By Scott Wong

She’s hobnobbed with presidents, championed homeowners’ rights and been called everything from a “crusader” of reform to a “self-appointed dictator.” In the eye of every political controversy in town, there was always Toni Casey.

The three-time Los Altos Hills mayor and three-term councilwoman, who with her Southern drawl rattled the nation’s fifth richest city for almost 15 years, will step down from council Dec. 5, perhaps to seek bigger battles on the national political scene.

After four years in office, Councilman Steve Finn will join Casey on the sidelines.

In her third term, the feisty councilwoman from small-town Virginia managed to build a majority on the five-seat council, billing it the “new guard” and advocating property and privacy rights.

Under her guidance, council approved the fast-track process, which streamlined the planning process; the $4.9 million design for a new town hall; and the first master pathways plan revision in more than 20 years.

Casey said she’s helped create “an entirely different tone” on council — one of responsiveness and inclusiveness.

“All of these issues that had been resolved on council had extensive public input,” she said. “The level of participation has increased enormously since I joined the council and it’s a better town government for the residents.”

But Casey’s departure from council will have a significant effect on the character of Hills’ politics, according to mayors, past and present.

Sid Hubbard, a former mayor who worked with Casey on council for six years and voted against her for the mayoral in 1997, said with Casey gone, “the community will find (council) a lot less divisive in the future than in recent years.”

Mayor Bob Fenwick anticipates that now council will be more conservative in its actions.

“Toni tried to do things in town that were counter to maintaining the status quo and I expect the council will be more status quo oriented,” he said.

Casey brought a tremendous amount of energy to council, but failed to use it to represent all of her constituents, Hubbard said.

“Rather than serving the interest of community as a whole, (Casey) seemed to be more focused on accommodating the wishes of people who were ‘building the town.’”

But Casey has worked hard for residents and is knowledgeable of town codes and ordinances, according to Mayor Pro Tem Emily Cheng.

Still, come Dec. 5, where three Casey protégés now sit, only two will remain. And with the overwhelming election of outsiders Breene Kerr and Dean Warshawsky beating out Casey-backed candidates Janet Vitu and Bill Kerns — both planning commissioners — critics are saying the “Casey Era is over.”

In her 30s and with no prior political experience, Casey

first won a four-year council seat in 1988 on her “common-sense platform,” which focused on easing the frustrations of homeowners trying to sift through the bureaucracy of the planning process.

Failing to win re-election in 1992, Casey was the comeback kid two years later, securing a second term on council. In 1998, she was elected for a third term. Throughout her 12 years, Casey served as mayor, a one-year rotating post, in 1989-90, in 1997-98, after a narrow 3-2 vote, in which her own vote represented the tie-breaker and most recently in 2001-02.

When Hubbard served on council, Casey’s opinion was “certainly a point of view that we listened to but not a majority voice,” Hubbard said. “Once she got a majority, she was able to implement a lot of things that before was just her point of view alone.”

Los Altos Hills-based commercial developer Roger Burnell describes the new guard simply as a “puppet government.”

A Los Altos Hills volunteer awards committee chairman, Burnell helped get Casey elected eight years ago, but defected from her faction in her third bid for council.

He alleged Casey began to exchange political favors for votes from developers.

“We thought she was an activist for personal rights and property rights,” Burnell said. But Casey “was not giving out fair treatment to other members of the community … She was going out and giving favors to developers so she could have more of them in her pocket.”

“It was disgusting to me — she was so hungry for votes.”

But throughout her political career, Casey said her political foes many times crossed the line of decency and fair play.

“My record and voice is totally clear and (my opponents) intentionally distort it to further their own radical goals,” she said. “The vilification of people because they have different opinions than you is just embarrassing for this town.”

The level of ugliness reached an all-time high this past election, according to Casey

“My side has always showed the courtesy and politeness and civility that people deserve,” she said. “We have never attacked or distorted or lied about other candidates.”

Casey did bring former Mayor Steve Finn on board council in 1998, Mayor Pro Tem Emily Cheng in 1999 in an emergency election and current Mayor Bob Fenwick in 2000 through heavy campaigning to create a strong voting block favoring development in the Hills.

But Fenwick said it’s a which came first, “chicken and egg” situation.

“Four of the five people wouldn’t be (on council) if it weren’t for Toni Casey,” he said. “But obviously she wouldn’t support them if they didn’t share somewhat compatible views.”

Cheng said neither Casey, nor any other resident has ever controlled her vote.

“We share some similar philosophy, but we don’t see eye to eye on some things,” she said of Casey. “My voting record clearly shows we don’t vote the same all the time.”

` Casey first came to California in 1972 after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in Atlanta.

Next stop was California and Stanford University, where she earned a master’s degree in both business administration and health care.

The colorful Casey, who was appointed by President Bush as director of intergovernmental affairs of the Small Business Administration and divides her time between the Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C.

Casey said she has no intention of ever returning to the local arena.

“No one ever says never but I have no intentions of returning to local government in Los Altos Hills in any elected capacity,” she said. “I’m taking a break. I don’t plan to be involved. I think its time to turn over the reigns to new council.”