January 25, 2007

City Council votes unanimously to appoint Dave Cortese vice mayor

District 8 Councilman Dave Cortese was officially appointed by his City Council colleagues to serve as the city's vice mayor.

Dave Cortese

The unanimous vote occurred at the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting on Jan. 23. In December 2006, Mayor Chuck Reed had announced his intention to submit Cortese's name for the role, citing Cortese's commitment to ethics and reform and his experience both locally and regionally on housing, transportation and economic development.

"I am honored to have the trust and support of the mayor and City Council as I step into the role of vice mayor," said Cortese, "and I am excited to utilize my new role and work alongside Mayor Reed in advancing the city's agenda."

In his current role on the San Jose City Council, Cortese serves on a number of boards and committees. He is president of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), an organization representing the nine counties and 101 cities of the Bay Area. Cortese is a member of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board of directors and the VTA Transit Planning & Operations Committee. Earlier this month, he was unanimously selected by the ABAG executive board to represent them on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Cortese was elected to the San Jose City Council in January 2001 and was re-elected in 2004. Prior to joining the City Council he practiced law and served on the East Side Union High School District for eight years. He resides in the Evergreen area of San Jose with his wife and four children.