HomeMy WebLinkAbout4A-BurtonApplication . ..
~. F
~~~~5 ~ 7~~~~
N~ ~ ~ ~~• ~ ~' :.
n~, ~.`'Lv t ~ ~W `® ~~~Wl~H~6'OY~~',F ~Li.LLtY ~~yn$n~1,~0 (r 0~~ ~ ~ ~1J 4 ~1
:~Cety `~®arc9, Com71 Eissaon ~ ~'~'~~~ ~-~~„ u
~..~\ IICC9t9o `~' ~ ~8
~a .®nd Colr~rn
itte
_ , rY _
,~-
.
E1 : a2~ -
e this form to apply to serve on any of the City o'f, Petaluma, Cdlifornia's Boards, 7ri tuns,. or
Instructions: Us ~~~U`
Committees. Please fill out the form completely. If a question does not apply; type .or write N/A in the` space
provided. When completed, plebse foivvard to the Office of the City'Clerk, l'1 English Street, Petaluma, CA 94932:
All dpplicdtions are reviewed by the'Cify Council
..
-.
,:; ... _
,,. <.
°Name ~ - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ - `~~ ~ ~ ,~,
.. ~ .: .
Spence: F. Burton
s. -
,Nome Atddress City'dState and Zrp Code:h "~ ~"
,,
. h _ ~ ~.. , _ ~ .... ~~. > _ _ ~:
._. ,.
_ .... a
313 Sirtth Drive
Petaluma,. CA 94952=4.722
iHome.-Phone` (If appornted~~' do~you want airs _ ~ ^` ; ° ,
~number.to.6e available to the;public?)`~
N r Work,.'Phone _
~:~- r, ~ 2YES ~ ~ NO ~~ ` r
707-763-9082'. NA.
~° _ ~ - ~ j ~ ~ "`' , '~ ~ E-Mail (If~apj~rnri`ted do.yau wari't:fhisaddre"ss:to be`
FAX ~ ` ~ ~I YES ~`^ NO "' J
~ available to t~ne,?uki"hc2J
PlannirigCbmmission@spenceburton.com
- ~. ~ ~. .,
~~ :.
'° ~,
&Are~you a registered voter in P,etdluma?,< _ If so'fo~ h`ow long?
3 ~ r .. <a , 1 -1~. .3~
YES ^ No Approximately 33 years _
Board(s) ~Cornmission(s) or`;Cornmrttee(sJ of.lnterest~~~ ~ ~ _ u ~~
p
wish to continue to sense on the Planning Commission until my appointed term expires a1
.he end of June; 2011.
:- ' ~ - ' ~ _- Have you served:,on iriterviewed or applied~for this r`
F1ave you~dttended `a meeting ofahis body2
~. YES ^ NO ~ YES ^ NO
n-~ d , :. ,
~. ~ ~~x
F'reserit'Employer ,;~ ~ ~~ ~"
Retired 11/26/2004' from the US Postal Service affer over 34 years.
Burton, Spence
ob Title:
I was the DPS (computer mail-processing automation) Coordinator for the San Francisco
District. of the US :Postal Service, and a Letter Carrier.
Prev-ious Governmental Bodies%Elecaive Offices you have served, Position/Office Heid and Dates:
Current member of Planning Commission until July 2011' (appointed irr June, 2007 to four
year term beginning on July 1, 2007)
Petaluma Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
Served from early 2006 through June, 2007
Civic or Charitable.C?rgc~nization to which you have belc~r~ged Position/Office Held, grid Dates:
5,
onoma ounty enealogica octety, ebmaster since 2000
2: Knights of Columbus; Petaluma Council # 1586 (member for over 20 years)
3: Student Exchange Program: Together with my wife; we~ have coordinated a local High
School student exchange program with Sicily, Italy since 1999.
