Larkspur Celebrates Contributions By Lundstrom, Hartzell

The Larkspur City Council said farewell to two of the city's notable former leaders, Joan Lundstrom and Kathy Hartzell. They'll be a hard act to follow.

"As with anything else … change is going to keep occurring. What we see tonight is a change in our leadership in Larkspur," Chu said.

The evening of change began with a party to honor Lundstrom and Hartzell at the American Legion Hall. The evening continued the election of a new mayor and the swearing in of two new council members.

"I'm going to miss being in the center of it all ... but it's time. It's time for me to go," said Lundstrom, who officially retired from public service Oct. 15 to enjoy life as a newlywed. Her husband, Dr. Lou Schwartz, moved to Larkspur from Colorado three days ago.

Lundstrom's resignation came too late to put her seat on the November ballot and the City Council chose to appoint a successor instead of holding a special election. Brad Marsh won that appointment at a Dec. 7 meeting.

"I've spent about one third to one half of my time preparing for meetings, so this is the first time I've ever been retired completely," Lundstrom said. "It's a new life. This is the time at my age to start a new life. I'll be around for people to act as a resource, but I don't see myself joining any boards or commissions. Been there, done that."

Lundstrom was the first woman to serve on the Larkspur City Council when she was elected in 1971 and became the city's first female mayor. She was elected eight times to the City Council and served seven terms as mayor.

"I'm extremely proud because when I went in the City Council, all these hills were zoned for development. Roads, houses, everything. Another gal and I started a town meeting and we pointed out some of the issues. There were no walking paths. It was all zoned for development. The town park had been a county dump. ... There was an older downtown where businesses were leaving," Lundstrom said. "All that were issues and the people on the City Council were about to approve the development for those areas. It was a completely 180-degree change and I'm really proud of that because all the hills, several hundred acres, are dedicated open space. They're not houses, they're not streets or roads."

Hartzell was one of the first women appointed to the Planning Commission in 1974. She worked on the Preservation Board and in 2008 organized a anniversary of the Rose Bowl dance. Another dance is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2012.

"Kathy first left her mark on City Hall after chairing umpteenth periods on Larkspur Landing plans when after a celebration of their final recommendations to the City Council, she popped a champagne cork that flew up and left a dent in the ceiling," Chu joked as he read a proclamation honoring her years of service to the community and naming Dec. 14 as Kathy Hartzell Day.

Chu ended his one-year term as mayor and new Mayor Len Rifkind took up the gavel ceremoniously given to him by the Volunteer Firefighters. Dan Hillmer was unanimously elected as vice-mayor.

"How do we act in the best interests of our city?" asked Rifkind. "The answers in my view are to work hard at our craft as the City's top policy board and listen well and often to our constituents."

Ann Morrison and Marsh officially joined the City Council after taking the oath of office. Morrison won election to the council in November, while Chu won his re-election bid.

Morrison received a special gift when her ailing mother, Ursula, surprised her by showing up for the ceremony, along with several members of Morrison's family.

"I will dedicate and commit my time and bring positive assets to Larkspur. May the City Council continue to be blessed with wisdom, kindness, patience, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control," Morrison said before a packed house.

Marsh also had a large cheering section, with his wife and children, including his son, Scott, who will be two weeks old on Thursday. Scott, however, slept through most of the meeting.

"This is a very warm and beautiful city and I'm honored to be a part of it. I want to thank everyone so much for welcoming me in her and welcoming me on this board and I look forward to carrying on that warm tradition," Marsh said.

Hartzell suggested she'd be available to help Marsh and Morrison during the party earlier in the evening. Hartzell, by the way, will remain Larkspur's representative on the Central Marin Sanitation Agency.

"The best advice for a person's starting days are to be very open-minded and listen and ask as many questions as they want to ask," Hartzell said. "And it's OK to call a council member and say 'What is that about?' And it's OK to call a former council member and say 'What was that all about?' And it's OK to call the city manager and say 'Help me out here. I don't get it,' before a meeting.

"I take a lot of things seriously, but I think a person needs to enjoy it and have fun."