO: ANDREY POLIAKOVAtwo-minute opening statement,ninety-second questions, and a shortclosing statement were the tightparameters placed on the four candidatesfor the Town of Atherton when theydiscussed the election issues at the CandidatesForum at <strong>Menlo</strong> College. Adding tothese challenges, people had to miss theWorld Series Game playoff to attend theevent. Kennedy Tanaka, student at <strong>Menlo</strong>College introduced the four candidates,and emphasized the need for the communityand College to “embrace” each other.Incumbent candidates included Rick DeGolia,who won a special election last year to filla partial term, and Bill Widmer, first electedin 2010. Also running are Mike Lempres andRose Hau.Opened statements included:DeGolia: “The opportunity for the townand College to work together is rich, like adiamond in the rough.” He highlighted thecivic center project and a telecommunicationsnetwork for Atherton residents asopportunities that might include studentinvolvement.Hau explained that she received her degreein architecture from UC Berkeley and thatshe has lived in Atherton for 22 years. Formany years, she had been asked to run, butshe chose to do it this election term becauseher “background supports” the four masterplans going into place, including the towncenter.Lempres urged students to feel that theyare full-time residents in the community of26 FALL <strong>2014</strong>Issues Discussed at <strong>Menlo</strong> College Candidate ForumAtherton. “One person can make the difference,”he said. El Camino Real safety is oneof his priority issues, which he decided toact upon when he realized that it was unsafefor his daughter to commute to school onher bike. He is opposed to the rail.Widmer referred to his past civic recordas mayor and vice mayor, the speeches hehas made at Constitution Day festivities at<strong>Menlo</strong> College in years past, and the ADAPplan disaster preparedness events thathe worked on with <strong>Menlo</strong> College alumniHanna Malak.When asked what they thought of addingmore students to the 750 limit placed onthe College by the Town of Atherton, thecandidates said,DeGolia: “If you want more students, letit be known by deepening your studentrelationship with the Town. Communicatethe issues that are important to you. Thereare rich resources to take advantage of andpursue.”Hau: “The Town of Atherton’s response tosize is about, “traffic, traffic, traffic. Demographicsare changing, and schools aregrowing. It is incumbent for residents towork with it.” She added that the Collegewould need to prove to the town withalternative transportation options such asbike, bus, and shuttle that increasing thepopulation would not be a problem.Lempres: The size issue would concern“working as good neighbors do. The townwants a successful college that they can beproud of.”Widmer:“Traffic is the big obstacle forneighbors,” and he explained that anenvironmental impact study would benecessary.Other questions including an allegation thatthere were issues of police harassment ofstudents (candidates said they neededmore information), an inquiry about therestriction on night games (noise and lightsare the key factors), a query about how toconnect with the Town of Atherton (getinvolved, and taking a look at what Stanforddoes), and how to encourage a growth ofbusiness in Atherton (connect with fellowstudents and innovate) all met withcongenial responses.In closing statements, the candidates added,DeGolia: “if you take a risk, sometimes youfail but sometimes you succeed. Take therisk! Beyond the election, get involved withthe Town community and be responsive. Ifyou have an internship idea, send it to me.Vote and reach out!”Hau reminded the audience of her years ofproject-oriented background, and remindedthem that voting is critical. “Be creative anddevelop friendships so you can do somethingthat is interesting. Make connectionswhile you are here (at College).”Lempres: “Wherever you are, commit yourselfto fully being there. One of the ways todo it is to vote. Let’s work to make it better.”Widmer: “I have thirty-four years of businessexperience as a fiscally responsible conservative.You can look at the records toevaluate what I said I’d do and what I did.”
What’s With the Campus Banners on Every Light Post?We’re proud of our students and all they do represent<strong>Menlo</strong> College. To bring some <strong>Menlo</strong> pride to campus,we selected some great <strong>Menlo</strong> students of the past andpresent years to adorn the campus lightposts. The bannersabove illustrate a sampling of some great students, but notall great students, since we don’t have 750 light posts to featureeveryone!Included are alumni such as entrepreneur Anton van Happen ‘08whose international business Eco Green Auto Clean is flourishing• Andrew Young, Sales Consultant at Caltronics Business Systems• Andre DeSayvre ‘11, working for Tesla in Paris. • JonathanOchoa ‘12, an inventory planner, at The Honest Company • MikaMendoza ‘13, a member of the Stanford University Athletics FanExperience Game Day Staff • Donovan Bonner ‘14, former internwith the SF49ers, now in law school at Northwestern • andQuynh Anh Nguyen Tran ‘11, a New Media Director at SunFlower Media, Ltd., Vietnam. Monica Fein ‘15, Assurance Internat Burr Pilger Mayer already has a job waiting for her in thespring when she graduates. All in all, an incredible bunch!MENLO COLLEGE 27
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