| | Published September 21st, 2016
| Four to Grapple for Three Council Seats in Heated Moraga Race
| | | By Sophie Braccini |  | | Graig Crossley |
Four candidates - including one incumbent - are vying for three seats on the Moraga Town Council. Here's what they have to say about Moraga.
Graig Crossley
Graig Crossley intends to be a Moraga resident for years to come and wants to see Moraga continue as a place where everyone is proud to live. Crossley served on the town council from1982 to 1992 and was twice mayor, and he believes that his experience during the early years after Moraga's incorporation and his continuing service to the community are giving him a unique perspective to lead the town through the next four years.
He notices that the recent community survey commissioned by the town (Godbe Research) showed that people believe Moraga is a good place to live.
"Unfortunately, less that half of us believe the town is in good fiscal shape," he notes, adding that his has experience "watching the public purse" and will continue to steward the town's public funds to support "the Moraga people care for."
Crossley notes that education was not covered in the town survey, yet, it is a major reason people like Moraga. He says that the Moraga School District and the town recently signed a memorandum of understanding for facilities use. "We need to work closely with the town and schools to provide the best community and education for our families and children," he says.
Crossley says that he has a history of being frugal with other people's money. He believes that this is the kind of fiscal responsibility Moraga needs, particularly when ones consider that the town would have to use Palos Colorados development funds as a fallback to pay for the future repair of the sinkhole."Were it not for state and federal disaster funds that the town staff has worked wonders to secure, Moraga would have to cover the cost out of our limited funds," he says.
Crossley says that service to the community is a foundation of who he is. Three things stand out.
"First, I was medically retired from the Marine Corps when I was 20. Second, I went on to continue my education and become a teacher at Richmond High School. Finally, I have served the Town of Moraga in a variety of volunteer positions since 1979, and with your vote I will continue to serve the community we care for," he says.
Jeanette Fritzky
Jeanette Fritzky wants to give back to the town that has given her family so much. She says that if elected, the position will be her full-time job."
"I have and will devote the time to listen, reason and act on behalf of the town," she says. She presently serves on the parks and recreation commission and the art in public places committee. Fritzky comes from the business world with a wide experience in medical and pharmaceutical marketing and business development.
Fritzky pledges she will make conscientious and transparent decisions to ensure the prosperity of Moraga, financially and environmentally. Referring to the Godbe survey recently commissioned by the town, she notes that over 90 percent of Moragans surveyed rated their overall quality of life (raise a family and live) as Excellent/Good.
It also confirmed that an overwhelming number of people rated the business services as Poor/Fair (70.3 percent). It reinforces the study Fritzky designed, conducted, and analyzed pro bono for the Chamber of Commerce in May for the Rheem Shopping Center that reflected Moragans' dissatisfaction with current shopping and dining.
"This is a double-sided issue - demand and supply - a static population (demand) and very little choice in retail or restaurants (supply)," she says.
"Feedback to property owners informs them of our desires, but business viability depends on dollars spent."
She notes that open space ranks high on importance and reasonably well on satisfaction, but local hillsides and ridgelines need to be protected by refining ordinances. Fritzky wants to commit resources to keep trails, parks and recreation areas well maintained.
Fritzky is aware that storm drains and roads need significant work and that measure K will not cover all road repairs. "We do not have the financial means for storm drain repair ($25 to $30 million). I will develop a prioritization process and a plan to complete necessary repairs," she says.
She wants long-term growth impacts on traffic, town services, and overall quality of life to be studied when development is planned.
"I will ensure that we don't trade off quality of life for irrevocable changes in our town," she says. "What do we want to be? Answering this question will drive our choices for decades to come. I will prioritize and allocate the Palos Colorados funds for the next four to eight years, readdress Hacienda use, and reduce speeding."
Kymberleigh Korpus
Kymberleigh Korpus grew up in Moraga and she says that she loves the town. She came back in 2011. Since being appointed to the planning commission at the beginning of 2016 she has been digging in and learning about land-use law and policy. She says that her experience has led her to conclude that the town needs to conduct a thorough review of its decision-making processes.
