| | Published January 5th, 2011
| Road Repair a Top Priority for New Mayor
| | By Cathy Tyson | | |
A city council member since 2002 and mayor in 2005, Carl Anduri will once again be wielding the gavel as Mayor of Lafayette for 2011. His top priority this time around is to come up with a plan to fix local roads and find a way to fund that plan. "This will require a community solution," he said, explaining that the Council has wrung all the savings possible out of the current budget. The amount going toward road repair every year is just not enough to solve the problem, "It requires an additional revenue source," said Anduri.
He continued, "It's just not fair to those living on failed roads. We have got to come up with a solution." His ambitious goal is a plan that will address all 97 failed roads over a ten year period - leaving roads that just require regular maintenance.
As noted in the September 29th issue of this paper, in the aptly named, "Want Roads Fixed - Need More Money," article, Engineering Services Manager Tony Coe made it clear: "Unless a new revenue source is found, the road repair backlog will never be solved."
Anduri also wants to help define what city government supports and values during his tenure as mayor. He wants to encourage life-long learning via the Lafayette Library and Learning Center, the Recreation department, and the Senior Center, and communicate those opportunities to residents.
Environmental concerns are another priority. Now that the city has an Open Space Task Force and its first success with the Acalanes Ridge Open Space, he feels it's important to continue focusing on the environment and sustainability. He points out that virtually all the hillsides that residents enjoy are vulnerable to building because they are privately owned.
The new mayor is also passionate about providing housing for all generations. One project already in the pipeline is the 46-unit Eden Housing complex for seniors. Its design has already been approved; once financing can be obtained, the project can finally break ground. He would also like to look into a way to provide services for seniors, potentially through a private non-profit organization.
"Big family news this year is we had our first granddaughter," said Anduri. He and wife Sharon have two grown children and have owned a home in Lafayette since 1980 - with an 11-year work-sponsored intermission in the far east when, as a lawyer with Morrison & Foerster, Anduri had the opportunity to open offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong for the firm. Since 2000, Anduri has been the President of Lex Mundi, a global network of 160 law firms in over 100 countries.
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