Fraser, 51, has become one of Half Moon Bay’s biggest promoters since moving to the Coastside with her family more than 30 years ago. She has taken leadership roles in the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau, the Cabrillo Unified School District, the local historical society and the city’s library branch.
And now Fraser is once again the face of the city.
 Newly appointed Half Moon Bay Mayor Marina Fraser waves to the crowd from the back of a trailer hauled by fellow City Council member John Muller during Friday'€™s Night of Light in downtown Half Moon Bay. |
Fraser listed off her goals, ranging from installing more bike racks downtown to renovating the city’s much-used library. But any goal to improve Half Moon Bay comes down to the city’s coffers, she said, and that’s where her priorities have to start.
“The city’s financial situation drives everything … that’s the beginning and the end for our community,” she said. “I want to see us get financially robust.”
The mayor said the city had to continue helping its business community, and that means boosting everything from the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, to the local thrift shop. Tax revenues from tourist-serving businesses provide the main source of revenue for Half Moon Bay.
Fraser proposes the city continue renovating the downtown business sector so that it was a draw for visitors. That means keeping the streets presentable and maintaining any vacant buildings so they don’t fall into disrepair. Cosmetic details, sure, but they matter, she said.
“We have our great charming little Main Street, and we need to make sure it’s inviting,” Fraser said.
The local economy also became Fraser’s top priority during her last term at mayor in 2006. During that year, Devil’s Slide was closed in mid-April due to a landslide that made the roadway unstable. The unexpected closure cut off a main artery to Half Moon Bay and worried business leaders planning for the summer tourism season.
Fraser had to set aside lofty priorities she had originally hoped out to accomplish, such as building a new police station and developing more parkland. Instead, she said, she focused on collaborating between business and government officials to minimize the impact of the closure. None of her original goals for the city were completed.
Many of her priorities for this year are more modest, based on the city’s limited budget and her own sense of politics.
“Things don’t happen overnight. They involve a lot of agencies and people,” Fraser said. “Of course we want things. But you have to go through a process and be patient.”
Among priorities she is highlighting, Fraser hopes to expand efforts to get funding to renovate the downtown library branch, which serves the entire Coastside. Serving for her second year as chairwoman of the San Mateo County library authority, Fraser has long expressed her desire to build a larger library for the Coastside. But that goal was essentially shot down earlier this year when a large state library grant Fraser was eyeing instead went to San Diego.
The mayor says the Coastside should now scale back plans for the library and instead seek to expand and renovate the old building. She says soliciting grants and partnerships to make that happen will be a high priority.
As mayor, Fraser wants to return to another long-time Coastside dream — bringing recycled water to local farms. She wants to establish a Half Moon Bay recycled water task force to help focus the city’s priorities for water reclamation and to identify new uses for the treated water. The Coastside sewer authority has completed a study of using recycled water at Half Moon Bay Golf Links and expects to begin building the infrastructure to bring recycled water to more customers soon.
Fraser was nominated as the city’s new mayor last week. During the Dec. 1 meeting, new councilmen Rick Kowalczyk and Allan Alifano along with re-elected Councilwoman Naomi Patridge took the city’s oath of office, which was delivered by retired Assemblyman Gene Mullin.
The first and only decision for the new members that evening was to nominate new council leadership. Patridge was selected as vice-mayor, lining her up for the mayor’s seat for 2011.
“I envision all of us working as a team to be productive and innovative,” Fraser said to her council colleagues. “We have shown a steely resolve to survive, and now is the time to pursue new innovative ideas.”
Outgoing council members Jim Grady and Bonnie Dunham both made short speeches to the large public audience to reflect on their years of service.
“It’s a real gift to serve the city, and it’s a real set of challenges, and you never know how those two play out until you’re up here,” Grady said. “It’s been a tough eight years, but it’s been enjoyable.”
w