Korpus says she shares the same priorities and concerns reflected most strongly in the recent survey results (Godbe Research). She wants Moraga to avoid the pitfalls flowing from overdevelopment, including unlivable traffic congestion, crowded schools and over-burdened public safety services.
"I support private property rights, but also believe we must balance developers' rights with our need to safeguard Moraga scenic corridors and vistas so essential to the high property values and quality of life all Moragans enjoy," she says. She supports reasonable development restrictions on ridgelines, hillsides, and other open spaces.
Korpus describes herself as a fiscal conservative - supporting balanced budgets, additional streamlining of those budgets where possible, and careful allocation of resources to benefit all Moragans. But she is also very concerned about failing infrastructure, and the town's lack of resources to deal with such situations.
"Though Measure K was a good first step, we must be increasingly proactive so we can build up a town fund to fully and efficiently address this and other infrastructure issues," she adds.
She plans to use her skills as attorney, negotiator and advocate to help ensure the town diligently protects the scenic beauty of semi-rural Moraga while making sound, transparent, and fiscally responsible decisions that: uphold local ordinances and guidelines, support the local economy, reflect the priorities and concerns expressed by the community, put the interests of Moraga residents ahead of political expediency, and consider the long-term impacts of decisions before taking action.
"I'm all about figuring out and then doing what's right for this town - even when it is tough or uncomfortable to do so," she says. As an attorney, she says she is extremely thorough in her research, and tries to consider all relevant facts and alternatives before making decisions. She adds that she is committed to understanding her fellow residents' values and goals.
"I have worked hard for these principles as a Moraga Planning Commissioner, and I hope to continue to do so as a town councilmember," she says.
Roger Wykle
Roger Wykle is the only incumbent running for the Moraga Town Council. He has served four years and was mayor in 2015. He says that he has enjoyed public service most of his life, starting as a volunteer firefighter in rural Ohio at age 16, followed by enlistment in the U.S. Coast Guard at 18. He has found "home" here in Moraga with his family. "If reelected I'll keep working to protect Moraga's incredible beauty and outstanding quality of life," he says.
He adds that he wants to finish the job on several key goals, most importantly, to see that Moraga adopts lasting and effective policies to protect remaining hillsides, ridgelines, and open spaces. He notes that the recent poll commissioned by the council (Godbe Research) shows that residents rank protecting ridgelines/hillsides from over-development second only to rapidly responding to 911 emergency calls.
"The current effort to revise hillside and ridgeline policies is a vital opportunity to address this community priority," he says. He believes that this process is well underway and can be completed next year.
Wykle continues to support infill development to revitalize downtown areas but he has seen that recent residential projects show that development standards in the Moraga Center Specific Plan (MCSP) area must be made stronger.
"While mayor, I supported creation of a subcommittee which is reviewing the MCSP and will soon propose revisions," he says. "Through this process we must strengthen the MCSP to ensure that future in-fill development blends with our surroundings and preserves our semi-rural atmosphere."
Wykle states that the town's financial situation is sound, the operating budget was balanced for many years, and a nearly 50 percent reserve fund was maintained. He acknowledges that this budgetary rectitude was obtained through difficult funding decisions and decades of deferred maintenance on infrastructure including storm drains. He knows that these systems need replacement, and says that the next Council must identify a way to complete this task. "I want to develop a comprehensive strategy for infrastructure repairs," he says.
With three open seats on a five-person council, Wykle says he will bring needed continuity. He will want to ensure that Measure K funds (a 1 percent sales tax) continue to be properly used only for road-related repairs; keep building on recent successes at Rheem Shopping Center; continue to improve youth programs; and provide ongoing governmental transparency.
"I also do my best to bring calm and civility to Council meetings," he says.
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 | | Jeanette Fritzky |  | | Kymberleigh Korpus |  | | Roger Wykle | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA