Posted on Mon, May. 23, 2005

P.A. school tax boosters lead aggressive campaign

CRITICS TAKEN MORE SERIOUSLY AS REMATCH VOTE NEARS

By S.L. Wykes and Julie Patel
Mercury News

Last fall, they studiously ignored Wayne Martin's message. This time, they're pulling out all the yard signs and point-by-point rebuttals.

Supporters of the Palo Alto schools' parcel tax measure -- from high-tech execs to teachers, and students to soccer moms -- are aiming at a June 7 election with arrows readied to pop each and every argument from Martin and his tiny band of tax opponents.

Until November, Palo Alto voters had not defeated a school-funding measure in 27 years. Enter the bootstrap campaigner Martin, launching a constant stream of questions about school district finances, alleging waste and overspending in a community where education is sacred and public schools are admired throughout the state. The effort to increase Palo Alto's parcel tax fell about 222 votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority.

Six months later, it's rematch time.

``We are taking nothing for granted,'' Measure A strategist Megan Swezey Fogarty said.

This time, they've more than doubled their army to 500 volunteers. They've blanketed Palo Alto with 1,500 yard signs and kept phone banks humming five nights a week from office space donated by local real estate agents. They are fervently pitching a proposed $493-a-year parcel tax that they say would provide $9.3 million annually for six years to avoid teacher layoffs, maintain class sizes and restore some recent budget cuts.

Volunteers have been making campaign calls since March; seniors are targeted one week, just-registered 18-year-olds the next. ``We have taken a `no stone unturned' approach,'' said Swezey Fogarty.

Parcel tax proponents took a quieter approach when they championed last fall's failed campaign in the shadow of a presidential election. Confidence was high and the advice was to take the high road -- no direct dollar-by-dollar debating over the school district's $100 million-plus budget.

The committee was well aware of Martin, and concerned about him, said Jon Foster, a member of the Measure A campaign. ``I think people did take him seriously, but the advice was given that it was best not to respond to attacks.''

This time, the Measure A campaign is countering with rebuttals down to the penny. ``People want factual analysis,'' said Hoover Elementary School's incoming PTA president Dave Charleson. ``It doesn't matter who raises the argument, you just counter it.''

Martin realizes what he's up against and acknowledges the tax may pass this time because supporters are ``good at getting people to spend money'' he said, as evidenced by the $100,000 Measure A supporters are raising for this campaign. Martin's opposition campaign has about $3,000.

``What's really sad is these people aren't writing these checks to the district, and instead it's going to campaign consultants, printers and power lunches,'' said Martin, a software engineer.

From his south Palo Alto Eichler home, Martin mines data from a variety of sources to build his arguments that the district pays its teachers and administrators more than enough and squanders money by educating too many students who live outside the district.

Martin and retired petroleum geologist Tom Ashton have recruited 18 volunteers to distribute 15,000 fliers by foot. They've spent about half their budget on photocopies. They won't be sending out mailers or making phone calls. They're relying on getting out the word through their Web site.

Volunteers include parents such as Steve Mullen, a former PTA leader who was heavily involved in advocating for the current parcel tax a few years ago. As he spent more time ``on the inside . . . it was clear that the district wasn't putting away money for a rainy day,'' said Mullen, whose two daughters attend Palo Alto High School.

The pro-parcel tax campaign counters those arguments on its Web site with four pages of answers to frequently asked questions and a 10-part position paper that addresses criticism from Martin and other opponents.

When a phone bank volunteer can't answer a voter's question, researchers get to work and the answer is delivered the next day to the voter's door.

Last fall, parcel tax boosters had a hard time getting their 1,000 signs planted in front yards. This spring, the campaign's 1,500 signs went up overnight. Last fall, the measure's campaign fliers boasted 1,000 community endorsers. This spring, the list has topped 2,000.

Measure A advocates plan to mail out about 60,000 pieces of campaign literature. They've already sent out three mailings, and one more will go out close to Election Day.

Voters appear to be getting the message. Phone bank volunteers no longer hear, ``What is the parcel tax?'' when they call, said Eric Nguyen, a Gunn High School senior who has organized teen volunteers.

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