About these statements
Phil Bennett
Mike Housman
Leslie Kriese
The statements below were written by the candidates themselves and are reproduced as they provided them, except that phone numbers and email addresses have been replaced by the contact form. They are the candidates’ own views.
Joint statement
Working Together for the Ranch
From Board candidates Phil Bennett, Mike Housman and Leslie Kriese
Between the three of us, we have called Portola Valley Ranch home for more than 60 years. We came for the same reasons many of you did: homes that sit gently in the landscape, the trails, and neighbors who look out for one another. We’re running together because we share a clear view of what the Ranch needs over the next few years, and of how the Board should go about it.
Our shared goals
- Pool and Common Areas. Listen first to what the whole community wants, then complete the renovation openly and in a fiscally responsible way.
- Hawthorns. Work closely with the Town and concerned residents to control the scope of the Hawthorns development.
- Our winery and vineyard. Take a fresh, thorough look at re-opening the winery and bringing back the community events we lost when it closed.
- Safety. Keep strengthening the fire safety work already underway, and work with the Town and School District on traffic and pedestrian safety.
- Open, respectful communication. Make Board decisions transparently and collaboratively, so every resident knows their voice has been heard.
- Community. Make more of the Ranch House, with speakers, classes and events for everyone from young families to long-time residents.
- Reserves. Fund our reserves on a clear long-term plan, so major repairs don’t become surprise special assessments, and get the Ranch ready for new state reserve rules like AB 2050.
Phil Bennett
Candidate for the Portola Ranch Association Board of Directors
Why I’m Running
I’ve lived on the Ranch for almost 40 years, and now that I’m mostly retired, I have the time to help look after this unique neighborhood I’ve happily called home for most of my adult life. What first attracted me here, as I’m sure is true for many of you, was the seamless integration of the homes with the nature around us. Once I moved in, I learned about the close-knit sense of community fostered by gatherings in the common spaces, the vineyard, and hiking the trails of Coalmine Ridge and Sweet Springs. Coming from a smaller town in the English countryside, that feeling made the Ranch feel even more like home. I want to help bring that feeling back. I may not have much experience running for the Association board, but I have a lifetime of experience caring about this place, and I’d really welcome your thoughts on how we get it back on track.
Professional Background
My career has been in engineering, working for decades with the same business partners. That work has included raising venture capital and private equity for our businesses, international acquisitions, contract negotiation, and commercial leasing, buildout, and managing physical plant. I also have had hands-on technical responsibility for hardware, software, and mechanical design, product safety certification, and ongoing compliance inspections.
Relevant Experience for the Board
- Extensive experience bringing complex engineering projects to market within budgets and schedules.
- Served as a fiduciary on a company pension plan, and spent many years as a corporate officer and board member with direct financial responsibility to stakeholders.
- Significant experience with litigation and other legal matters, all resolved by settlement.
- Extensive contract negotiation experience, including buying and selling companies internationally and commercial leasing.
Recognition
My work has been recognized with several Emmy awards and the SMPTE David Sarnoff Medal for engineering excellence.
My Priorities for the Ranch
- Complete the renovations to our common areas and pools in an open, fiscally responsible way.
- Work closely with the town and concerned residents to control the scope of the Hawthorns development.
- Exhaustively research re-opening the winery, which was an important community activity.
- Continue strengthening the fire and road safety work already underway.
- Restore open, transparent communication between the board and residents, and rebuild the strong sense of community that made all of us choose to call the Ranch home.
I’d welcome the chance to talk more or meet in person. Please reach out anytime using the contact form below.
Michael Housman
PVR Board Candidate Statement
My wife, Susi, and I have had the pleasure of being Ranch residents for 15 years. We were immediately welcomed by neighbors and have enjoyed the warm embrace of community that we have now had the joy of sharing with our grandchildren.
Within our community, I’ve had the honor of serving on our Board of Directors; been an Emergency Preparedness Team Leader; been the Vineyard Manager while on the Wine Committee; helped build our Fitness Center; and currently serve on both Garden Committee and Landscape Committee.
Before moving to Portola Valley Ranch, I was, among other things, a business owner; President of the Hillsborough Schools Foundation which raised over a million dollars for the Hillsborough Schools; Jefferson Award Recipient; and member of the Hillsborough Citizen’s Oversight Committee which oversaw the administration of a multi-million-dollar school bond issue.
Over the next few years, I have the time and desire to roll up my sleeves and help implement the large tasks ahead of us: Our Pool and Common Area Project; making sure the Ranch voice is heard and respected in the implementation of the Hawthorns Project; automobile and pedestrian safety and the future of our winery and vineyard.
Most importantly, these projects need to be undertaken with transparency, respect and collaboration in an environment where everybody in our community knows that their voices have been heard.
The word “Community” comes up repeatedly in my statement and that is what we love about The Ranch. Post Covid we lost a bit of what makes The Ranch, “The Ranch”. Let’s restart the Welcome Committee to introduce our new residents to the Community. Make more use of the Ranch House for a variety of fun and educational activities for everyone from our young families to our seasoned veterans. I’m excited to be a part of Portola Valley Ranch 2.0!
To reach Mike, use the contact form below.
Leslie Ann Kriese
Portola Valley Ranch Board Candidate Statement
I’ve had the good fortune of calling Portola Valley home for 24 years, the last 10 of them at the Ranch. When my household downsized a decade ago, I knew the Ranch was where I wanted to be—drawn in by its picturesque setting, the hiking trails, its warm sense of community, and the place it holds within the heart of Portola Valley. While living at the Ranch, I’ve enjoyed serving on the Winery Committee and taking part in multiple fire-walk-around teams.
Before moving to Portola Valley, I earned my BA and MBA from Michigan State University and held marketing and management positions at HP, Frame Technologies, Adobe, and Yiftee. After our three children came along, I added volunteering to the mix: serving on school Site Councils, volunteering at Windmill, Ormondale, Corte Madera, Priory, and WHS, leading Daisy and Brownie Girl Scout troops, and acting as District Commissioner of the Woodside Pony Club—to name a few of my volunteer positions.
I’m running for the Board to help make the Ranch’s next 50 years as wonderful as the last 50, which we celebrated together this past spring. My goals for the Board include:
- Taking the time to understand what facilities and programming our whole community desires for our shared Pool and Commons area, then making sure those things are implemented in a transparent and fiscally responsible way.
- Continuing our participation in Hawthorn’s evolution, making sure Ranch concerns are heard and addressed—including working with the new Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee being established by the Town Council and the School District.
- Taking a fresh look at the future of our vineyard and winery, and the community events that we lost with its shuttering.
- Offering additional and more diverse programming at the Ranch House, for community members young and old. Perhaps restarting the Evening Speaker Series, or adding Mah Jongg or chess classes, or a practical session on AI covering how to recognize an AI scam or put it to use in daily life. If you can suggest it, I’m willing to see if we can make it happen.
If you’d like to talk about the future of the Ranch, or share what you’d like to see happen here, please get in touch using the contact form below.
Contact the candidates
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