4: Italian Catholic :Federation and member of the Elks #901 iri Petaluma (currently),
What Special InterestslSki~lls/Talents would you biin~ to .this Board, Conimission,or Committee?
1: My job, prior to retirement, was to coordinate the automation of letter mail from Eureka
through Sunnyvale. It was my responsibility to snake sure all the pieces fell into place correctly
and that everyone was aware of their place in the whole process of moving the mail in a timely
and accurate manner. My ability to successfully work together, coordinate and facilitate such a
large and diverse group of people (management and labor), demonstrates that I have a special
ability that I will continue to use if appointed to the Commission.
2: Member of the Northbay'Labor Council
3: I was trained, and held leadership positions, in the U:SFS Employee Involvement Process,
which was a consensus building program used in the Postal Service.
4: I served as the Director of Education for the California State. Association of Letter Carriers,
and was responsible for developing training material and to provide training state wide.
5. My two years current experience,, and official city training,, on'the Planning Commission.
College, Professional, Vocational Sct~oc~ls Attended (MajorSubject, Dates, Degree/Date):
1: 1961 - 1965 -- Archbishop Molloy High School Briarwood, NY
2: 1965 -Present -- Various College Level Courses at: Queens College, NY; City College of
San Francisco; Marin Community College; one-month .intensive Italian study in Perugia, Italy.
3: Most of"the course work included: Labor Law and Foreign Language studies.
30
cial~Awards orw Recognition Received:w
Sp
_
~
~
1: "Lifetime Aehievement Award" from San Francisco Bay Area Branch 214 of the National
Association of Letter Carriers in 2004.
2: "Western Labor Communications Association" awarded me their' 1st Flace. Award for "Best
Series of Articles" in 2002 and 2nd: Place in 1'996:
3: Several "Commendations/Awards" from the USPS as a result of my "Positive Attitude,"
customer assistance etc. and for m. active ~ artici ation. and leadershi , in .the "E1 Process."
~w
Please~state reasons why you want~to' be~come,'a member~of this Board CCGI71nliSSiOn or.,Commttee
€;iricludin :~wh"at~s~ecific~obectives'~",o_u~would be w,ockin • toward asa memk~.er of thrs advrso 'bod
1: I want to continue to serve out my 4 year term because I feel. that: my 2 years current
experience on the PC; my skills as a.consensus builder and .listener; desire to truly listen to all
points of view;, ability to make hard decisions; and my strong desire to give. back to my
community as a whole would continue. to benefit the "residents of Petaluma.
2: I want to help us continue to prosper, while at the same time foster and maintain the unique
character of Petaluma.
3: MY COMMITTMENT is to,Petaluma and.ALL its residents and businesses! Without
predetermined positions or conflicts of interest.
4: In short, I want to continue to assist in building and expanding on the work of our current
members, and to help_address the ongoing needs of all our residents and businesses:
mforrnafion`~thaf:yourrfe~el woultl~be usefu{#o the City Council inreview~r~g your
Is'ttiere`'any'other
,
,_
.,; _:. _
;;a lication?fin , ~,~ ~ ~:_ ~ , - _ ~ : _ .> ~. - ~ A
I hope that the Council will~allow me to serve out the remainder of my term on the Planning
Commission. I made a fouryear commitment to the Commission in 2007, and I hope to
continue until my term expires in 2011.
Because of my retirement from the USPS, I am able to spend whatever time will be needed to
best represent the citize"ns of Petaluma. I feel that having the time to really study all the
issues and to listen .carefully to all those effected gives me an advantage over many others in
our community. l.would never feel "rushed" because l had to get. up early the next day for
work, or frustrated because I didn't have the time to review all the various paperwork before or
after a meeting.
