A Look Back at Belmont's Past Mayors

Concerned Belmont Taxpayer December 12, 2012 at 02:27 am

Breaking News: The Belmont City Council voted in 2012 - 2013 Mayor Christine Wozniak; Vice Mayor Warren Lieberman Ugh...Warren Lieberman should have been given an opportunity to be Mayor during the last four years. However, this was all too predictable. I am disgusted by our City Council. Once again they basically flipped the citizens of Belmont the bird..WE HAVE GOT TO VOTE WARDEN AND FEIERBACH OUT FOR GOOD NEXT NOVEMBER 2013. NOT ONCE DID WOZNIAK MENTION CHILDREN, EDUCATION, SCHOOLS, PLAYING FIELDS OR STUDENTS IN HER ACCEPTANCE SPEECH. The WWF Regime is out of touch with reality. Hopefully, the young families with children in Belmont are paying attention. Next fall anyone, but Dave Warden and Coralin Feierbach....I am so sick of this representation....if I only had known, I would have bought in San Carlos....their arrogance and pettiness is astounding....

Buck Thomas December 12, 2012 at 02:45 am

Dear Belmont Concerned Taxpayer or Greg or whatever you will be calling yourself next week. If you are bothered by Belmont as much as you say you are then I would suggest you move. Housing prices in Belmont are high right now so you will probably make a few dollars. NO ONE on the council is or has been flipping off the citizens of Belmont and all are very concerned about the city in their own way.
You really sound like a very bitter person so I suggest you look inward rather that outward to understand your problems.

Concerned Belmont Taxpayer December 12, 2012 at 12:10 pm

Mr. Thomas, in case u haven't noticed we have a dysfunctional City Council. It has been divided for years with Warden, Feierbach and Woznaik voting as a block against Lieberman and Braunstein. We need to break up this voting block in the next election, in order to move Belmont forward. It is always 3 against 2. This has lead to massive stagnation and untold lost opportunity for Belmont. The recent CSUS fiasco was evidence of this. The backwards thinking must end. Being anti-business and no-growth is insane and that what has been going on for the last 15 years in Belmont. It is time for change. The list of people and organizations they have raked over the coals through the years is long....they are not going to be able to get away with it much longer....BTW, I am not surprised you are annoyed by my comments. Having read your blogs for years...u r anti-growth, anti-business. anti-child, anti-education and anti-everything that has ever been proposed in Belmont. .Also, the fact Warren Lieberman has never been given an opportunity to be mayor during his four year term is extremely unfair. They should have done the right thing last night and once again they did not. This really is getting old.... As David Warden stated tonight "At the end of the day, we make a decision and we move on." That is exactly what is going to happen next November 2013...The voters of Belmont are going to make a decision and we are going to literally move on and vote this regime out for good.

Tom December 12, 2012 at 02:46 pm

I agree with Concerned Belmont Taxpayer

Tim Hoffman December 12, 2012 at 03:55 pm

Well, whether or not you agree with the local elected person, you have to admit it's not that glamorous or thankful of a job. Congrats to all who got new titles or gave up old ones. Hopefully Warren will seek & win another term so he can get another shot at Mayor.
If you look at the period from 1999 to 2013, for over half those years the Mayor was one of three folks: Councilmembers Warden (3 stints), Feierbach (3), and Wozniak (2). If anyone wants change, well, there's these things called elections every two years that no one seems to vote in...

Concerned Belmont Taxpayer December 12, 2012 at 04:42 pm

Yes, hopefully Warren Lieberman will run next year. He is definitely the most professional, level headed and prepared person on the City Council. He actually does his homework and comes prepared to debate and discuss at the City Council Meetings. Unlike, some members who have already made up their minds before hearing all the facts. However for Warren, it must be incredibly frustrating dealing with their passive-aggressive games (which the WWF Regime has been playing for years.) After all, it is basically a volunteer job, which pays $400 per month. Most people in Belmont are working 12 hour work days and do not have the time for this mickey-mouse business. Hopefully, he will run. However, I do not blame him at all for taking a pass. Who needs this abuse and aggravation!

Steve Hayes December 12, 2012 at 05:18 pm

FYI
The City Council "compensation" is higher than the $400/month. The City also covers each council member with full medical, vision and dental coverage - costing the taxpayers more than $20K per year for each council member. The coverage is the same as it is for all of the other full time city workers. There is also money set aside for medical benefits and retirement after they leave the Council. As the Council works on reducing staff salaries and benefits (an ongoing process) they should find time to focus on their own benefits.

Buck Thomas December 13, 2012 at 02:37 am

Concerned,
1) The majority of the votes are not 3 to 2 2) CSUS was not a fiasco except on patch. There were other places CSUS could have gone that would not have screwed up our only business park. 3) The rest of what you say is ludicrous. I have always been pro public schools. accusing me of being anti-business is stranger still since I wanted to save a business park. I was the CEO of two companies and am very pro business. Are you looking to Belmont past when 666 apartment units were built in one year. That kind of pro growth I am not. Being a council person is a thankless job as Tim pointed out although I don't agree with the rest of what he says. Even though I like some council people better than others I don't attack them. Even the best politicians get thrown out on their butt when the the whims of the public change. Winston Churchill is the best example of that.

Concerned Belmont Taxpayer December 13, 2012 at 01:45 pm

Buck,
1) If the votes are 5 - 0 most of the time, than why have Warren LIeberman and David Braunstein been iced out of the Mayorship and Vice-Mayorship? Now that the WWF Regime's back is against the wall, they are going all Kumbaya on us...claiming there is no division. Are they concerned about Nov 2013? 2) CSUS was an absolute disaster for Belmont. This decision will have negative connotations for Belmont for many years to come. If Davis Drive was not a good place for CSUS they should have been told in April 2011, 18 months prior to them wasting their valuable time and $2 million. 3) You have been consistently against any private school expansion on Patch, claiming since private schools don't pay property taxes. Maybe you can explain if you benefit from Prop 13? And if so if you would be willing to have your house re-assessed at the current market value? 4) This town is run by NIMBYs....no one wants wild, uncontrollable growth. But a very small private school of 240 students would have hurt no one. The only person who had a right to complain was the family that owns 2 Davis Drive. 5) Hopefully, this will be all straightened out next year at the ballot box. We need city council members, who will move Belmont forward, are pro-child and pro-family. BTW, I find it astounding that in our Mayor's acceptance speech that schools, children and playing fields were never mentioned. Who knows who will run? Time will tell...