July 8, 2004

District 10 candidate Nancy Pyle hires new campaign consultant

Darren Seaton joins campaign, Pyle raises about $30,000

By Sheila Sanchez
Staff Writer

San Jose City Council District 10 candidate Nancy Pyle has chosen seasoned political consultant Darren Seaton to guide her in her quest for City Hall.

Seaton replaced Pyle’s former advisor, Morgan Hill Councilman Greg Sellers, who jumped ship in May to concentrate full time on a bid for mayor. Seaton was a former staff member for former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer. He has participated in several campaigns including local school board races.

“I have agreed to take Nancy’s race because I have known of her community activism for some time,” Seaton said. “When I worked in City Hall in the early 1990s, Nancy was involved in neighborhood issues, and she has never stopped working for a better community.

“She is the only candidate who has the neighborhood and financial credentials to return common sense to San Jose’s government.”

For her part, Pyle said “I’ve worked with Darren in the past. This is the last hurrah here. This will do it,” said an excited Pyle this week in an interview with the Almaden Times. “I’ve known him to be a man of integrity. He’s creative and caring person and extremely knowledgeable about issues and personalities in San Jose. I treasure his insights.”

Pyle and candidate Rich De La Rosa are headed for a political showdown in the November runoff election.
De La Rosa finished ahead of Pyle in the March 2 primary election, but below a 50 percent and one-vote majority needed to win. The seat represents Almaden Valley, Santa Teresa, and Blossom Valley.

The 65-year-old Evergreen Community College trustee, who has served students for eight years, said although this is the “quiet” part of the campaign, she’s focusing on raising money and drafting “white papers” or positions on formal issues voters are interested in such as the sports fields on McKeon Road, campaign finance reform and the cost of the new city hall building. She’s also become more visible attending many neighborhood functions to get a better sense of what’s important to District 10 voters.

So far, Pyle has raised about $30,000 and still can raise up to the $89,237 political expenditure limit. Pyle and De La Rosa chose to accept the limit and can only raise $250 at a time. “We’re refining our message,” she said. “I’m an optimist and I’m working extremely hard to do whatever it takes to get a win. That’s my goal. I’m putting in some long days and long hours.” Right now, Pyle works about 12 hours a day on her campaign with plans to spend as many as 18 hours a day as the campaign gets more momentum.

At the beginning of the fall, Pyle will begin walking the 106 District 10 precincts and taping television interviews and participating in political debates sponsored by the Almaden Valley Community Association and the Almaden Business Association. Seaton has been working with Pyle for about five weeks now, but Pyle waited until this week to make the announcement official because “It’s not about him, it’s about issues, the campaign, neighborhoods, all of us. He didn’t feel comfortable being highlighted.”

Of five municipal council seats up for grabs in March, only District 10 does not have a returning incumbent as Vice Mayor Pat Dando was termed out.

Dando has endorsed De La Rosa, 51, an Almaden Valley insurance agent.

Pyle has twice run unsuccessfully against Dando. Both candidates espoused job recovery and helping business.
Pyle didn’t seek nor received the support of the AFL-CIO, the nation’s largest and most influential labor union. She ran for the first time in 1996 for the conservative council seat.

Pyle explained she’s running as an independent and staying away from special interest groups. “I think this is important to voters out there so they know I’m not going in with some pre-conceived notions or promises to certain people. I want to be a representative for all people in District 10,” she said.

Pyle said she’s focusing on land issues. “There’s a lot of distrust for City Hall because of all the little surprises that have come up and it’s not fair to taxpayers and we need to take a good look at that and formulate some ideas as to how we can solve these problems.”

She added: “The people I’ve talked to are beginning to be jaded and have lost trust and we need to regain that trust and make people feel good about their government and not weary and concerned.”

De La Rosa became well known when he represented the Tropicana Shopping Center’s merchant association during its victorious legal battle to stop the San Jose Redevelopment Agency from seizing the aging mall. His family members operate a store at the center.

Pyle has been endorsed by U.S. Congressman Mike Honda, Evergreen Community College District Chancellor Geraldine Evans, former San Jose Mayor Susan Hammer, San Jose City College President Chui L. Tsang, Evergreen Valley College President Clay Whitlow.