May 4, 2006

ELECTION ‘06

OPINION

Dave Cortese will bring integrity back to the office of San Jose mayor

After sitting down with each of the major mayoral candidates for in-depth interviews as well as attending candidate forums, the Times editorial board has voted to endorse Dave Cortese for mayor.

Photo by Jeff Frazee

Ethics. This word has been bandied about quite a bit in this election.

The citizens of San Jose have just lived through one of the most tumultuous periods in the city’s history. Trust in our public officials is at an all time low. We had the resignation of Councilman Terry Gregory after it was discovered that he accepted gifts; the Cisco scandal, which ended with major officials losing their jobs; the Norcal Garbage scandal, which resulted in Mayor Ron Gonzales’ censure; and city manager Del Borgsdorf quitting under a cloud of public suspicion. Most recently, we had the San Jose Grand Prix debacle, in which the mayor and the vice mayor met with race officials and then gave their cohorts on the council one day to vote on a $4 million subsidy.

The next mayor of San Jose must rebuild the public’s trust. Our next mayor must not be beholden to special interest groups or have personal opinions and convictions that sway in the wind. San Jose’s next mayor needs to be strong and ethical, and willing to bring major decisions to the council and the public, instead of making back-room deals. Our next mayor must also be a consensus builder. This is a tall order.

It is time to bring integrity and transparency back into our city government.

Five major candidates threw their hats in the ring. Each of them has distinct, positive qualities that could translate into strong leadership. Each also has qualities which could be unsuitable for the position of mayor of the 10th largest city in the nation.

Michael Mulcahy is dynamic, articulate and well-meaning. Give him a few years, perhaps a stint on the city council, and he may just be what the city ordered. His time will come, but not now. Right now we need a mayor who can hit the ground running and keep the momentum up to move projects forward in a thoughtful way. Also, Mulcahy’s role as a developer could be a problem down the road.

Chuck Reed is a serious, practical, intelligent man. Unfortunately, his often stiff demeanor prevents him from being the dynamic leader that Silicon Valley needs to represent us in the national, even international arena. But he is a valued asset on the city council and would serve the city well as vice mayor.

David Pandori is an intense, passionate, articulate man with some good ideas. But, it’s easier to go on the attack than to come up with solid answers for the San Jose of tomorrow. His knowledge of city planning would make him an excellent city planner, or perhaps, a city councilmember, a position he has held in the past.

Cindy Chavez is a charming, dynamic, big-picture thinker. However, it is her lack of attention to details that may have created her current challenges. Also, her allegiance to labor and lobbyists, as well as her close ties to the Gonzales regime, could present further problems in city hall in the future.

In our opinion, Dave Cortese has the experience, the passion and the knowledge to lead the citizens of San Jose out of the dispassionate quagmire we’ve found ourselves in.

No, he’s not perfect. In his dealings with Gonzales, Cortese was at times more attack dog than watch dog. Some may even see him as smug and occasionally unapproachable. But more often, he has been called a good, honest man with integrity to spare. An attorney, he is able to understand the intricate details of city proposals and ask the tough questions, unlike some fellow council members.

Cortese has significant community support. The oldest Latino civil rights group in San Jose, La Raza Roundtable, has co-endorsed Cortese and Chavez. At the city council meeting on May 9 when Cortese defended himself against accusations—which we suspect is politically motivated—that he violated the city charter, 20 public speakers came to speak on the issue, all of whom were in support of Cortese. He was also elected unanimously to preside over the Santa Clara County Cities Association and is currently the president of the Association of Bay Area Governments, representing 100 cities in the nine bay area counties.

Cortese earned this support because he has shown himself to be a consensus builder. He has the skills necessary to bring people on polar opposite sides together to solve a problem.

In short, we feel Cortese will bring accountability back to the mayor’s office. Our only major concern is that Cortese may be too detail-oriented. Therefore, we feel it is important for Cortese not to micromanage city projects but to leave the managing up to a strong city manager, per San Jose’s charter.

All in all, each candidate brings their own unique skill set to the table. In our view, the city council would benefit greatly from any one, or all, of these talented and passionate individuals on the dais as a councilmember with Chuck Reed as Vice Mayor and Dave Cortese at the helm.

The complete five-part series of interviews with the major mayoral candidates can be accessed via the Internet at www.almadentimes.com.