Feb 05, 2004

District 10 candidate countdown: Ronald Siporen

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Bay Area native Ronald Siporen admits he never had any aspirations of running for public office—until he read about the onset of the District 10 race in an October issue of the Almaden Times Weekly. He says that’s when the wheels started turning.

“I was looking for something new to do and a door opened in my mind,” he says. “The more I look into it [City Council], the more interested I become. It’s been energizing every step of the way.”

With a degree in economics, a master’s in finance, and his career as a banker—filled with experience managing money, processes and procedures—he feels he could go a long way in shifting the economic scales at all levels of government. His 10 years of experience as a small business owner in downtown San Jose is another asset he believes will provide more personal insight into the needs of small businesses in District 10. Deciding to run for City Council seemed a natural course for him to take.

“I’ve always followed politics,” he says. “The reality is I don’t like things the way they are. Instead of complaining, I believe I have the ability to do something about it rather than talk about it. I have the resources and I have the time.”

Siporen claims his financial experience in creating budgetary solutions for a myriad of business models is just what the city needs in an economy where revenues aren’t the problem, deficits are. “We haven’t necessarily had three years of down revenue,” he exclaims, “but three years of deficits and they’ve done nothing to stop the bleeding. It’s the expenses that are out of control and they have no mechanisms to adjust downward if the revenues don’t materialize. I’m just not seeing the creativity.”

Siporen asserts that he’s not tied to any political cause—he’s merely running as a resident so he can speak as a resident. “I can articulate the issues and I’m willing to talk openly about them,” he says. “I want to come up with ideas and solutions or find people who have ideas and help them articulate their issues. They need someone to be their spokesperson. I want to figure out what they’re really trying to say and turn it into something.”

To do that, he plans to bring city politics up to date with residents’ lifestyles, an opportunity that he maintains the government has missed out on for years. Be it ball fields, traffic concerns or high-density housing, he claims that the solution is as simple as the technology on our desktops—using newsgroups to communicate with residents about the issues that are impacting the community on a round-the-clock basis.

“People travel all over the world, commute and work long hours,” he explains. “When they’re home, they’re spending time with their kids. Bottom line, they’re doing everything we want and need them to do to encourage strong families and spur the economy—but they can’t make that seven o’clock town hall meeting and they can’t make the 1:30 City Council meetings.”

Using “threads,” the newsgroup would enable residents to read about current issues, and participate by responding to posts on a continual basis and taking a more proactive stance in the process. “They can see what I’m saying about the issues,” he says, “Then they can respond and see the feedback at their leisure—on their schedule, not the city’s schedule.”

“It’s so much more efficient,” he adds. “I can be in constant communication with everybody, instead of the 25 people who show up at a town hall meeting to discuss things of great importance and make decisions that will affect thousands. It’s not that they don’t want to be there, but their lives are very busy.”

Whether “carrying the ball” on the continuing sports field drama, pushing for alternative energy, encouraging small business growth in Almaden, creating online newsgroups or cleaning up the Highway 85/87 interchange, Siporen has a head full of ideas and remains determined to be a serious contender for the District 10 seat.

After his wife passed away from cancer two years ago, Siporen sold his advertising agency in an effort to become a stay-at-home dad for his son Jacob, currently a third grader at Almaden Country School, where Siporen serves as its director. “We both needed the time together,” he asserted. “Now I’m ready for more.”

Siporen admits that his fiancée Gere Silver, a longtime Almaden resident, has been an excellent campaign “advisor,” filled with information on the history of south San Jose. His 8-year-old son Jacob, who is a self-proclaimed campaign manager, says his primary role in his father’s bid for the council seat is to “be nice to my dad, stay out of trouble, get good grades, and be a good campaign manager.”

The humble, family-orientated campaign approach involves knocking on doors and passing out cards and brochures to local residents in hopes of garnering their vote. “I tell them there’s an e-mail and a Web site that will tell them what he wants to do for this district,” Jacob says.

“I realize now that I really have something to offer this campaign,” Siporen adds. “It is really starting to gel.”

Siporen’s campaign Web site is www.ronforcitycouncil.com