'Are you associated>vJith any~®rganrzatron/Employment that`rnight:be deemed a conflct~of iriteresf.!in'~
erforrnin ~ x .our~duties~if;.a~ }• ointed,to~this, ~ osrtion, .~•,,, _:
^ YES ~ NO
~:If~yes' please,state~name of Organrzatron~/Employment
body. mernbers not to vote on matters:`where,:there;exists a `
Cit vpolic directs~allfia pointed 'a vrso
- ~, o r _
~ ry
Y Y~
p
,~
.,
,
. -
gy
- otential~conflict~of:interest Would~'ou be~willin ~fo,abstain~from~votrn ,ifsuch"a conflict arises?. •
YES ^ NO
3!
. • n
evised June 1, 2005
How d+d you hear about this o~~eniny?
SEE. BELOW... Email from City Clerk on 6%2/2009
Applicant's Signature ~ Date
~
`"
June 8,_`2009
j
Email from City Clerk: "At Jast night's Council Meeting i`-was:gi~en direction to ask all. of
you who are interested in serving on the legislative .body Council puts in place -whether
or not your currenf term on SPARC or the Planning Commission, is. expiring this June - to
submit an application to the City Clerk's Office by S:OO.p.rn. on Monday, June 8, 2009.
3~
~ ?~ L U
a
~SuppBe~~a~~tc~~.~~esti®'~~aa~~e ~®~
~. -~_~
I8~$ ~9~~~~~g C®a~rness~®I~' ~~~a~6d®~~s
Please return corr~gleted questionnaire to°the O~ffice~ar the Cit I~~rk, I 1 En~~li~f~ Street;, Petaluma, ~CA94952
Narri~:
Spence F. Burton
. Hume address, City; State `Zij~:
_. _.
~.,.
313 Smith Drive Petaluma, CA 94952-4722
'H~orri'e Phone: ~ ~
, Work Ff~one:
~.
707-763-9082 NA
Please print or type your answers to the following questions ahd submit to the City Clerk's Office. You may
submit additional sheets, if necessary, to ,complete your answers..
ouu attended'"any of the.followingmeetings?
Have
y
Planning Commission Orientation Session ®YES ^ NO
Date:
Planning Commission Meeting ~ YES ^ NO
Date: Current mid-term Member of Planning Commission
:What do,you,think qualities you to serve on the Plannrn~ Cur»mission?
1) Approximately 33 years residency in Petaluma.
2) Good overall knowledge of. City issues, history etc.
3) My background of working together with. people of .diverse `.interests, motives, etc.
4) My training in Consensus Building.
5) My ability to listen carefully and anake fair and 'reasonable decisions after hearing all the facts:.. ,
6) My continued strong desire to give back to my community.
7) I am in the .middle of my appointed 4 year term on the Planning,. Commission and have
received official training"locally and in Sacramento in 2007 and 2008.
~.
hat do you see as the best solutions, both long dnd shorf'tem~, for economic de.vclopment in Petaluma?
1) Continued 'expansion.. of°the Theatre District and downtown area to meet the consfantly.growing
needs of our community' as a whole.
2) Short term retail development should revolve around effectively ..addressing, the increasing
vacancies in our.retail/.commercial and office properties on the East Side, downtown, and other
areas cited in the Retail Leakage sfudy and elsewhere.
3) A common sense and balanced approach to all growth, with an eye towards preserving all that is
good while building for our future.
4) Traffic flow improvements,
5) I believe we should promote.buying locally! Not just from a local merchant but buying locally
produced products would help expand our local economy.
Imagine yourself as a visitor- to Petaluma. That-do you see physically, economically,~and environmentally as
ou:walkaround Iown?
1) As I arrive on So. Petaluma Blvd. from Marin, I see the now closed Truck :Stop, a garbage bin
storage yard, a path for the homeless down to the Petaluma River under the bridge,. and a generally
unkempt and downtrodden gateway to our city. Most of thin land_is' outside the City limits but within
our sphere of influence.
2) If 1 arrive from Santa Rosa. on No. Petaluma Blvd, i am, greeted by a more bucolic: and rural
setting en route to the Outlets and to downtown.
3) In the Northeast quadrant of~our City, we see Leghorn Park, -the SRJC Campus, a local shopping
center and a budding new community constantly growing and' expanding. Parks and other open
areas can be found readily in this area `of the city.
4). Downtown and the.new Theatre pistriet are rapidly becoming the `'jewels" of Petaluma. Bringing
the entire community together with well planned growth and.facilities.
-The General~Plan (Plan)is theguiding aocu_menfandvisiori;_for~the;City. How-would you i~iterpret the_~ol'i~ies
and goals articulated in t.heplanz How flexible would you be and would. you feel comfortable notappoviric~
s ~~ecific IandusES allowed in the Plan?
The General Plan was developed after extensive hearings and meetings. Input is actively sought
from the entire community.. Once.adopfed, it is the BEST blGepr-int hat can be peovided to all our
elected and appointed local officials.. I would always feel "duty~bound" by the General Plan and its
goals, and while I would address each issue and proposal with an "open mind," any real or
significant variation from. the General Plan would have to be PROVED' to be of added benefit to the
K based. upon~'a strict
enerall O
lg
g
h
l
g etails are revealed and
acts and d
Il the
once
Plan may NOT be accept ble
eadinc of the Geneeal
considered.
3~f
,
The growth management'system Has been an elemenf of the develo~ment_process in_Petaluma since -1972,
and anUrban Growth Boundary was adopted in 19:98 to control the physical growth of Petaluma. With these
two major policies iri mind, and giveh the preswre foie ongoing growth during the next decade or so, what two
or~ threepolicies and programs would you -proniote~to profect~ the r~istoric; cultural. and physical aspects of,
Petaluma2
1) Preserve the uniqueness of our~downtown core area. A city without a vital center has no "Soul!"
2) The approval of the UGB, toy me; does not mean that the citizens of Petaluma want our city to
resemble the skylines of San Francisco or New York City:lNe do need to urge and support "smart"
infill projects throughout the city, while carefully respecting the current "feel" of any effected
neighborhood or business area. I strongly support the UG6!'
3) We owe it to our children, who are our future, to maximize the'use of the "flat" areas of our cityfor
expanded sports and. other outdoor recreational activities. Also;;. creative utilization of'the rolling hills
sections of our city should be explored with any new developments.
How would you addresscurrent anafuture flooding issues for Petaluma?
All new proposed projects that feed into the genecaf floodplain areas MUST have a net negative
impact on flooding.. This is vital';especially with any future. developments north of the Payran area
feeding into the Petaluma River.
How would you address.currentand future traffic congestion in Petalu~l~a?
1) The new on/off ramps at East Washington and Hwy. 101 should be expedited.
2) The citizens have. spoken "loud and clear," they want a new crosstown eonnector!_Funding is a
Council issue, but the Gornrnission should do all in its power to expedite this issue once it is tasked
with reviewing the~specifc plan that is submitted to it.
3) The rebuilding and expansion of the Redwood Hwy. overpass also needs, to be prioritized..
4) Increased pedestrian :friendly areas and bicycle lanes/paths should always, be encouraged..
5) The Petaluma Tcolley~could still~be an excellent way of tying the entire western side of our city
together, from the old quarry fo the Outlet Mall.
iiatir~f+Il policies do~,y~ou think should be adopted in'lighf ofthe Urban GrowthBa~~~_~dary gassed by t'ne voters?
1) Infill should be encouraged where the proposed growth best blends i'n with the specific area or
neighborhood.
2) Building a three story:'S,000 square foot house on the top of one of our hills, in a .neighborhood
made up of ..exclusively single story homes, would NOT be my idea of "blending!" Common sense
should be applied at all times.
3) Further development of our downtown area, along with the Lakeville corridor, etc. are prime areas
that could handle planned responsible growth in the near future.
Si~riature Date
~j June 8, 2009
Revised June 1, 2005
3~